New head of Leeds law firm sets out growth plans

The new head of office for Shoosmiths in Leeds says the business is preparing for further rapid growth, as the law firm is set double the space it occupies in Platform and imminently announce further lateral hires.

Matthew Howarth, a commercial litigation lawyer who himself had previously worked at Gordons for 14 years before joining Shoosmiths last year, was last month announced as the new head of the Leeds office.

Speaking to TheBusinessDesk.com, Howarth said: “We are growing quicker than we expected, everybody has hit the ground running. If you have the right people, you are always busy and we are being careful in getting the right people. We will soon be doubling the size of the office.”

From September, Shoosmiths will move into one 5,000 st ft wing of Platform, and after that is planning to take a second 5,000 sq ft wing; doubling its current footprint to occupy two floors in total of the Bruntwood city centre development.

TheBusinessDesk.com understands that Shoosmiths will soon be announcing two senior hires to its team from a top tier firm in Leeds, but Howarth would not be drawn on specifics. He did, however, confirm that further lateral hires were to be imminently announced and that in a competitive marketplace, there was a need to hire in such a way to get the best team together.

Howarth added that in September, Shoosmiths in Leeds would be hiring its first trainee and that business was adapting to the changing workforce expectations.

One of the challenges for the new office has been building up regional connections, which he said were being established by offering the “right client experience” and by offering an agile and flexible working environment to new staff.  “You have got to play the long game here,” added Howarth.

In fact, Howarth said he felt that firm’s having ‘long service awards’ would be a thing of the past soon – as millennials entering the workplace see their career path very differently. “For them, it’s all about making the best of the opportunities at any one time. Firms have got to move with the times and acknowledge that the new entrants want different things,” he said.

The firm’s corporate and real estate teams are performing well, according to Howarth, to which he added that their successes were driving further work for specialisms including the firm’s litigation practice. Client wins such as Morrisons has also boosted the firm’s confidence.

Now Howarth and his team are looking to ensure that its success is sustainable in the long-term. “Most of the work that has been completed has been self sustainable,” he added.

Howarth said: “We are working on M&A deals for large FTSE-listed clients and private equity is very busy. It is clear that some investment decisions are being stalled but businesses are recognising that they can’t hang on forever because nobody knows what exactly is going to happen.”

Howarth sees value in the Northern Powerhouse initiative, especially as the Leeds office links up with Manchester often, to which he said that a real challenge was connectivity and transport across the region and beyond.

He added that a positive driver was a range of northern firms offering a high-class service to clients at a reduced cost than London firms, thus bringing wealth into the Yorkshire economy by attracting firms to use the variety of advisory firms based here.

“London feels a long way away and so many businesses are not always interested in doing business with London firms,” added Howarth. “There used to be a perception of a quality gap between here and London but there certainly isn’t one now.”

“If we can harness the confidence across the whole of the north, we will be stronger together. We have a huge amount of heritage and a great quality of life.”

Talking of his new role, he added: “It’s really energising. A lot of people have made big moves to come here, they have invested a lot.

“Now people have made that step, it’s our job to make this thing fly. It is a really good time to be here.

“I love working in Yorkshire, there is a lot of ‘straight talking’ and people are proud to do things in their own way. There is a lot of energy in the region and I think Leeds has picked up in confidence now that it is getting on with developments. It is great to be part of that.”

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