Jon Skeeters Discusses Bradley’s Revenue Growth with Law.com

Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan Skeeters discussed the firm’s strong performance in 2024 with Law.com.

Bradley saw investments made in the previous five years come to fruition in 2024 and lead to double-digit increases in revenue and net income, said Skeeters.

Skeeters explained the firm’s opening of Dallas and Houston offices in 2019 and 2020, as well as the 2023 opening of its Atlanta office, set the firm up for the financial success it saw in 2024.

“A lot of that in ‘24 was really the seeds planted in ‘23 with the investment in Atlanta [and] the continued growth in Texas,” he said. “[Atlanta] has really exceeded our expectations.”

He also noted the Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offices contributed to that growth.

Skeeters explained the addition of 14.5 equity partners FTE likely reduced the amount of PEP for the year. However, those additions aligned with Bradley’s core philosophy of promoting a “one-firm mentality” that encourages all lawyers to be engaged as “partners” and work toward a goal, he said.

Practices that did well for the firm in 2024 included litigation, healthcare, regulatory compliance, economic development and energy – especially in the area of renewables. Bradley also saw increases in life sciences, where the firm dealt with litigation involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices, Skeeters explained.

But he said no single matter or engagement had a significant impact on the firm’s performance. No client accounts for more than 4% of revenue, he added.

“We call it a diversified portfolio,” Skeeters said.

Demand increased but did not “spike” throughout the year. However, the firm billed 13% more hours (to 1.163 million) and increased rates between 7% and 9% in 2024, according to ALM data.

The firm was able to find the “sweet spot” for clients in which it was able to increase rates in some areas — particularly in complex work like securities litigation, Skeeters explained. He said Bradley worked to show clients the “cost advantage” of a firm that does not charge at the level seen in New York or Los Angeles because it does not operate offices in those cities.

“We didn’t want to be just a vendor to our clients — we want to be a partner,” he said. “Part of that is pricing.”

He said the firm’s locations are primarily in the Southeast, giving it a competitive advantage while also operating in a region with rapidly developing economies.

“We have a favorable cost structure,” he said. “Our footprint allows us some of those cost advantages.”

He noted the firm was not focused on cost-cutting, but instead was “trying to invest in the future in different ways,” such as building out new office space and “making sure our technology was up” to industry standards in areas such as AI.

The firm also is working to grow in its existing markets and not actively seeking to move into larger markets, he said.

Bradley was not involved in merger talks in 2024 and is not likely to consider a merger this year, Skeeters said. The firm’s partners also are “reluctant to be part of” a firm of equal or larger size, he added.

The firm has been “opportunistic” and wouldn’t “foreclose” going into a new market if conditions were right, Skeeters concluded.

The full article, “Bradley Arant Sees 'Seeds Planted' Since 2019 Lead to 19% Revenue Growth,” was published by Law.com on March 28, 2025.