Awards don’t build resilient firms—clarity, culture, and client value do. This episode, our Host, Emma Waddingham, sat down with Managing Partner Fflur Jones and Partner Owen John at Darwin Gray Solicitors, winners of the Legal News Wales Business Growth Award 2025, to unpack how a simple, shared strategy powered 105% revenue growth for the law firm in two years, without losing the warmth that holds a team together. 

We explore the choices behind the law firm's rise: embracing Welsh identity and bilingual delivery, investing in SEO and public tenders to attract the right work, and expanding services where clients truly need support—from governance to wills and probate.

We dig into the firm's North Wales story: how a commitment to local presence resulting in a strong commercial foothold, how partnerships with Bangor University and sector networks unlocked opportunity, and what’s changing across food and drink, manufacturing and infrastructure. Along the way, we get practical about value and excellence for cross‑border clients—why responsiveness, quality and fair pricing travel better than postcodes—and why Welsh language services are a strategic capability, not a marketing flourish.

In order to understand how Darwin Gray attracted the attention of the Legal News Awards judges and showcased significant growth, Emma asked Fflur and Owen to share how the firm has utilised technology to support its business plans - such as AI in property workflows and the firm's trials with advanced tools like Thomson Reuters’ CoCounsel, plus the guardrails needed to protect data, train juniors, and preserve judgement. 

We also look at thought leadership as growth engine: the Governance Wales conferences, a pan‑Wales HR network, and how convening the right rooms leads to meaningful instructions. Through it all runs a theme of growth with purpose—using clear communication, CSR, and steady pacing to scale culture, not just headcount.

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