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Overview
"An old-fashioned insurance firm that's trying desperately to get into 'commercial' work," begins one Hill Dicks contributor. "Much is made of the hopes for the Manchester office but it's run by someone who spends most of his time in Liverpool and that only serves to reflect where the power in the firm lies.
"While it's one of the better firms in Liverpool at the moment, Manchester has a high turnover of staff, including partners (four out of 20-odd have left in the last year). Increase in turnover in recent times has largely been the result of mergers."
Fee income at Hill Dickinson has risen by 6.9% over the last financial year to reach a new high of £73.1m in 2008.
Managing partner Peter Jackson (pictured) is the public face of the aspiring national.
History
Culture
"I have seen many colleagues leave in the last couple of years, due to poor pay, morale and quality of work," complains 'HD Assistant'. "The feeling of many staff (who are neither [equity] partners nor marketing assistants) is that we are not even in the same league as the likes of Cobbetts, let alone DLA or Eversheds. We feel that the management board needs to look at this seriously instead of believing its own hype."
Key departments
National/international coverage
The 2006 merger between Hill Dicks and its City namesake, Hill Taylor Dickinson, means the newly reunited firm has a presence in Manchester, Livepool and London. One contributor hints at the dominance of the firm's Mersey arm over the rest of the practice. "No doubt Liverpool runs the show," they suggest.
"David Wareing was brought into Manchester in an attempt to give the office a common direction," says another poster. "It's difficult to see how he can achieve that when he spends most of his time in Liverpool. It's well known that they're desperate for a merger in Manchester and that's hardly going to make matters more unified. That said, no-one they've approached seems particularly interested."
Key clients
"Although the firm boasts a few big-name clients, the truth is that in many cases the work Hill Dicks does for these clients is low-grade," says one detractor. "In some cases - the claims management side, for example - they will turn a profit but in others the work is a loss-leader, management taking the view that they need to be seen to be working for banks and other institutions even if the work makes little profit for the firm."
The contributor points to banking giant Barclays as one such client.
Leading partners
Career prospects
"Very tight on equity - even fixed share," observes one insider. "The salaried partners really have no more status than well-thought-of assistants in the more commercial firms."
Another adds: "You are unlikely to be kicked out when you hit 50 (which can't be said of many of the firms which HIll Dicks aspires to be), which is good, but the old-fashioned lockstep system means those at the top draw the big money and are generally reluctant to bring on those at the junior end - witness the large number of salaried partners. Best prospects for partnership are in shipping and insurance, although even there progression to equity will be a struggle."
Salaries
"While there is always going to be an attrition rate between firms at assistant level, I accept HD's is significantly higher than several of its Manchester competitors," says one poster. "This is due in no small part to the pay gap between HD and the likes of DLA, On the positive side, and depending on your practice area, there is good experience and responsibility to be gained at an early stage at HD. Redressing that disparity will undoubtedly help reduce churn to a degree, but there will always be someone out there prepared to pay more. The question for you as an assistant is which in the long term will work best for you? Answers on a postcard please."
Recruitment
Work-life balance
Diversity
An old-fashioned insurance firm that's trying desperately to get into "commercial" work. Much is made of the hopes for the Manchester office but it's run by someone who spends most of his time in Liverpool and that only serves to reflect where the power in the firm lies. While it's one of the better firms in Liverpool at the moment, Manchester has a high turnover of staff, including partners (4 out of 20 odd have left in the last year). Very tight on equity - even fixed share - and the salaried partners really have no more status than well thought of assistants in the more commercial firms. Increase in turnover in recent times has largely been the result of mergers.
Although the firm boasts a few big name clients, the truth is that in many cases the work that Hill Dicks does for these clients is low-grade. In some cases - the claims management side, for example - they will turn a profit but in others the work is a loss leader, the Hill Dicks management taking the view that they need to be seen to be working for banks and other institutions even if the work makes little profit for the firm.
The firm is run by a small number of partners based in Liverpool. You are unlikely to be kicked out when you hit 50 (which can't be said of many of the firms which HIll Dicks aspires to be), which is good, but the old fashioned lockstep system means that those at the top draw the big money and are generally reluctant to bring on those at the junior end - witness the large number of salaried partners.
Best prospects for partnership are in shipping and insurance, although even there progression to equity will be a struggle.
Re Wiki ed's question - Barclays
Do not expect to be taken seriously unless you are a full equity partner. Do not expect to be a full equity partner anytime soon - the PEP won't allow it (particularly in Manchester and Chester.
It's no secret that Hill Dicks has pursued an active merger policy for the last few years. It shouldn't therefore surprise anyone that this policy, coupled with a lot of lateral hires, means that there isn't a single culture in Hill Dicks.
The property division is a good example of the culture. Hill Dicks and Bullivant Jones came into the merger with similar numbers in that discipline, so politically they had to install joint heads, one from Hill Dicks and one from Bullivant Jones.
In Manchester there are almost as many factions as there are partners - hardly a surprise given the way that the office has been built up - a few people from Liverpool, Gornas, Elliots, a lot of lateral hires and a high turnover of staff.
David Wareing was brought into Manchester in an attempt to give the office a common direction. It's difficult to see how he can achieve that when he spends most of his time in Liverpool.
It's well known that they're desperate for a merger in Manchester and that's hardly going to make matters more unified. That said, no-one they've approached seems particularly interested.
No doubt that Liverpool runs the show.
2008 is Liverpool Capital of Culture year and Hill Dicks is pinning its hopes on this to raise its profile. Will it work? Probably not.
More significantly it's likely to be the first year in some time that Hill Dicks will post figures that don't follow a significant merger. These past merger have apparently allowed Hill Dicks to appear as though it has experienced substantial growth, conveniently playing down the fact that most (if not all) the increase in turnover comes from the addition of another practice.
So, will there be another stellar increase in the figures, even without a merger? The general consensus seems to be that there won't.
There may not be the stellar growth of previous years but the previous poster completely misunderstands Peter Jackson et al's strategy if they believe everything turns on Liverpool '08. Hill Dickinson has already obtained substantial exposure and benefit from its involvement with the Capital Culture over the last few years, and that's even before the Capital of Culture year itself actually kicks in. I work in another office and those offices are aware of that Liverpool '08 has less impact elsewhere - but we also know that Hill Dickinson has undertaken different initiatives to promote and increase the size of those offices. The effect of recent lateral hires, the integration of the merged offices and HD's strategy to expand the Manchester office will start to show in the next 12 - 18 months... so the feeling in HD is that the best is yet to come!
I hope you're right HD Assistant, but big things have been expected of the other offices for some time now. Of course it's not just about Liverpool 08, but don't underestimate the time, effort and cost that's gone into this - it needs to yield real results.
Possibly this is the feeling in London, HD Assistant, but it certainly does not feel that way in Manchester. I have seen many colleagues leave in the last couple of years, due to poor pay, morale and quality of work. The feeling of many staff (who are neither [equity] partners nor marketing assistants) is that we are not even in the same league as the likes of Cobbetts, let alone DLA or Eversheds. We feel that the management board needs to look at this seriously instead of believing its own hype.
The management board need to realise that if as many people leave the Manchester office as join it, not only will it never grow it will become increasingly difficult to attract new recruits (at least of the appropriate quality). A merger with a decent Manchester practice might help, but options look thin on the ground.
My comment of the 8th was based on Manchester too. If you joined a commercial team in Manchester a couple of years ago and had illusions of being in the same tier as Eversheds or DLA you didn't do your due diligence. If you look at recent lateral hires its fairly obvious that the expansion plan isn't now based on a merger. There is also the point that, as an assistant, there will often be sizeable delay between what is actually being done by the firm at senior level (such as negotiating lateral hires etc) and when you find out about it (the same time as Legal Week!). The Manchester office has the potential to grow, only time will tell if it actually happens.
On the assistant point, while there is always going to be an attrition rate between firms at assistant level, I accept HD's is significantly higher than several of its Manchester competitors. This is due in no small part to the pay gap between HD and the likes of DLA etc to which you refer. On the positive side, and depending on your practice area, there is good experience and responsibility to be gained at an early stage at HD. Redressing that disparity will undoubtedly help reduce churn to a degree, but there will always be someone out there prepared to pay more. The question for you as an assistant is which in the long term will work best for you? Answers on a postcard please.
Hill Dicks have had an active lateral hire strategy in Manchester for a long time, so it's not new. The problem is that the turnover of these hires is a lot higher than it should be.
Anyone else get the feeling that "HD Assistant" is not actually an assistant?
If you mean the first one, Regional Firm, then I agree. It's a little bit too "on message".
Well I may sound on message but I'm also an assistant. I'm just someone who's happy with their lot and knows enough people in other firms to know once you've cut through the gloss the grass is most definitely not always greener.
Fair enough 1st HD Assistant. As one other poster hints, there's a certain amount of hype that seems to be believed by the equity partners and marketing people but not many others. Manchester has been the next big thing for HD for some time but some would say that at the moment it's treading water at best. Bringing over the fraud team adds numbers and revenue to the Manchester office but isn't really growth. Yes, there has been a recent high profile lateral hire but is it enough?
Great to see not one mention of the firm in the Law Society Gazette (22 May edition) "City Focus: Manchester" article...
I am so disillusioned.
Are Hill Dicks in Manchester? I've been here five years and not noticed!
Well you can be sure that when they do an article on the highest paid partner in Manchester they'll be sure to mention Hill Dicks...
1 July poster - can you elaborate? Also, what were the pay rises like? I am considering joining.
Read the Related Articles for recent hires, it may give you a clue..
Pay reviews were poor for assistants, very little differential between NQs and 4/5PQE - you'll do better at nearly all other large Manchester city centre firms. That said, rumour is they pay well enough to attract people in - hence the disquiet amongst those who've been here a year or two, just don't expect much of a rise once they have you onboard.
They pay what they can get away with. If they want to get you in, they'll probably find the money. After that though, don't expect much.
Pay's not much better for the salaried partners. You only have to look at the number who leave to see that.
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