Mills & Reeve boss keen to grow team

LAW firm Mills & Reeve believes it is well placed for growth in a highly competitive North West legal market.

Niall Innes, who took over as managing partner of the national firm’s Manchester office in October, says M&R is now firmly in “growth mode” after a year of consolidation following the merger of Mills & Reeve with Manchester practice George Davies.

“We are looking to add quality teams here unquestionably. We are very pleased with the shape of the Manchester office post merger – it has achieved exactly what it was meant to – in that we have won work we wouldn’t have done without it.

Based at offices on New York Street in the city centre, Mills and Reeve has just under 100 employees, comprising 55 lawyers and 40 support staff. The integration after the merger with George Davies was greatly assisted by the fact both were already in the same building, but on different floors.

Innes, an insurance litigator who has worked in Manchester and Liverpool throughout his career, says both the pick-up in the economy and the excitement around regional devolution, is driving opportunities in the North West for clients inside the region and beyond.

“There are people in our other offices seeing that Manchester is a good place to live and develop their careers. We have recently appointed a technology lawyer from our Cambridge office for example.

“Clients with money to invest are seeing that too, lots of institutions are looking to the North for opportunities as well.”

Adding senior-level expertise in corporate, technology and property are particular targets for the firm, Innes added.

“Mills & Reeve enjoyed steady profitable growth through the recession, and that is always our goal. We are talking to a number of possible hires to help us achieve our ambitions here,” he added.