Freeths pay back Job Retention Scheme funds

15th July 2021

National, top 50 commercial law firm, Freeths LLP, have announced they are paying back in full the funds received from the government’s Job Retention Scheme, following an exceptional effort in exceeding the firm’s 2020/21 COVID-adjusted targets.

Along with repaying the furlough monies, Freeths have also repaid staff for a 3-month salary reduction, paid all staff an 8.5% bonus and accelerated the annual salary review.

Karl Jansen, National Managing Partner at Freeths, commented, “Following review of our year end position, we are in a stronger position than we anticipated when the pandemic first hit. A great deal of hard work and effort went into achieving the excellent year end result, with. the firm exceeding £100m turnover for the second year in succession and exceeding budget by over 6%”.

Freeths’ Chairman, Julian Middleton, said, “Thanks to the exceptional efforts of our hard-working partners and staff, and the strength of our client relationships, the year ultimately turned out much better than we expected.  We were rightly cautious in our approach to the pandemic, but avoided the worst of the impact. We believe that paying back the furlough funds is very much the right thing to do.”

He added, “We really appreciate the way that all our people came together to support our clients through such a difficult period.  With the end of lockdown in sight, we are in a strong position to continue to provide an inclusive and rewarding place for our people, and to deliver excellent service to our clients.”

You might also be interested in

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce: Spending Review Briefing

Mon 23rd June 2025

Responding to the recent Spending Review, Tracy Viner, Executive Manager (Policy and Public Impact) at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce said:

Infrastructure Strategy Must Become Reality

Fri 20th June 2025

Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy, responds to the publication of the Government’s Infrastructure Strategy

Economit becomes accredited Stellastra Platinum Cyber Security consultancy

Fri 20th June 2025

Accreditation marks Economit’s leadership in delivering cyber security consultancy aligned with Stellastra’s global ranking platform

Mounting Uncertainty Delays Further Rate Cut 

Thu 19th June 2025

David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, responds to the latest Bank of England interest rate decision