Your guide to the region’s top lawyers

Sep 28 2007 By Karen Wilson, The Journal

Newcastle

TRADITIONALLY the North East legal market has been overshadowed by its ultra-competitive neighbour, Leeds. That said, it is increasingly emerging as a legal market in its own right and with a greater national profile.

Dickinson Dees LLP is the regional leader. With a national reputation for excellence and a client base that straddles the country, clients express their continued confidence. The firm is by some distance the largest in the North-East, with 71 partners and a total staff of 840. 2006 saw Dickinson Dees LLP expand geographically as well as organically with a merger with York-based corporate boutique Philip Ashworth & Co. There was also an expansion in workload and high-profile deals achieved across all practice areas.

Eversheds LLP’s national network allows matters to be handled across any number of offices, if needed. The Newcastle office has particular expertise in corporate and commercial, shipping, commercial property and clinical negligence. In one typical client comment, the firm is described as ‘extremely efficient, with a consummate understanding of our sector’.

In the eyes of many clients and peers, Ward Hadaway is the nearest competitor to Dickinson Dees LLP. With an increasing reputation for excellent corporate and commercial work, the firm enjoyed a highly successful 2006 working on some of the most significant deals in the North-East, including the Tanfield Group’s multimillion-pound worldwide acquisition of the aerial platform business of UpRight Powered Access. Major lateral hires, including former Eversheds LLP regional managing partner Chris Hugill and Melanie Pears and her team, also from Eversheds LLP, further boosted the growing public sector and regeneration side of the firm. Clients are impressed in particular with its ‘proactive and commercial approach’.

Muckle LLP attracts particular praise for the business acumen and client care skills of its lawyers. A number of clients describe it as ‘punching above its weight’ and regard its energetic and focused manner as a particular selling point.

Watson Burton LLP achieved record turnover in 2006. Following its ambitious move into the Leeds market in 2005, it went one step further in 2006 and opened a London office. Core practice areas include construction, in which the firm has a national reputation, insurance, international engineering projects and property development. With Newcastle, Leeds and now London the practice is growing fast. Robert Langley is the new senior partner following the departure of the energetic Andrew Hoyle to Ward Hadaway.

Hay & Kilner has a solid reputation, particularly in litigation and insurance, while an increasingly sophisticated insolvency practice is making headway and is well positioned in the marketplace. Clients comment on the firm’s ‘approachability and practical attitude’.

Crutes Law Firm, under the leadership of managing partner Helen Ager, has offices in Newcastle, Carlisle, and Stockton-on-Tees. The firm has forged ahead with its plans to become the ‘firm of choice’ for SMEs in the region. Traditionally strong service areas such as public sector, health and safety, commercial litigation and social housing remain important. It has been increasingly successful in shifting position from a niche solicitors’ practice to a well-regarded full-service firm.

Mincoffs Solicitors LLP continues to attract heavyweight clients, particularly for commercial property work. The firm is popular with the business community in the North-East and further afield. Its licensing and family practices continue to raise its profile.

Sintons LLP is making good progress both in expanding its client base and increasing the complexity and value of matters it deals with. This was demonstrated recently when it advised on the refinancing of an entire healthcare property portfolio worth £60m. The corporate, family, private client and property departments are increasing their market share. This full-service firm has a growing band of satisfied clients with one commenting that it provides ‘clear, fast, and friendly advice voiced in a way that non-legal brains can grasp’.

McKeags had a successful 2006 following its move to new premises in Newcastle city centre in 2005. It now has nearly 300 staff, and its commercial property and banking and finance teams continue to demonstrate significant progress with panel appointments to various banks and building societies.

Blackett Hart & Pratt LLP covers the region with offices in Newcastle, Darlington, and Durham. The firm merged with two Tyneside-based high street practices, Harvey & Marron and Anderson and Haggie, in 2006, which strengthened the family and commercial litigation areas of the firm. Corporate, dispute resolution, and commercial property are the firm’s core disciplines, with its new sports division and its expanding planning department potential growth areas.

Browell Smith & Co is a trade union firm with an excellent track record in claimant personal injury work and occupational disease cases. Employment, immigration and family law are growth areas.

National firm Irwin Mitchell has established a clear footprint in the North- East since opening its Newcastle office four years ago. Complex and high-value claimant personal injury and clinical negligence claims are the firm’s forte.

Samuel Phillips Law Firm is strong in clinical negligence, family and employment work, while its commercial property unit is developing well. The high-profile and respected Barry Speker is senior partner.

Short Richardson & Forth LLP’s leading employment practitioner, Michael Short, is a consultant to the practice, and the firm has a long-established reputation for employment work.

David Gray Solicitors is particularly noted for criminal, immigration and family law.

Thompsons acts for a number of major trade unions. The firm has a leading reputation for claimant insurance work and is expanding its clinical negligence practice through key lateral hires. The claimant employment practice is especially recommended.

Russell Jones & Walker in Newcastle has a respected personal injury and criminal practice and can draw on strengths in employment, clinical negligence, crime and personal injury throughout its nine UK offices.

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Regional heavyweights

DICKINSON DEES LLP NEWCASTLE

EVERSHEDS LLP NEWCASTLE

WARD HADAWAY NEWCASTLE

WATSON BURTON LLP NEWCASTLE

MUCKLE LLP NEWCASTLE

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Cumbria

CARLISLE-BASED Burnetts is well respected for providing clients with ‘good service levels and having an appreciation of what is important’. The firm is increasingly acting for more heavyweight commercial clients and its private client practice is recommended.

Baines Wilson Solicitors has a clear commercial focus, eschewing private client work. It is particularly strong on commercial property development matters, acting for a host of prominent local and regional developers. Its core practice areas include corporate/commercial, IP/IT and commercial disputes.

Livingstons Solicitors, with offices in Ulverston, Dalton and Barrow-in-Furness, attracts praise for its claimant personal injury and employment work.

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Tees Valley

FIRMS report an increase in the quality of work on all fronts. No doubt this is due in part to the area’s regeneration bringing more prestigious clients into the area, particularly in the IT arena.

Jacksons Commercial & Private Law LLP is a well-respected and well-established firm, providing a full range of commercial and private client services, including criminal, agriculture and insolvency law.

Tilly Bailey & Irvine,with 16 partners and 48 other fee-earners, is the single largest law firm based in the Tees Valley. It has hired extensively from national law firms to build up its strength in all commercial law departments. With its feet firmly in the North-East, it counts several multinational businesses among its clients.

Endeavour Partnership LLP had a very good 2006 with its strategy of focusing on providing purely commercial law advice to businesses in the Tees Valley and beyond paying dividends. Its corporate practice in particular is gathering momentum.

Archers Law LLP saw both private and business client work increase in 2006. The
firm has moved to new premises on the Bowesfield office park.