Consolidation and contraction highlighted in Legal 500
CONSOLIDATION in Manchester and contraction in Liverpool are highlighted in the latest 2013 Legal 500 review.
The annual guide, which also provides its list of the star individual players regionally (who are listed below), says “further consolidation involving
mid-tier regional firms looks likely” and believes “national firms are leaning towards a London-centric or international focus.”
With Manchester firm Pannone believed to be mulling a partial sale to Australian consolidator Slater & Gordon and Linder Myers acquiring long-standing Lancashire firm Dickson Haslam in a pre-pack deal this week, Legal 500’s assessment of the state of play regionally seems accurate.
Legal 500 says: “The demise of Cobbetts headlined the turbulent market conditions in the competitive, lawyer-heavy Manchester market.”
It’s not all bad news for Manchester, though: “Despite the tough climate, Manchester continues to attract new entrants, thanks to its position as one of the most dynamic commercial markets in the UK, with a healthy client base of entrepreneurs and SMEs.
“Many smaller or newer firms, such as Ward Hadaway, are still establishing themselves but are ripe to offer niche services and gain market share.”
The stand-out events over the last 12 months are led by DWF’s acquisition of Cobbetts out of administration, followed by Weightmans’ swoop for Semple Fraser’s Manchester team following the Scottish firm’s collapse, Linder Myers’ clutch of acquisitions, Mills & Reeve’s merger with George Davies and JMW Solicitors’ tie-up with fellow Manchester firm Goodman Harvey.
Other notable developments included Irwin Mitchell’s hiring of commercial property big-hitters Anita Weightman and Roy Beckett’s real estate team from DLA Piper in Manchester.
Legal 500 believes the smaller Liverpool market has “remained more heavily affected by the recession than London or Manchester”, but future developments such as the Shanghai Tower (part of the multi-billion Liverpool Waters regeneration project) “could revive confidence”, it says.
Looking beyond the major cities, the publication states: “Larger regional firms have held steady and are seeking to take advantage of a low cost base to gain market share. Insurance firm Keoghs opened a second Bolton office. Darbys Solicitors also opened a regional office, with former Pannone lawyer Simon McCrum as managing partner.”
The tier one North West firms remains unchanged on 2012 with Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Eversheds and Pinsent Masons leading the way.
In the second tier of regional heavyweights, the most notable change is the disappearance of one time stalwart Cobbetts.
Legal 500 rates Brabners, DAC Beachcroft, DWF, Gateley, Hill Dickinson, Pannone, Squire Sanders and Weightmans in its second tier.
Legal 500’s leading individuals in Manchester are:
Madeleine Abas – Osborn Abas Hunt (Health and safety)
Christine Barker – Laytons (Family)
Ged Barnes – Addleshaw Goddard (Insolvency and corporate recovery)
Anthony Barnfather – Pannone (Crime)
Roy Beckett – Irwin Mitchell (Commercial property)
Adrian Bever – Addleshaw Goddard (Health and safety)
Dan Bickerstaffe – Squire Sanders (Employment)
Tom Bridgford – Eversheds (Corporate and commercial)
Liam Buckley – Squire Sanders (Employment)
Andrew Chamberlain – Addleshaw Goddard (Employment)
Craig Chaplin – DWF (Intellectual property)
Mary Clarke – DLA Piper (UK Employment)
Michael Clavell-Bate – Eversheds (Commercial litigation)
Jonathan Clay – Berrymans Lace Mawer (Personal injury)
Paula Cole – DAC Beachcroft (Employment)
Nigel Dale – Eversheds (Banking and finance)
Gregg Davison – Pinsent Masons (Corporate and commercial)
Paul Devitt – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate and commercial)
Julian Diaz-Rainey – Pinsent Masons (Commercial litigation)
Mike Edge – Pinsent Masons (Commercial property)
Jonathan Edwards – DWF (Banking and finance)
Rob Fawke – Pannone (Banking and finance)
Sean Fitzgerald – Linder Myers (Corporate and commercial)
Tony Fitzmaurice – Brabners (Commercial property)
Diane Gilhooley – Eversheds (Education)
Stephen Goodman – JMW Solicitors (Commercial property)
John Gosling – Addleshaw Goddard (Commercial litigation)
Amanda Gray – Addleshaw Goddard (Banking and finance)
Andrew Gregory – DWF (Insolvency and corporate recovery)
Rebecca Grisewood – Gateley (Corporate and commercial)
Daniel Hall – Eversheds (Corporate and commercial)
Tim Hamilton – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate and commercial)
Tony Harper – Brabners (Corporate and commercial)
Andrew Harris – DWF (Commercial litigation)
Elizabeth Hassall – Gateley (Family)
Joel Heap -DWF (Commercial litigation)
Carol Jackson – Pannone (Personal injury)
Sue Jenkins – DAC Beachcroft (Employment)
John Joyce – Addleshaw Goddard (Insolvency and corporate recovery)
Martin Keates – DLA Piper (Insolvency and corporate recovery)
Catherine Leech – Pannone (Personal injury)
Bill Lister – Heatons (Intellectual property)
Samantha Livesey – Pinsent Masons (Information technology)
Richard Lloyd – Eversheds (Planning and environment)
Anthony Lyons – Kuit Steinart Levy (Licensing)
Andrew Maskill – Addleshaw Goddard (Banking and finance)
Elaine Maxwell – Maxwell Gillott Solicitors (Education)
Melanie McGuirk – Pannone (Intellectual property)
Susan Molloy – Gateley (Banking and finance)
Matthew Morgan – Pinsent Masons (Banking and finance)
Steve Morris – DWF (Commercial litigation)
David Moss – Eversheds (Construction)
Simon Moulden – Pannone (Corporate tax)
Andrew Needham – Millbank Edge (Corporate and commercial)
Michael O’Connor – Addleshaw Goddard (Projects and energy)
Frank Patterson – MPH Solicitors (Clinical negligence: claimant)
Simon Pedley – Pannone (Commercial litigation)
David Pickering – DWF (Family)
Malcolm Pike – Addleshaw Goddard (Employment)
Helen Ridge – Pinsent Masons (Corporate and commercial)
Kirsty Rogers – DWF (Employment)
Diarmuid Ryan – Squire Sanders (EU and competition)
Frank Shephard – DWF (Corporate and commercial)
Claire Shepherd – Squire Sanders (Banking and finance)
James Sheridan – turner parkinson (corporate and commercial)
Geoffrey Shindler – DWF (Personal tax, trusts and probate)
Lesley Smythe – DWF (Family)
Kit Sorrell – Pannone (Commercial litigation)
James Szerdy – DWF (Banking and finance)
Jim Tully – Addleshaw Goddard (Corporate and commercial)
Jonathan Watkins – DLA Piper (Corporate and commercial)
Maurice Watkins – Brabners (Sport)
Anita Weightman – Irwin Mitchell (Commercial property)
Karl Williams – Pannone (Debt recovery)
Liverpool
Carole Atkinson – Weightmans (Family)
Mark Beardwood – DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Michael Brabner – Brabners (Corporate and commercial)
Mark Goodwin – DLA Piper UK (Commercial litigation)
Pamela Jones – Hill Dickinson (Commercial property)
Mark Manley – Manleys Solicitors (Commercial litigation)
Mark O’Connor – O’Connors (Corporate and commercial)
Andrew O’Mahony – Brabners (Corporate and commercial)
Jim Pinsent – DLA Piper (Construction)
Philip Rooney -DLA Piper (Commercial property)
Denise Walker – Brabners (Corporate and commercial)
Richard Watson – Hill Dickinson (Clinical negligence)
Elsewhere in the North West
Martin Gillibrand – Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand (Agriculture and estates)
