Welcome to Beyond the Bubble, a new feature from The Lawyer focusing on firms outside the City elite. We’ll be casting an eye on all aspects of life in this tier. Contact deputy editor Richard Simmons and deputy news editor Jessica Boak for more information.
The firm celebrating in the shadows of Wrexham AFC’s fairytale
Leeds: On 23 April 2023, Wrexham Football Club finally got its blockbuster ending as it was promoted from the National League to League Two. Fans have been dreaming of this day for 15 years, after the club was relegated in 2008, and they have its new Hollywood owners – Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney – and their deep pockets to thank for making that dream come true.
But it’s not just the owners, the players, the fans and, randomly, actor Paul Rudd who were able to celebrate on Sunday, Leeds-based Walker Morris also had reason to pop the bubbly. The Lawyer understands that the firm has been advising Wrexham AFC since Reynolds and McElhenney instructed it to handle the purchase of the club from Wrexham Supporters Trust (advised by Sheridans) in 2021, having been referred to the Hollywood duo by US investment bank Inner Circle Sports. After a few introductory calls to check that Walker Morris was the real McCoy, partner David Hinchliffe and senior associate Christian Slinger have been managing the relationship ever since.
Just like most football clubs below the top two tiers of the English game, Wrexham does not have an in-house legal operation. This means that Walker Morris handles everything from sponsorship deals and disputes to IP, funding and real estate. Real estate partner Andrew Maclean got his five minutes of fame last year when he advised the club on the purchase of the Racecourse Ground freehold from Glyndwr University, which was represented by Welsh firm Gamlins’ solicitor Ben Whiting.
While Wrexham might be Walker Morris’s trophy client at the moment, it is not the firm’s only football contact. Hinchliffe and Slinger have several big clubs on the books: Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley to name but two. Indeed, they advised the sellers of Burnley FC to US investors for an undisclosed sum in 2021, supported by partners Liz Coley (sports) and Andrew Maclean (real estate), as well as directors Charlotte Smith (employment), Nicola Parkinson (tax), Owen Ormond (finance) and Simon Cuerden (corporate).
The connections with Reynolds and McElhenney are also not the firm’s only US ties. It enjoys referral work from a couple of US firms in the City and about 25 per cent of Walker Morris’s revenue is generated from across the Atlantic. In particular, the firm does a lot of work in the Midwest, often advising manufacturing companies wanting to access the North of England or private equity houses wanting to invest in the UK.
The consolidation game
Kent: Birketts‘ merger with nine-partner Batchelors Solicitors of Kent was announced in November but the deal finally went through at the start of April. What’s interesting about this merger is not only that it represents Birketts’ first expansion into Kent, but also that Batchelors’ Bromley lawyers will all move to Sevenoaks, where neither firm previously had an office. Acquiring a firm and then promptly moving all its staff to a town 20 miles away isn’t usual, but the strategic thinking is the new office is further out of London and therefore closer to the Kent community Birketts wants to capture.
Thames Valley: Stowe Family Law‘s expansion continues apace. The private equity-backed firm has opened most of its offices – which now number over 60 – organically since the investment by Livingbridge in 2017. But a second merger has added oomph in the Home Counties: Surrey and Hampshire firm Watson Thomas Solicitors has come on board as of March. The map below shows the extent of Stowe’s growth since the pandemic: one only needs to look at the regional gaps to have an idea of where the firm will arrive next. Cambridge, Norwich, Lincoln and Peterborough family firms, watch out.
Floating bubbles: the latest moves in the mid-tier
Boodles and Harbottles play COO swapsies
London: Chief operating officers are increasingly part of the mid-tier’s management structures and Boodle Hatfield is the latest firm to recruit one. It has brought in Brian Aris as its COO, who had previously occupied that position at Harbottle & Lewis.
Harbottle in turn has moved to replace Aris, bringing in Andy Wansell from YMU Business Management. Wansell had taken six years out of the legal sector, but until 2017 he was COO at… Boodle Hatfield. It’s evidence that COOs with law firm experience are in high demand – and it’s a small pool to choose from.
| Name | Old firm | New firm | Practice | Location | Why care? |
| Sarah Glockler | Memery Crystal | Cripps | Employment | London | It’s another departure from Memery Crystal following its incorporation into Rosenblatt. |
| Jonathan Coane | Anthony Collins | Shakespeare Martineau | Finance | Birmingham | Strengthens Shakespeares’ social housing practice. |
| Waqar Shah | Mishcon de Reya | Kingsley Napley | Tax disputes and investigations | London | This is a practice launch: Kingsley Napley’s first foray into a tax disputes offering. |
| Edward Atkin | Wilkin Chapman | Shakespeare Martineau | Residential property | Grimsby to Lincoln | Shakespeares is growing in Lincoln after becoming first top 100 firm to open in the city, in 2021. |
Pass the bubbly: promotions watch
Birmingham: Nine are promoted at Browne Jacobson this year, seven in the Midlands and two in London. In Nottingham Katie Michelon (education), Kassra Powles (real estate), Dmitrije Sirovica (public law) and Vicky Tomlinson (health) are made up, Birmingham sees Jonathan Borer, Simon Brooks (both real estate) elevated while Matthew Alderton (public law) and Nick Hurley (government and infrastructure) get the nod in the capital. Keep an eye on Hurley in particular, who trained at Nabarro and specialises in complex regeneration projects for the likes of the London Borough of Ealing and Watford Borough Council.
The final partner promotion in Birmingham is that of non-lawyer Emma Hughes, who leads the firm’s HR consultancy offering to education providers. Hughes previously worked for the Academy Transformation Trust and the academy group Ark, and since education is a Browne Jacobson specialty she is an important part of the firm’s arsenal in this space.
Bubble and squeak: tales from outside the Square Mile
Higgs is king of the forest
Black Country: King Charles III’s coronation looms and despite sensitivity to clients and employees who might have differing views, it is somewhat surprising that more firms aren’t falling over themselves in patriotic fervour. Some have stepped up to the plate, however. The Lawyer understands that Payne Hicks Beach is planting a tree in Lincoln’s Inn to mark the occasion; however this pales in comparison to Black Country firm Higgs, which is celebrating by planting a new tree for every colleague in the business.
That adds up to 225 saplings on sites across the UK. Every member of the Higgs team has been presented with a certificate detailing the tree that has been planted in their name and where it is located. Partner Nyree Applegarth, who heads up Higgs’ sustainability team, said: “We’re delighted to team up with The Future Forest Company to plant these trees in strategic locations across the country. It’s a fantastic means for the firm to celebrate the coronation in a way that will be provide environmental benefits for decades to come, something which is a cause close to His Majesty The King’s heart.”
Alas, none of these strategic locations are in the Midlands which means Higgs’ staff will have to head off to Yorkshire or Scotland to view their tree, but it’s a worthy cause that has the added bonus of furthering the firm’s ESG credentials.
If your firm is planting coronation trees of its own, or has other plans for the occasion, let us know.
Those Covid questions won’t go away
England: It’s been three years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and while most firms have stuck to the hybrid working model of being present in the office two or three days per week, a little bird tells The Lawyer that listed firm Knights is encouraging lawyers to return five days per week.
From a real estate perspective, there’s some reasoning behind the decision. When Knights acquired Shulmans in 2020, for example, it decided to invest in a new 20,000 sq ft office in Leeds to house the team. But with Covid, barely a soul could be found in the building, which also houses Channel 4.
From a talent attraction and retention perspective, however, demanding a return to pre-pandemic working is a big call. Numerous partners say that whether a firm has a hybrid and/or flexible working policy can be a dealbreaker for new hires these days.
When The Lawyer quizzed Knights’ CEO David Beech about the rumour, he didn’t quite shut it down outright. Indeed, this was his response: “We have a collaborative, team culture in which our people do not work to achieve an individual target but instead help each other and learn more by being together.
“We do not prescribe rules about set times and instead trust our people to be together in our offices enough – especially for our less experienced colleagues who need our partners to be present so they can learn through the osmosis of working closely with each other. Working in offices also helps creativity and understanding to give our clients an excellent experience.
“We have the additional benefit of a lot of people working closely to where they live without large commute times so they can easily be together in offices. We trust our people to be where they need to be and based on the feedback we’ve had recently, that’s spending sufficient time working together in our offices.”
The argument about learning through osmosis is not necessarily a bad one, but any firm attempting to put the genie back in the homeworking bottle is likely to find themselves fighting a losing battle.
In case you missed it…
- A UK top 100 firm has integrated the artificial intelligence system ChatGPT to give its lawyers more time to focus on client care.
- Lewis Silkin has further expanded its presence in the north of England by opening a new office.
Odds and ends
Nottingham: Consultancy firm Excello Law has launched in the city, bringing its number of offices to 11.
Wigan: Stephensons (UK200 rank: 163) chair and managing partner Andrew Welch has retired after almost 30 years at the firm. Regulatory and criminal justice team head Sean Joyce will become the firm’s new managing partner while real estate chief David Baybut takes on the role of chair.
In memoriam
Howard Lerman, former senior partner of Anthony Gold Solicitors, passed away on Sunday 23 April after a short illness.
He was born on 3 December 1948 in South London and joined founder Tony Gold in Streatham in 1974 as a property specialist, working for the firm for 45 years, holding the role as head of conveyancing as well as senior partner. In early 2014, he took a step back from full-time work but remained a consultant until finally retiring in 2019.
In an area where much of the procedure and terminology is understandably unfamiliar and at times confusing to clients, Howard used his experience to provide clear and practical advice in a calm and measured way, guiding his clients seamlessly through the process. His aim was to always achieve his clients’ objectives in a timely, smooth and stress free-way, and a great many testimonials and messages from clients were testament to his achieving this.
Managing partner David Marshall said “Howard was a much-loved colleague as well as an excellent lawyer – I was trained by him, and he was always there for me with sound and wise counsel throughout our time in partnership together. Everyone at Anthony Gold will miss him very much and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
He is survived by his wife, Louise, his children Georgina and Paul and grandchildren Rae, Morrison, Penelope and Ophelia.
