UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson has made one of the biggest climbs in this year's Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe rankings, rising 20 places to rank 13th most innovative law firm in Europe. The firm also won the People Strategy 2026 award.

One of the biggest rises in the rankings

Moving from 33rd to 13th in a single year puts Browne Jacobson among the top law firms in Europe for innovation. The ranking reflects a firm that has made innovation central to how it works as a core part of how it serves clients and society.

Richard Medd, Managing Partner, said: "A 20-place jump in a single year, competing against some of the largest law firms on the continent, tells you something real about the kind of firm we are. But what matters most to me is what sits behind it: the people at Browne Jacobson who bring ingenuity to their work every single day, whether that's in education, life sciences, real estate, private equity or any of the other sectors we serve. 

“Winning the People Strategy award this year is particularly meaningful. It speaks to the culture we've built and the belief that how we treat people, inside the firm and out, is inseparable from the quality of what we deliver. Add in our shortlistings and the strength we've seen right across the business in 2026, it displays for all to see the ambition and commitment Browne Jacobson has for its clients, its people, and itself as a firm."

Winning People Strategy: tackling social bias that holds people back

The People Strategy award recognises Browne Jacobson's accent and socioeconomic bias training programme. The practical, evidence-based work addresses one of the most entrenched barriers in professional life.

The programme gives organisations the tools to identify and confront the unconscious bias that accent and socioeconomic background create in hiring decisions, career progression and everyday working relationships. The result is workplaces that are not just more inclusive in policy, but in practice.

Shortlisted across three categories

Complementing the award win were two shortlistings:

• Knowledge and Data for its School Leaders Survey, a twice-yearly study capturing the views of almost 200 school and academy trust leaders, representing more than 1,000 schools and half a million pupils across England. The survey tracks sentiment, priorities and policy responses in real time, and its findings have directly informed the development of new legal products and services for the education sector.
• Tom Lyas, Head of Resourcing and Social Mobility, was shortlisted for Intrapreneur of the Year in recognition of his work building the firm into the UK's number one employer for social mobility for four consecutive years, and its top-ranked law firm for five years running. 

A firm that keeps raising the bar

Last year, Browne Jacobson ranked 33rd in Europe and won FT Innovative Lawyers Awards, including the individual prize for Partner Tim Johnson's work making insurance policies genuinely understandable to consumers. This year's success shows the firm is not standing still.

Away from the FT awards, 2026 has been a strong year across the board. The firm ranked third in the Mergermarket 2026 league tables for M&A deal count, won National Legal Team and Large Deal of the Year at The Business Desk's Rainmaker Awards, and took Legal Adviser of the Year: Deal-making at the EducationInvestor Awards 2026.