Brako sets out growth stall for Shoosmiths
THE head of the Manchester office of Shoosmiths, one of the city’s fastest growing law firms, is expecting his team to double in size over the next four years.
Partner Harold Brako, who has led the national firm’s North West office since 2009, says the Manchester team is on track to leap from 160 staff to more than 300 by 2019.
Currently based at 3 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, the firm is to due to move to developer Allied London’s new XYZ Building in the the business district in late 2016, where it will occupy 32,000 sq ft of space over two floors.
Broko said growth is driven by client demand and also is a reflection of Manchester’s “astonishing” as a leading city.
He said: “The new office is a signal of confidence in our growth prospects, which are entirely driven by client demand. It means we will be actively searching for new legal talent at all levels to meet this demand for our services.
“We are seeing consistent in-flows of work and new client wins across all practice areas, originating not just from Greater Manchester but the wider North West and North of England.”
Nationally, Shoosmiths has fee income of £102.7m. Manchester clients include Santander, Lancashire-based medical insurance company Chase Templeton, for whom Shoosmiths have advised on some 40 acquisitions in just three years, and NVM Private Equity.
Other clients include Palatine Private Equity, consumer and SME finance company Rentsmart and online car finance company Zuto.
Brako added: “We are immeasurably helped by the huge pool of legal talent in the city, however, and by the city’s astonishing momentum and confidence as it moves towards devolution and continues to attract global investors and foster new enterprise.
“There is a real sense of optimism in the city and a sense also that its increasingly sophisticated approach to attracting investment is paying dividends.”
