Leeds lawyers head across the Atlantic as part of international delegation

LEEDS lawyers are flying the flag for Yorkshire as part of a delegation to the US this week.

Senior lawyers from Addleshaw Goddard, Needle Partnership, Barton Legal, Walker Morris, Irwin Mitchell, Gateley, Shulmans and Squire Patton Boggs are attending the International Bar Association conference, which is expected to attract up to 10,000 lawyers.

David Armitage, Nick Emmerson and Nick Smith from Gateley are attending, as well as Irwin Mitchell’s corporate partner, Philip Goldsborough and their London-based head of intellectual property, Georgie Collins.

Bill Barton, director at Leeds law firm Barton Legal along with Sharon Needle of The Needle Partnership have joined the party, as have Walker Morris partners Andrew Rayment, Peter Considine, Daniel O’Gorman and senior associate Oliver Duke.

Malcolm Pike, Aster Crawshaw, Charles Penney, Jamie Harrison, Christopher Taylor, Claire Northcote and Sarah Vasani are attending from Addleshaw Goddard.

The team will be on hand to promote the city region’s strengths in legal services to national and international talent and investors.

Leeds City Region LEP said it was receiving more enquiries from law firms about the area, typically large US firms with an existing presence in London who want to move specialisms of services up to the North.

Speakers at the IBA conference include Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Ben Bernanke, past chairman of the US Federal Reserve, and Loretta Lynch, the US attorney general.

The Leeds delegation includes representatives from leading law firms, the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the Department for International Trade.

Tom Bridges, chief officer economy and regeneration at Leeds City Council, said: “Law firms in this region have so much to offer lawyers from around the world and given that the conference is attended by prominent business leaders and decision makers in the legal sector, this event gives them the opportunity to showcase not only their own skills, expertise and knowledge but also the city region and raise awareness of Leeds as one of the largest legal centres outside of London.”

David Sheppard, head of inward investment at the LEP, said: “As the largest workforce and business base outside London, it’s no surprise that Leeds City Region is a world class market for legal services.

“Our highly qualified talent pipeline and economical cost base makes the city region a leading choice for firms looking to expand and become more competitive.

“Promoting the city region on a global platform such as the International Bar Association provides a huge opportunity to highlight these benefits to international law firms looking to develop their footprint.”

The Leeds delegation to DC has been supported by the Department for International Trade, the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales.