Corporate head has big plans for Mills & Reeve

“IT seems natural to build on the areas of strength for Mills & Reeve,” said partner Paul Johnson, newly appointed head of the company’s corporate team.

Only a few months in and Paul Johnson is embarking on major expansion plans for the company’s corporate offering.

Mills & Reeve’s areas of strength include healthcare and the food and beverage sectors, and Mr Johnson wants to capitalise on the firm’s existing proficiency in the sectors. “We’re building sector expertise here in Leeds,” he said. “There are so many medical tech and life sciences companies in Yorkshire and the UK, and all those businesses that are selling into the NHS or are in general healthcare market. We want to gain some profile in those areas.”

“Mills & Reeve are a strong national firm, and we have been successful in Norwich, Cambridge, and Birmingham amongst others. In those cities we are a top tier firm.

“We are investing heavily in Manchester and Leeds with a view to reaching that same level and position in the market in both those places.”

The company signed a 10-year lease on 6,500 sq ft offices at 1 City Square at the beginning of 2015, a sign of commitment to the city, said the firm.

But Leeds in particular is a competitive place for law firms and especially corporate divisions.

Paul’s arrival coincides with the launch of Mills & Reeve’s employment law offering in Leeds headed up by Stuart Craig, an experienced employment lawyer and he will work across the Leeds and Cambridge offices as the new team takes shape.

Mr Johnson said there’s a reason why he chose Mills & Reeve, having spent more than seven years at Irwin Mitchell in Leeds. He said: “We do it differently – we emphasise and are investing in our sector expertise, such as having 100 lawyers nationally working full time in the healthcare sector.

“The attraction of Mills & Reeve to me was also being able to utilise their resource and expertise within the corporate market in Leeds. Our model works by plugging into the whole of Mills & Reeve’s resources across the country.”

Mr Johnson has worked in the legal sector in Leeds for 16 years, having also worked at hlw Keeble Hawson and Eversheds, and recently acted on the £54m refinancing of the Encon Group.

A notable practitioner according to Chamber UK 2015, he was described as having a “good all-round skill set,” with one client adding: “He is commercially aware and takes a genuine interest in our business. His knowledge and experience is invaluable to us.”

But, Mr Johnson said, what attracted him to Mills & Reeve wasn’t necessarily rankings.

“It’s hard to quantify a company’s culture, but Mills & Reeve is collaborative and inclusive,” he said. “It’s a quality place to work with good people and that resonates with our client base. That’s a key differentiator in the market having collaborative people who want to deliver best results for clients. Once you’re in here, this culture is very apparent.

“We bring the national muscle of an £80m-turnover business and its sector expertise, with a good ethos that over time will ensure we will win some great clients in the region and build the practice – to become top of the mid market.

“It’s a fiercely competitive market in Leeds and firms need something to stand out from the crowd and part of my role is to get that message out there and help build the Mills & Reeve brand in Yorkshire.”