Dynamism of the Yorkshire region makes it an exciting place for growth
By Michael Boyd, Partner and Head of the Leeds Office at Bevan Brittan.
It seems incredible that it was three years ago – in September 2015 – that we opened our office in Leeds. It was a big step for the firm and a significant investment, taking us from three offices nationally (Bristol, Birmingham, London) to four. We already worked for many clients based in the North, but this gave us a physical presence here and the opportunity to cement and deepen relationships.
The office in Toronto Square opened with a handful of partners and staff, but a number of new lawyer appointments quickly followed and today the office stands at eleven partners in a total team of over thirty. Very recently, to accommodate our projected growth plans over the next 3-5 years, we announced that we are doubling our space in Toronto Square.
As our business here grows, so does the team. In the last few months we have brought in lawyers who extend our offering: Judith Hopper who has joined us as a Partner specialising in litigation and PFI, David Kitson as a Senior Associate who joined us from local government and Tim Gooder who is a Senior Associate specialising in employment.
Another notable development, that I am delighted about, saw us taking on our first two trainees in Leeds. I hope they will be the first of many.
It has turned into a very successful investment for the firm, in which we have grown our business in local government, health and housing whilst also, in line with our national strategy, built a strong private sector practice in areas such as property. The team here works both with local and national clients.
I really do believe that we have an exceptionally strong team in Leeds, a view which is supported by the percentage of our partners who are recognised as leading individuals in the Legal 500 and Chambers directories.
But our growth is also a testament to the region itself. We have chosen a great market to expand into! Leeds continues to be a fast-developing and forward-looking city, with ambitious plans for regeneration and growth. The prospect of a new state-of-the-art hospital facility in the city is an exciting one, while the council has a compelling long-term vision for the development of the city in terms of its technology and artistic quarters. The whole city has recently been buoyed by the fantastic news that Channel 4 has chosen Leeds as its new national headquarters – beating Birmingham and Manchester to the prize. This is a tremendous vote of confidence.
Health is also a real strength in Leeds, with NHS England based here as well as NHS Digital. There has been a surge of innovative and high-potential start-ups too, servicing the digital health markets.
It’s important to appreciate the dynamism of the whole region though and, not just Leeds. Across Yorkshire, we see a strong array of determined and enterprising businesses looking to harness growth.
Of course, there are challenges. Brexit presents great uncertainty, here as elsewhere across the UK. The Northern Powerhouse is a fantastic concept, but would certainly benefit from increased central government support.
Connectivity remains an issue too. Transport links to London are generally good but, as everybody knows, we need to see improvements in connectivity between and across the major centres of our region. HS2 is coming – but we are still many years away from it making a real difference here.
I have no doubt that these are challenges our resilient and resourceful business community in Yorkshire can rise to and overcome. At Bevan Brittan, we’re excited about being a part of it through the years to come.
www.bevanbrittan.com/offices/leeds
