Our Story

Welcome to Ison Harrison.

We’ve all got a story of where we have come from, who we are and what makes us tick. This is ours.

Over the past 48 years the firm has grown from a one man band to what is now a large regional law firm employing over 500 staff across 30 offices throughout Yorkshire and the North. We offer the broadest suite of legal services in the region and are very much embedded in the communities in which we have offices. Whilst some of the growth has been facilitated through acquiring other smaller firms, most has been organic as a consequence of clients recommending us or returning for additional services.

How did we get here?

  • 1978 – S.C.Harrison & Co – founded by Stephen Harrison in Leeds, West Yorkshire
  • 1988 – Merger with Ison Driver & Furness in Garforth West Yorkshire to form Ison Harrison
  • 1993 –Ruth Bundey & Co merged to form Harrison Bundey & Co based in Chapeltown, Leeds
  • 1996 – Opening of Crossgates Branch
  • 1996 – Acquisition of Phillips & Gillis, Crossgates
  • 2010 – Opening of Ilkley Branch
  • 2010 – Acquisition of Susan Cuthbertson & Co, Ilkley
  • 2010 – Acquisition of Bowmans Family Law, Leeds
  • 2011 – Opening of Guiseley Branch
  • 2011 – Acquisition of James Bloomer solicitors, Ilkley
  • 2012 – Opening of Morley Branch
  • 2012 – Acquisition of Shaw Gillis, Morley
  • 2014 – Incorporation: Ison Harrison Ltd
  • 2014 – Opening of Chapel Allerton Branch
  • 2015 – Opening of Castleford Branch
  • 2015 – Opening of Pontefract Branch
  • 2015 – Acquisition of Maurice Smiths solicitors, Castleford and Pontefract
  • 2017 – Opening of Pudsey Branch
  • 2017 – Opening of Huddersfield Branch
  • 2018 – Opening of Otley Branch
  • 2018 – Opening of York Branch
  • 2019 – Opening of Barnsley Branch
  • 2021 – Opening of Bingley Branch
  • 2021 – Opening of Harrogate Branch
  • 2021 – Converted into an Employee Owned Business
  • 2022 – Opening of Wakefield Branch
  • 2022 – Won Law Firm of the Year (Medium) at the Yorkshire Legal Awards
  • 2023 – Opening of Doncaster Branch
  • 2024 – In February we opened our Queensbury Branch
  • 2024 – On July 1st we acquired Cohen Cramer Solicitors
  • 2024 – Opening of Queensbury Branch
  • 2024 – Acquisition of Cohen Cramer solicitors, Leeds
  • 2024 – Opening of Selby Branch
  • 2025 – Opening of Skipton Branch
  • 2025 – Acquisition of Armstrong Luty Solicitors, Skipton
  • 2025 – Acquisition of Savage Crangle Solicitors, Skipton
  • 2025 – Opening of Brighouse Branch
  • 2025 – Opening of Middlesborough Branch
  • 2026 – Opening of Bradford Branch
  • 2026- Opening of Penistone Branch
  • 2026- Opening of Hoyland Branch
  • 2026- Opening of Manchester City Centre Branch
  • 2026 – Acquisition of Dootsons Solicitors
  • 2026 – Opening Leigh Branch
  • 2026 – Opening of Newton-le- Willows Branch
  • 2026 – Opening of Culcheth Branch

As you can see the firm has enjoyed substantial growth over the past 20 years. We have always taken the view that standing still as a business is not an option for us. We have seen many law firms either go out of business or reduce in size over the years and we were determined not to struggle in the same way. We have therefore constantly looked to improve. We have looked for opportunities to grow our profile, the number of our offices, and the breadth of services that we offer. We have looked for ways to improve our internal processes, employee engagement and how we deal and communicate with clients. All partners and managers recognise the importance of communication and set the tone within the firm employing honest, open and prompt communication with clients and colleagues alike.

Our mantra is “Always Changing : Always Improving”. It has served us and our clients well.

In 2010, after consultation with all of our staff, we decided to adopt the tag-line of “The Leeds law Firm”. It seemed that the one thing that despite our disparate areas of work we all had Leeds in common. Whether we were involved in criminal work, drafting a will, completing a commercial property transaction or advising on a family dispute, we were all acting for people from in or around Leeds. At the time we only had 4 offices. However, despite that, we were big enough, broad enough, local enough, and cheeky enough to call ourselves “The Leeds law Firm”. We didn’t just get away with it but it helped formulate clear business strategies, a strong defined culture, a corporate ambition and general purpose to the firm.

By 2020 turnover had tripled and the number of offices across the county increasing each year.  We had grown as a business and our tag-line which helped define our purpose for so many years struggled to keep up. You can’t be The Leeds law Firm in Huddersfield, Barnsley or York. Again, we involved everyone in another consultation at the firm and as a consequence have chosen to adopt a new tag-line – “The Yorkshire Law Firm”. If we felt that we were being cheeky in adopting Leeds in our tag-line you can well imagine how much more so we feel in adopting the whole of Yorkshire! However, we feel that it fits us. The change reflects a continuity as well as growth in size, profile and confidence which more accurately reflects the business.

Becoming an Employee Owned Business in 2022 had the impact of ‘turbo-boosting’ the firm’s growth.  We really like people. Liking people matters. It helps us go the extra mile for our clients, to get the best out of each other, and to allow people to develop their careers within the firm. We saw a heightened level of engagement and drive and an increase in opportunities to grow beyond Yorkshire.  In 2025 we expanded into the North-East and opened our first office outside Yorkshire in Middlesborough and in 2026 we expanded into the North-West when we opened a Manchester city centre office and then acquired Dootsons solicitors based in Leigh, Newton-le-Willows and Culcheth.

So, the story continues.  We will continue to expand across the North of England, creating opportunities for and sharing our successes with Employees on the way.  We are creating a truly unique story of how a law firm can meet both the needs of clients and colleagues alike in the twenty first century.  One that is….Employee owned and Employee Driven.

Jonathan Wearing
Managing Partner