Crutes sets compass for commerce and fares well

Jul 2 2008 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

DEALMAKERS at a Newcastle law firm are celebrating a successful 12 months and setting their sights on further growth.

Crutes has expanded its corporate and commercial team in the past year and this has helped it complete 19 deals with a total value of £38.5m.

Head of corporate Paul Bell has been joined by two new team members, with Anne McCulloch arriving from Eversheds as a partner and Tom Bowes, a graduate of Newcastle University and Northumbria Law School, as a solicitor.

Crutes says these appointments and the firm’s decision to focus on expanding the commercial side of its business have paid dividends, leading to its best corporate deal performance for four years.

Head of business services Stuart Palmer said: “Due to the key foundations put in place over the last few years in the business services department, increasing numbers of Crutes clients are now able to instruct Paul and his team on their corporate and commercial matters and as such we are now reaping the rewards of having expanded the team.”

Crutes says corporate and commercial work now accounts for 38% of the firm’s turnover, compared with 18% in 2004, and it believes this will rise further as the firm shifts direction to an increasingly commercial focus.

Managing partner Helen Ager said: “Since 2004, we have been taking Crutes in a new direction, making our presence felt as a serious, commercial law firm, having responded to the needs of our clients and increased our resources accordingly.

“This strategy is starting to pay real dividends and we are seeing the more profitable commercial areas of our business growing apace.

“Our service offering has been well received in the market and we have struck a real chord with SME businesses in the region who feel at ease with our size and approach.”

Crutes says it is now picking up more corporate and commercial instructions from local and national businesses, including sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial and trading agreements.

The firm says most new client wins have come from within the SME marketplace, but it has also landed corporate and commercial instructions from larger private companies that previously used Crutes for their licensing, property or litigation work.

The 19-partner firm has offices in Newcastle, Carlisle and Teesside. Its client list includes large organisations in the public and private sectors as well as many North East SMEs.