Press Release – March 2026
Leading Yorkshire law firm Ison Harrison has secured a prestigious national accolade after being named one of the top ten employers in the UK in the “Best Big Places to Work” category by The Sunday Times.
The definitive nationwide workplace survey, developed in partnership with leading employee experience platform WorkL, recognises Britain’s top employers by identifying organisations that champion exceptional employee engagement, workplace culture, and overall staff wellbeing.
The official list is published today online at thetimes.com/best-places-to-work ahead of its appearance in the newspaper’s print edition this Sunday, May 24.
Securing a coveted top ten position in the highly competitive category for businesses employing between 250 and 1,999 individuals represents a monumental achievement for the Leeds-headquartered firm. This year’s comprehensive assessment featured 567 organisations across the country. Ison Harrison’s inclusion highlights its status as a regional trailblazer; it stands as one of only two companies from Leeds and one of just three from the entire North of England to make the top ten list, with the remaining dominant positions occupied by businesses based in the South.
This national recognition follows a period of unprecedented momentum for Ison Harrison, which made a pioneering move in 2022 to become one of the UK’s first large law firms to transition to a 100% employee-owned structure. The forward-thinking Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) model has acted as a powerful catalyst for dynamic growth, fuelling substantial client expansion, major practice acquisitions, and the broadening of its regional footprint to 25 offices across Yorkshire. The firm now employs 455 staff across the region and projects its annual turnover to exceed £38 million by the end of 2026.
Jonathan Wearing, managing director at Ison Harrison, expressed immense pride in the achievement and emphasised how the firm’s structural evolution has reshaped its workplace identity: “To be ranked by The Sunday Times as one of the top ten best big places to work in the UK is an incredibly proud moment for everyone at the firm. This achievement is a direct reflection of how our employee ownership model has fundamentally transformed Ison Harrison as a workplace.
“By shifting the ownership of the business to our people, we have created an environment that offers team members an annual profit share bonus alongside meaningful career progression and genuine job satisfaction. Our structure ensures that every individual is personally invested in our collective journey, fostering a culture where staff feel valued, motivated, and empowered to succeed. This accolade proves that putting our people first goes hand-in-hand with running a highly successful, growing legal practice.”
The firm’s commitment to sharing its commercial success was demonstrated recently when it announced its fourth successive annual profit share bonus, awarding £5,000 to each eligible employee following another record-breaking year of performance.
Zoe Thomas, editor of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, said: “In an evolving world of work, Britain’s leading employers are helping staff forge careers that count today – and in the future. In turn, the Best Places to Work have the resilience to weather the current economic storms baked in, thanks to engaged workers who go above and beyond with a smile. Our winning employers span sizes and sectors – from tiny charities and specialist law firms, to multinational fast-food chains and utility giants, and everywhere in between. The thread joining them is the belief that a happy workforce is a stepping stone to better performance, faster growth, and bigger profits. More than that, there’s a collective instinct that a contented rank-and-file is a worthwhile business goal in and of itself.”
Lord Mark Price, founder of WorkL, added: “I am delighted that more companies than ever entered this year’s Best Places to Work awards and more have been given winner’s medals. The scores are higher than last year showing a greater focus being put on how employees feel. All our research at WorkL clearly shows that happier workforces drive better commercial performance.”
As an early adopter of employee ownership within the legal sector, Ison Harrison has solidified its status as a regional powerhouse. Alongside offering the broadest range of legal services in Yorkshire, the firm holds over 10 Law Society accreditations. It also operates a dedicated employee ownership advisory service, leveraging its firsthand experience to guide other business owners through the complexities of transitioning to an EOT model.
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Further information about Ison Harrison is available at https://www.isonharrison.co.uk
