INTERVIEW: Andrew Pilkington: “The legal sector is thriving again”

Knights is one of the fastest-growing law firms in the East Midlands – and the first in the UK to attract private equity backing. Through a mixture of agressive acquisition and talent-farming, the company has burst on to the region’s legal scene.

We talk to Andrew Pilkington, office leader in Derby, about what makes him – and the firm – tick.

Can you give me the background on your career so far?
Before joining Knights last year, I worked for a number of high-profile firms in the Midlands in private practice and including five years at Rolls-Royce as an in-house lawyer. Now with more than 20 years’ experience, I specialise in advising clients on commercial contracts and projects. I regularly advise on all types of contracts and trading arrangements across a variety of business sectors. Six months ago I joined Knights to help set up its first office in Derby and a key part of my role here is to recruit some of the best talent within the region and to help grow Knights’ client base.

How do you see the legal sector in the East Midlands – is it thriving again?
I think the legal sector in the East Midlands, and nationally, is going through unprecedented change. It has been predicted that as many as 75 per cent of the UK’s largest 200 law firms could cease to exist in the next five years as the rate of consolidation in the profession continues to increase.

I expect this trend to continue in the East Midlands and I think it reflects the fact that people using legal services are becoming more focused on quality and value and require their providers to be better resourced – in terms strength in depth – and an increasingly broad range of expertise. My sense is that, within the profession, there is a lot of uncertainty.

Our structure and forward-thinking culture makes us well-placed to deliver what clients are looking for and also an exciting place for the professionals who join us.

I think the legal sector here is thriving again. At the moment we are based only in Derby in the East Midlands, but we have been struck by the energy and positive feel around the city and the sense that things are happening. Since opening we have seen a steady increase on the flow of work coming in and there has been a noticeable surge in new clients and instructions since Christmas. We expect this to continue.

Why is Knights set up as an ABS firm?
The principal advantage which Knights has over many other firms is its structure; Knights is run as a ‘normal’ commercial business, rather than as a partnership or other traditional business model. This makes investment and growth more achievable, it means decision-making is fast and responsive to client needs and market opportunities. We are not restricted by the requirement for consensus among an ownership group who, quite understandably, have different ideas, different attitudes to risk and investment and are at different stages of career and life.

On top of that, that the ABS (Alternative Business Structure) model allows us to offer deliver more professional services for clients under one roof.

The structure of the business and the adoption of the ABS model has allowed Knights to achieve phenomenal growth. Originally a single office practice which is now head office in Newcastle under Lyme in Staffordshire, within the last two years our Chester office has increased from single figures to more than 50 professionals, a similar story to our Cheltenham office. Our Derby office was opened in August with eight people.

We will soon have 23 professionals working here and this number will continue to increase at the same rate during 2016. At the beginning of February, Knights completed its acquisition of Darbys Solicitors which means we now have additional offices in Oxford, Hale and Colchester too, further bolstering our UK-wide network.

Will more firms go down this route?
If they want to grow significantly in response to market requirements and challenges I think this is the route they will have to go down. I simply don’t think it is possible to do this under traditional ownership models.

To what do you attribute your personal success?
I really love my job and I enjoy a challenge, so I work hard and enjoy it. The best thing about my job is working with many clients with diverse businesses to find solutions to the challenges they face. I think being a people person helps too because my role means I meet new people every day – potential new recruits, clients or fellow professional colleagues.

Having the opportunity to help set up the new office in Derby was an opportunity which was too good to miss and I consider myself very fortunate to have joined Knights at this time. The main reason we have been successful is that we have a fantastically strong and supportive culture here. Everyone across all the Knights offices helps each other. It is literally one big team. If we didn’t have that then we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing. It is as simple as that.

What can we expect from the economy in 2016?
There does seem to be a growing confidence in the market but it is certainly not racing and there seems little danger of over-heating.

It is important to understand that our growth is not in response to an expectation that we think we are in a booming economy or that this is going to happen.

Our expansion is based on our belief that in the towns and cities in which we choose to locate our offices, there is a demand by clients for good value, high-quality professional services and the talent within those areas to deliver those services.

And what’s next for Knights?
We plan to continue the story. We’re focusing on recruiting 100 new staff across the firm in 2016. Around 50 of those will be based in the Oxford office and we will continue to bolster our team in Derby and across the other offices.

Now the fastest-growing commercial law firm in the UK, Knights is already looking towards the next move to keep growing and to keep ahead of the changing market. We are also looking to add to the number of niche experts in our team, from franchising to agriculture partners, we’re fast becoming well known for offering a full suite of services to clients.

We have a long-term plan to invest in more professional services so we can grow our portfolio and deliver an even better service to our clients.

Regional accountancy groups, tax specialists and real estate advisory organisations located outside of the major cities of Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, are the main focus, but we remain a flexible and adaptable business that can respond to the needs of the changing market place.

Out of office…

Age? 45
Family? My wife, Georgina, and too many pets!
Hobbies: Squash, gym, watching sport, walking (if there’s a pub en route), collecting whisky
Favourite film? Dumb and Dumber
And book? A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? None – I drink tea
What’s your favourite restaurant? Woody’s – a beach restaurant in Florida