The Legal 500: Sector regroups following Halliwells’ demise

THE key players in the North West’s legal sector have been revealed by industry bible The Legal 500, in a year that saw many firms in the legal sector regroup and consolidate.

The latest edition of the Legal 500 lists the region’s first tier heavyweights as:

Addleshaw Goddard
DLA Piper
Eversheds
Pinsent Masons

The firms judged to be second tier regional heavyweights are:

Beachcroft
Brabners Chaffe Street
Cobbetts
DWF
Gateley
Hill Dickinson
Pannone
Squire Sanders Hammonds
Weightmans

The findings of The Legal 500 are sure to make interesting reading and  while 2011 has seen nothing like the drama of 2010 – the Halliwells administration being the defining moment – there have still been a number of significant developments this year with the merger of Liverpool-based national firm Weightmans with smaller North West rival Mace & Jones among the highlights.

The combination of Hammonds with US practice Squire Sanders Dempsey was another interesting development, while closer to home, EOS Law – the new boutique commercial firm launched by DLA Piper’s former boss Simon Woolley made its first hires.

From Monday, TheBusinessDesk.com, in association with Royal Bank of Scotland, will publish detailed findings of the annual report in a series of daily articles.

Expert analysis and commentary will also be provided by Royal Bank of Scotland.

TheBusinessDesk.com’s users will also be able to download our concise version of the report concerning the North West’s law firms from the supplements section of our website.

Our coverage will include key findings from The Legal 500, as well as analysis of sectors including corporate and commercial, insolvency, banking and finance, property, intellectual property, technology, media and telecoms, sport and entertainment.

Our sister sites will also publish findings from The Legal 500 in Yorkshire and West Midlands.