Dickinson Dees is set to open an office in
London as the
Newcastle giant becomes the latest of the
UK’s elite regionals to launch in the City.
The top 50 firm is currently finalising terms for a new serviced office in Ludgate Hill, near Blackfriars. Senior management at the firm are poised to sign lease agreements for the new premises, which will hand Dickinsons its first foothold in London.
The new office is likely to focus on Dickinsons’ clients in the transport, projects, real estate and construction sectors, though the 73-partner firm is not initially expected to base lawyers in London full-time.
One Dickinsons insider commented: “We are getting large amounts of business in London and have lots of opportunities from clients there and across the southeast.
“We are not changing the way we are running the firm but, with the level of activity, it makes sense to have an office there.”
The move is the latest evidence of the Newcastle giant’s expansion plans, which late last year saw it launch in the competitive Yorkshire market after sealing a takeover of York corporate boutique Philip Ashworth & Co.
The York tie-up, which went live on 1 February, was viewed with surprise by regional rivals which have long predicted that Dickinsons would have to expand beyond its northeast heartlands into London or another major regional market.
One partner at a rival Newcastle firm commented: “This kind of move will make life a whole lot easier for some of Dickinsons’ fee earners, who spend much of their working life on a GNER train.”
Newcastle rival Watson Burton last summer also launched an office in the City after hiring a two-partner construction team from City practice Field Fisher Waterhouse.
Dickinsons, whose trophy clients include Barclays Bank and Sainsbury’s, last year posted a 10% rise in annual fees to hit £47.8m, although average partner profits remained static at around £321,000.
