Our Brand -
how we talk about Burges Salmon

We all need to be confident, consistent and clear about why Burges Salmon is the best choice for our clients and contacts.

This short guide is a useful tool for when you are preparing to meet people from outside the firm.

It sets out our brand positioning and guidance on tone of voice, with ‘elevator pitch’ and example proof points, to illustrate how we should talk about the firm’s differentiators and why clients want to work with us.

You can go to Brand Central on your laptop home screen, or on your work mobile phone for more information about our brand.

Burges Salmon Cares

Why do clients choose us? They differentiate us on our people, our caring culture and our focus on client relationships, as well as our community spirit and commitments to being a responsible business.

These themes are captured under five brand ‘pillars’, bringing our differentiation and brand positioning to life:

  • Culture

  • Ambition

  • Responsibility

  • Expertise

  • Side-by-side

The phrase ‘Burges Salmon Cares’ provides a neat way for you to remember these five pillars and emphasises an important differentiator.

Everyone likes a good story

The non-confidential stories under each pillar description below are real examples for illustration. But think about stories you can tell about work your team has done, or what you have achieved, that will be of relevance and interest to the person you are speaking to.

Culture

A culture of fairness and support runs through the heart of our business. Our commercial edge is matched by genuine care – for our people, for our clients and for the wider communities around us.

In September 2024, we were recognised as one of Europe’s most innovative law firms by the Financial Times, with the firm scoring highly across the innovation, people and social responsibility leaderboards.

The FT Innovative Lawyers report recognises the best innovative legal work across Europe and highlights the firms and lawyers who are driving change in the sector. This year, around 620 submissions from 229 law firms and in-house legal teams were researched and benchmarked, with us breaking into the Top 50 law firm index in 45th position.

“Innovation plays an important part in our promise to deliver exceptional service to our clients and to advance our people and communities. Being recognised by the Financial Times as a top forward-thinking law firm is a remarkable achievement and a direct result of our ongoing programme of investments to fine-tune solutions that truly add value for our clients and ensure we continue to be an exceptional place to work. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and creativity of our team, and we will continue to push the boundaries of innovation to help shape the future of our sector.”

Roger Bull, Managing Partner – September 2024

Ambition

We’re accessible, responsive, straight-talking and always ambitious to do the best for our clients.

In February 2025, we were delighted to announce a record number of new partner appointments, effective from 1 May 2025. This milestone underscores our ongoing commitment to investing in our key sectors, and the appointment of these 13 new partners highlights our ambitious strategy for future growth and success.

The appointments reflect our dedication to retaining and developing exceptional talent, with new partners spanning the breadth of our sectors and services, including Projects, Employment and Dispute Resolution. This demonstrates the successful career paths the firm has in place for ambitious lawyers to progress to partnership.

“There’s no better endorsement of the ongoing success of our people-first strategy and dedication to delivering an excellent service to our clients than being able to announce a record number of 13 new partners this year.

These latest appointments demonstrate our commitment to continue advising clients across a range of strategically important practices and sectors. All 13 of these new partners are exceptional lawyers who will have a vital role to play in nurturing the firm’s client relationships and enhancing our unique culture in the years ahead.”

Roger Bull, Managing Partner – February 2025

Responsibility

We are actively engaged in delivering on our corporate responsibilities for inclusion, diversity and environmental sustainability.

In November 2024, we returned to Bristol Beacon for Burges Salmon’s Got Talent, raising around £15,000 in aid for the charitable theme Fairer Futures for Young People. The money, raised through ticket sales, donations, auctions and a raffle, will be distributed to a number of charities and community groups across Bristol and Edinburgh to support education, health and wellbeing and social mobility projects and help tackle homelessness and food poverty amongst young people.

“Responsible Business is part of life at Burges Salmon and our talent show was a huge success and a fantastic display of Burges Salmon’s culture at its best, with our people coming together to put on a truly remarkable event and gathering in mass to support our hugely talented and brave performers with great encouragement. Our collective efforts meant we were able to raise a phenomenal amount to support our charity partners and we’re proud to contribute to the inspiring work they do across our communities to support young people realise their full potential.”

Kevin Kennedy, Partner and Chair of Burges Salmon’s Charity Committee - December 2024

Expertise

We’re specialists in complex legal areas, with market sector expertise that’s as deep as it is focused. Always forward-thinking, we guide our clients through rapidly changing business environments, identifying opportunity whenever we can.

We advised the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on the selection of a development partner for a £1bn heat network scheme in Westminster to provide low carbon heating for some of London’s most iconic buildings. The project could become one of the UK’s biggest heat networks.

Initiated by DESNZ and Westminster Council, in collaboration with its delivery partner the South Westminster Area Network (Swan) Partnership, the project could provide the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and the National Gallery with the opportunity to switch to low carbon heating without affecting the aesthetics of historic, listed and World Heritage Site buildings.

"To meet ambitious Net Zero targets by 2050, the UK needs to act quickly to find alternatives to the many carbon intensive activities that we currently rely upon. It’s fantastic to see zonal-scale projects like the Westminster heat network now being developed, giving London the opportunity to showcase on the global stage the tremendous net zero opportunities presented by heat networks with an invisible infrastructure that decarbonises buildings whilst preserving their historic and authentic nature. Our experience in clean heat and energy regulation means we’re well positioned to advise on large scale developments, and it’s been a pleasure to work with DESNZ and its partners on such a landmark scheme in the heart of the capital. We look forward to continuing to support these ambitious projects and the contribution they are making to the decarbonisation of heat across the country."

Charles Robson, Director – November 2024

Side-by-side

We stand side-by-side with our clients, ensuring there are no barriers between us, and building deep, long-lasting relationships.

We advised longstanding client Oxygen Conservation on its acquisition of Dorback Estate, the most significant natural capital land purchase in the history of the UK.

Spanning 15,000 acres of moorland, forest, and mountainous terrain in the Cairngorms National Park, the acquisition increases Oxygen Conservation’s portfolio to over 43,000 acres, supporting its vision to scale conservation across the UK. With potential for woodland creation, habitat recovery, and sustainable tourism, the Dorback Estate landscape offers the opportunity to advance Oxygen Conservation’s goals of long-term environmental restoration and positive social impact.

"We are incredibly excited that the spectacular Dorback Estate is now part of the Oxygen Conservation portfolio. Deals like this are demanding, complex and time consuming, and Burges Salmon’s talented and dedicated team have provided excellent advice and support throughout the lengthy acquisition process. Our partnership with Burges Salmon has been an important part of our journey to this point and we look forward to working with the firm as we continue to Scale Conservation in the years to come."

George Pawley, Oxygen Conservation’s General Counsel – January 2025

Our 30 second 'elevator pitch'

Here is a stripped back summary of our brand positioning, for when you only have a moment to communicate the essence of the firm.

It presumes you are speaking to a potential client, but can be simply adjusted - for example, to refer to ‘our clients’ rather than ‘you’:

  • We work side-by-side with you.
  • We’re ambitious, but down to earth and accessible.
  • We’re specialists in complex legal work, with market leading expertise in some sectors.
  • We have a strong culture of caring - for you, our people and our communities.
  • We’re actively engaged in our sustainability, social, inclusion and diversity responsibilities.
  • This combination makes us different – it’s why our clients trust us and enjoy working with us.

This clear positioning should help you talk confidently about the firm - who we are, what we do, how we do it, and why we’re proud to be part of it - all coming together under the headline message:

Standing with you. Ambitious for you.

Setting the right tone

The way we write and speak matters.

It matters because using the right tone describes and demonstrates what sets us apart from other legal firms, because choosing the right words communicates who we are and what we believe in, and because talking in the right way results in better, deeper relationships with our clients. The Burges Salmon tone of voice is informed by our positioning. Every element described below can be linked directly to one or more of the pillars of our brand. Use them as a checklist and you’ll know you’re representing our business in the right way.

  • Make it clear you care - be personable, empathetic, accessible and inclusive
  • Tell it straight - always be upfront, fair and open
  • Be the voice of reason - pragmatic, challenging and optimistic
  • Match your words to the audience - use language that reflects their understanding and is easy to digest
  • Be bold - inspire confidence, demonstrate passion and motivate your audience