Legal 500 – Regional market in robust shape
Unsurprisingly, given the high levels of interest in the concept, the ‘Northen Powerhouse’ gets an honourable mention in the regional overview.
This also charts the arrival of international firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Latham & Watkins in Manchester where they have launched, or in the case of Freshfields are launching, low cost back-office bases in the city.
It also notes the growth of new entrants to the region’s legal scene, and says Nabarro “made the largest impact in Manchester when it opened” poaching several high-profile names in real estate from Addleshaw Goddard, Peter Winnard from Eversheds, and corporate partner Howard Gill from Pinsent Masons.
The presence of the Big Four accountancy firms in Manchester also lured some top talent, with corporate partners Nick Roome and Neal Shepherd joining KPMG and PwC from DLA Piper and Addleshaw Goddard respectively, while EY has also recently hired two former Addleshaws Goddard corporate partners, Paul Devitt and Richard Thomas.
The guide says: “With the talk of ‘Devo Manc’ and the ‘Northern Powerhouse’, Manchester remains the corporate centre of the region, attracting business from the rest of the UK and internationally, and this is set to increase in the next few years as planned new transport links such as HS2 attract further investment.
“Firms in Liverpool enjoy a slew of high-profile corporate work, projects, property and public sector instructions. Beyond the major cities, firms profit from lower cost bases, and advise an increasing number of high-profile clients.
“A strong roster of high-net-worth clients turn to firms in Chester for advice on agricultural and private client matters, with firms in the city acting for a number of clients from North Wales as well as England. Firms in smaller towns and cities, such as Preston and Bolton, have strong local client bases, and act for a range of SMEs, public sector clients and owner-managed businesses.”
The publication also ranks the major firms in three tiers.
Tier one: Addleshaw Goddard; DLA Piper; Eversheds and Pinsent Masons.
Tier two features seven firms: Brabners, DAC Beachcroft, DWF, Gateley, Hill Dickinson, Squire Patton Boggs and Weightmans.
Meanwhile, Irwin Mitchell and Slater and Gordon are listed in the third tier of regional heavyweights.
Manchester law firm JMW said its 2015 rankings were its best ever, with listings in 11 areas and mentions for 29 lawyers across all practice areas, including new recruits Mike Blood (corporate), Mike Rainford (business crime & regulation) and Chris Love (corporate recovery and insolvency). The firm’s family team has also moved into the top tier.
Liverpool and Manchester firm Bermans said its 2015 rankings were also its best ever. It was recommended as a top tier firm in dispute resolution and debt recovery with its head of department Nick Harvey being listed in the elite leading lawyers’ list. Nine other lawyers were also recommended including head of corporate Kieran Donovan who was singled out for his “great acumen”.
The corporate and commercial teams in Liverpool and Manchester were also recommended along with finance, insolvency and corporate recovery, employment and TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
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