Corporate staff to build on success

Sep 26 2003 By The Journal

Following a period of considered refocusing, Eversheds' North-East operation continues to work with some of the region's best companies and organisations.

David Bowcock's move to the region as recently appointed head of corporate has signalled the firm's intent to invest and build on the corporate team's success.

David said: "The past year has really cemented Eversheds' position as a leading firm on the North-East landscape as well as on a national level.

"The firm has been through a period of significant reorganisation and recruitment over the last few years to reinforce our ability to deliver cost-effective excellence for our customers.

"My own move has been a part of this and I am looking forward to building on the team's success.

"One of the most gratifying themes of the Legal 500 is the sheer number of partner level recruits into the region across so many firms and practice groups. It reflects the strength and standard of legal service in the region.

"Although I have only been here a short time it has been immediately evident that corporate activity in the North-East is at an encouraging level particularly considering the mood in some other parts of the UK.

"The business community is tight-knit and the whole region benefits from the support and lead it provides.

"The Eversheds' corporate team is thriving at the moment. Incorporating banking and corporate recovery practices, in addition to mainstream corporate legal work, the team is currently undertaking work for a diverse range of regional, national and international clients."

Eversheds has many high quality deals coming through the office in recent months, particularly from strong North-East companies.

These include the Mills Group's acquisition of 27 stores taking it from a regional to a national retailer and Vimac Leisure's acquisition of four nightclubs over the last two months.

This summer independent analysts Corp Fin UK concluded that Eversheds had acted in more corporate deals in the North-East and across the UK than any other law firm over the past two years, making us the region's leading deal maker.

Said David: "We are delighted to be a market leader and mindful of our responsibility to use our position to the advantage of wealth creation in the region.

"As one of the world's biggest law firms with an established regional presence, Eversheds understands the interdependency between large, international organisations and the North-East business community.

As a result Eversheds supports the region to its full ability, promoting it abroad as well as investing in it at home.

"I now want to place the North-East corporate team more firmly in the wider business community.

I envisage the main players surpassing their roles as lawyers and evolving into business advisers - bringing contacts, strategic partners and companies together to benefit the region as a whole.

"The mood in the North-East is clearly very positive at the moment and with so many interesting deals on the horizon I am looking forward to leading the corporate team to continued and even greater success over the next 12 months."

For more information contact Justine Brown at Eversheds on (0191) 241-6227.