DWF boosts corporate team and looks for more

LAW firm Halliwells has lost three partners to DWF amid reports that it held abortive merger talks with London-firm Manches.

The trio, based in the firm’s Manchester office, are corporate lawyers Frank Shepherd and James Sheridan and commercial partner Craig Chaplin.
All will be based in DWF’s office in the city.

The hirings follow the firm’s capture of Stephen Houston from Addleshaw Goddard in May, who now leads the corporate practice across DWF’s five offices in London, Leeds, Liverpool Preston and Manchester.

Mr Houston hinted at further recruitment, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome three well known and respected partners to our team, however our building programme is by no means complete.

“As part of our plans to grow the corporate and commercial capability of the firm, we will continue to recruit appropriate lateral hires with the right skill base, values and client contacts so that we are well positioned for the upturn in the economy.”

According to reports in the legal press Halliwells and Manches have called off
merger talks citing “cultural differences”, but the London firm may still acquire some parts of the Halliwells practice.

Halliwells sources said the talks had never progressed beyond an “exploratory stage.”.