Family legacy drives culture and expansion at corporate law firm

Gunnercooke boosts leadership with sons of founder Darryl Cooke, aiming for next-gen success

Gunnercooke, the fast-growing corporate law firm, has appointed the two sons of founder Darryl Cooke as joint chiefs of staff. Ashley and Hayden Cooke are set to take on key roles within the firm, with a focus on advancing culture, growth, and innovation, ensuring that the firm stays true to its values while navigating future expansion.

Darryl Cooke, who established the firm in 2010 alongside co-founder Sarah Gilbourne, has long been a driving force in the firm’s development. Originally a barrister, Cooke’s career spanned leadership roles at prominent law firms like Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, and Hill Dickinson before founding gunnercooke. The firm, which has since grown to 15 offices across the UK, US, and Europe—including a newly opened base in Chicago—employs over 500 lawyers and recorded an £82 million turnover last year.

Ashley and Hayden, both in their mid-30s, are the latest additions to the firm’s senior leadership. Both Oxford alumni with degrees in history, the brothers bring a diverse set of experiences. Hayden trained at the prestigious Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May and has worked in-house for tech start-ups. His brother Ashley, a former management consultant at Pwc, shifted his focus to environmental conservation in recent years, managing the family’s 200-acre rewilding project, The Meadowlands, in Herefordshire.

Darryl Cooke expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment, noting that the firm’s culture is key to its success. “Our ambition has always been to place our community and people at the heart of what we do,” said Cooke. He believes his sons’ fresh perspectives will be instrumental in driving the firm’s continued growth while maintaining the values that have made Gunnercooke distinctive in the competitive corporate law market.