Big hitters named in latest Legal 500 review

THE respected Legal 500 review is predicting further consolidation in the mid-market and the continued rise of niche players challenging established firms.

In its overview of the North West legal market the publication refers to the failed Cobbetts/DWF tie-up, and states, “Mergers (and almost mergers) were a key theme” for the past year.

It describes Manchester as the North West’s “corporate centre” and the legal market place in the city as “competitive” and “lawyer-heavy”.

It adds: “The continued pressure on the mid-tier firms means the market is set for further consolidation, with some firms noticeably paring back their corporate practices. There are, however, potential opportunities for smaller and newer players to provide niche offerings and gain market share.”
 
Legal 500 notes that other mergers, with regional significance, had been more effective, with Pinsent Masons and McGrigors seeing a “smooth transition”, although Eversheds took former McGrigors managing partner David Moss and his team of construction lawyers just months before the merger.

Notable individual moves included former DLA Piper UK managing partner Simon Woolley setting up EOS Law; and Simon Wallwork, former head of corporate at Pannone  joining ambitious Scottish firm Semple Fraser.

Another firm earning praise for key hires is JMW Solicitors, which took partner Chris Moss from Pinsent Masons and family partners Catherine Jones and Beth Wilkins from Pannone.

The tier one North West firms remain as in 2011 with Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Eversheds and Pinsent Masons leading the way.

In the second tier of regional heavyweights, there is little change year-on-year too, with Brabners Chaffe Street, Cobbetts, DAC Beachcroft, DWF, Gateley, Hill Dickinson, Pannone, Squire Sanders and Weightmans.

Discussing the Liverpool market – where DLA Piper is the only tier one firm to have a presence – Legal 500 says it is “fairly stable” with a “small pool of leading firms competing for work.”

The other leading players in the city are Brabners Chaffe Street, DWF, Hill Dickinson and Weightmans.

Outside of the region’s two core cities, Legal 500 highlights there are a number of strong commercial outfits across locations as Preston (Brabners Chaffe Street, Napthens), Bolton (KBL) and Chester (Aaron & Partners and Hill Dickinson).

The leading individuals according to Legal 500 are:

Manchester

Madeleine Abas – (Osborn Abas Hunt) Health and safety
Christine Barker Laytons (Family)
Tony Barnfather – Pannone (Crime)
Roy Beckett – DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Adrian Bever – Addleshaw Goddard (Health and safety)
Dan Bickerstaffe – Squire Sanders (Employment)
Tom Bridgford – Eversheds (Corporate and commercial)
Liam Buckley – Squire Sanders (Commercial property)
Andrew Chamberlain – Addleshaw Goddard (Employment)
Craig Chaplin – DWF (Intellectual property)
Mary Clarke – DLA Piper (Employment)
Michael Clavell-Bate – Eversheds (Commercial litigation)
Jonathan Clay – Berrymans Lace Mawer (Personal injury)
Paula Cole – DAC Beachcroft (Employment)
Nigel Dale – Eversheds (Banking and finance)
Gregg Davison – Pinsent Masons (Corporate and commercial)
Paul Devitt – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate and commercial)
Mike Edge – Pinsent Masons (Commercial property)
Jonathan Edwards – DWF (Banking and finance)
Rob Fawke – Pannone (Banking and finance)
Sean Fitzgerald – Cobbetts (Corporate and commercial)
Tony Fitzmaurice – Brabners Chaffe Street (Commercial property)
Diane Gilhooley – Eversheds (Education)
Stephen Goodman – Goodman Harvey  (Commercial property)
John Gosling – Addleshaw Goddard (Commercial litigation)
Amanda Gray – Addleshaw Goddard (Banking and finance)
Andrew Gregory – DWF (Insolvency and corporate recovery)
Rebecca Grisewood – Gateley (Corporate and commercial)
Daniel Hall – Eversheds (Corporate and commercial)
Tim Hamilton – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate and commercial)
Tony Harper – Brabners Chaffe Street (Corporate and commercial)
Andrew Harris – DLA Piper (Commercial litigation)
Frances Harrison – Hempsons (Clinical negligence)
Elizabeth Hassall – Gateley (Family)
Carol Jackson – Pannone (Personal injury)
Ed Jenkins – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate tax)
Sue Jenkins – DAC Beachcroft (Employment)
Catherine Leech – Pannone (Personal injury)
Bill Lister – Heatons (Intellectual property)
Samantha Livesey – Pinsent Masons  (Information technology)
Richard Lloyd – Eversheds (Planning and environment)
Anthony Lyons – Kuit Steinart Levy (Licensing)
Atiyah Malik – Berrymans Lace Mawer (Health and safety)
Andrew Maskill –  Addleshaw Goddard (Banking and finance)
Melanie McGuirk – Pannone (Intellectual property)
Susan Molloy – Gateley (Banking and finance)
Matthew Morgan – Pinsent Masons (Banking and finance)
David Moss – Eversheds (Construction)
Simon Moulden – Pannone (Corporate tax)
Michael O’Connor – Addleshaw Goddard (Projects and energy)
Frank Patterson – MPH Solicitors (Clinical negligence)
Simon Pedley – Pannone (Commercial litigation)
David Pickering – DWF (Family)
Malcolm Pike – Addleshaw Goddard (Employment)
Helen Ridge – Pinsent Masons (Corporate and commercial)
Kirsty Rogers – DWF (Employment)
Diarmuid Ryan – Squire Sanders (EU and competition)
Claire Shepherd – Squire Sanders (Banking and finance)
Geoffrey Shindler – DWF (Personal tax, trusts and probate)
Richard Smyth – DLA Piper (Crime)
Lesley Smythe – DWF (Family)
Kit Sorrell – Pannone (Commercial litigation)
Steve Southern – Squire Sanders (Pensions)
James Szerdy – (Banking and finance)
Jim Tully – Addleshaw Goddard  (Corporate and commercial)
Jonathan Watkins – DLA Piper (Corporate and commercial)
Maurice Watkins – Brabners Chaffe Street (Sport)
Anita Weightman – DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Karl Williams – Pannone (Debt recovery)

Liverpool:

Carole Atkinson -Weightmans (Family)
Mark Beardwood – DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Michael Brabner – Brabners Chaffe Street (Corporate and commercial)
Mark Goodwin -DLA Piper (Commercial litigation)
Pamela Jones – Hill Dickinson (Commercial property)
Mark Manley – Brabners Chaffe Street  (Commercial litigation)
Mark O’Connor – O’Connors (Corporate and commercial)
Andrew O’Mahony – Brabners Chaffe Street (Corporate and commercial)
Jim Pinsent – DLA Piper (Construction)
Philip Rooney – DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Denise Walker – Brabners Chaffe Street (Corporate and commercial)
Richard Watson – Hill Dickinson (Clinical negligence)

Elsewhere in the region
Martin Gillibrand – Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand (Agriculture and estates)