Weightmans

Weightmans, best known for insurance sector work, has its roots in the North West. Patrick Gaul led the law firm for a decade as managing partner and oversaw its transition from a £27m Liverpool firm to a UK top 50 player.

There were a number of acquisitions during that time, notably with Mace & Jones and Vizards Wyeth, both in 2011, and Leeds firm Ford & Warren in 2015.

Merger talks with significantly larger firms have also taken place – with Hill Dickinson in 2000 and Ward Hadaway in 2017, for example – but have never come to fruition.

Between 2013 and 2015 Weightmans’ turnover increased steadily; despite the overall growth, its net profit failed to keep pace.

Strategically, in recent years Weightmans has focused on balancing its practice by boosting commercial work levels to match its litigation and insurance businesses, which generate around 65 per cent of turnover.

Weightmans has no intention of becoming an international firm and it is happy to service overseas clients through its network and alliances. While the firm has eight offices spread across the UK, it has not ruled out opening in more English cities through local mergers.

	Managing partner	Senior partner
2000		Ian Evans
2003	Patrick Gaul
2013	John Scorah	Dan Cutts
2018		David Lewis