Legal 500: Three firms dominate corporate and commercial top tier
THREE law firms have made the top tier in more than one North West city for corporate and commercial work, in this year’s Legal 500.
DLA Piper bags the top spot in both Manchester and Liverpool, sharing the lime light with Addleshaw Goddard, Eversheds and Pinsent Masons in Manchester; and with Brabners Chaffe Street and Hill Dickinson in Liverpool.
Brabners and Hill Dickinson are also in the first tier for towns outside the two cities, including Chester, Preston, Stockport Blackburn, Altrincham and Sale. They share this position with Chester-based Aaron & Partners.
Across the region, although transactions are completing, the market remains tough for dealmakers.
Steve Lewis, RBS relationship director for the solicitors & professionals unit (pictured), said: “With a thinner and lumpier corporate finance marketplace this remains a challenging market to drive year on year growth at present.
“Deals are completing but the gestation period for completion is stretching and affecting the volumes of transactions completed and therefore fee generation.”
Led by Jonathan Watkins, DLA Piper in Manchester has a mix of corporates and private equity clients including Montagu Private Equity, Carphone Warehouse, LDC, Gresham Private Equity and Lookers plc.
It advised Gresham on its £12.3m MBO of Lanes Assistance Services, and both the Liverpool and Manchester offices worked with Pets at Home on its £955m secondary buyout by KKR.
Brabners Chaffe Street, which recently joined forces with the Steve Stuart Partnership to create a complementary corporate finance advisory service, has a predominantly owner-managed and SME client roster.
However, the group recently advised Nationwide Autocentres on its £73.2m sale to Halfords.
The firm’s Preston team is picking up increased market share in Lancaster and Cumbria. It advised Blackpool Borough Council on the £5m investment in Blackpool Pleasure Beach to fund a new theme park.
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Hill Dickinson has had the largest offering in Liverpool since it acquired the corporate practice of Halliwells last year.
In the firm’s Chester office, Sally Wightman is the driving force and continues to attract major instructions from the likes of Chester Race Company, Chester Zoo, and Hawker Beechcraft.
In employment law, seven firms lead the pack across the North West. They are: Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, DWF, Eversheds, Gateley, Hill Dickinson and Squire Sanders Hammonds.
RBS’ Lewis said: “Employment law, from our observations and conversations with our own clients, continues to be a stable source of revenue as companies still find themselves having to comply with a large amount of regulation in order to do their business.”
Addleshaw Goddard’s new clients include Daisy plc, Liverpool City Council, and ArcelorMittal. DWF also attracted a substantial number of major new clients across a range of sectors.
Meanwhile, Eversheds has a particular emphasis on the education sector, where new clients include Manchester Metropolitan University, and the team at Squire Sanders Hammonds continues to provide advice to big blue-chip companies.
DLA Piper recruited legal director Stephen Robinson from Davies Arnold Cooper during the year, while Hill Dickinson’s Liverpool office acquired a team of four from Halliwells led by Kerstie Skeaping, adding significant experience in tribunal hearings, and in trade union matters and industrial relations.
Highlights for Gateley included acting for the same client in a multi-party action and a complex TUPE matter with potential exposure in excess of £1m.
Tomorrow’s Legal 500 review will focus on commercial litigation and debt recovery.
