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Overview
The first Beachcroft contributor suggests low morale is a problem in some quarters at the national firm - perhaps a reference to the round of redundancies the firm instigated at the start of 2007.
However, with the firm on a profits drive and turnover up 18% for the second half of 2006 from the equivalent period in 2005, Beachcroft surely must be doing something right.
History
Forged by a series of mergers, the firm until recently known as Beachcroft Wansbrough has for some time been a sizeable national legal practice without garnering a great deal of attention. In part this was a reflection of its focus on insurance litigation, not considered the most glamorous area of legal practice and one that had borne the brunt of a stream of brutal panel reviews in the late 1990s.
Perhaps the 2005 departure of high-profile senior partner Lord Hunt did something to usher in a change of style. His replacement, head of commercial Simon Hodson, took up the helm alongside new managing partner Paul Murray, with both men apparently aiming to update the firm’s strategy and image.
Some evidence of that shift was seen in 2005 when the firm rebranded as Beachcroft and announced a conversion to LLP status. The firm has also made a few notable hires in recent years, in 2006 absorbing a highly-rated IT boutique V-lex, while in 2007 the firm recruited the well-regarded public law team of Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw.
However, the firm risked unsettling the troops in January 2007 when it announced the completion of a restructuring that transferred its entire private client team to regional firm Laytons. The firm also made redundant nine staff, including five lawyers, as part of the review, which was aimed at improving Beachcroft’s profitability. Financial results announced in 2007 showed the firm’s turnover had crossed £100m for the first time while average partner profits were up by 19% to hit £320,000.
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Culture
Somewhat in flux as the firm seeks to move away from its traditionalist image. Despite having a generally down-to-earth partnership, the firm perhaps has some way to go before it has really modernised its culture.
Key departments
As mentioned above, the firm is still best known for its insurance work, though it has invested substantially in other areas, including corporate and commercial, in recent years. Most of the firm’s clients come under four key groups: financial institutions; health & public; real estate & construction; and technology & telecoms.
The firm also has two smaller supporting teams classed as industrial goods & services and consumer goods & services.
National/international coverage
The firm has UK offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester and Winchester. Its sole foreign branch is in Brussels.
Key clients
Key clients include Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust, Balfour Beatty, Zurich, Allianz Cornhill, BAE Systems, L’Oreal, Unilever, Waitrose, Freescale Semiconductor and Getronics.
Leading partners
The firm cites its rankings in the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 directories as evidence that it has quality lawyers to spare. The recent UK edition of Chambers cited 80 Beachcroft lawyers, which is a respectable haul even for a national firm.
Career prospects
The firm is growing but it has generated mixed reports regarding career prospects, with some assistants feeling the firm could do more in terms of communicating partnership chances and career management in general. This perception could possibly be due to moves to raise its profits per equity partner and would have been reinforced by a fairly lean partnership round in 2007, in which only six got the nod.
The firm is currently hoping to raise its game with the launch of the Beachcroft Academy, which the firm describes as a “national training initiative designed to align learning and development for both lawyers and support staff with the firm’s business objectives”.
Salaries
As a firm less exposed to the City and the deal markets generally, Beachcroft does not offer the kind of compensation that is on offer at firms more focused on M&A and banking work. In the City, trainees start on £30,000 (against £22,000 at the firm’s regional offices). Newly-qualified lawyers in London receive £47,500 to £52,000 depending on their practice area. In common with many national firms, not reported to be that generous when it comes to bonuses.
Recruitment
Beachcroft takes around 40 trainees a year. Julia Mumford is your main contact for general recruitment. Graduates want Carrie Daniels.
Work-life balance
Better than the typical deal-driven City firm. Beachcroft operates a typical annual billing target of around 1,500 hours. Considering its practice profile, however, Beachcroft is a little more hours-centric than you might have expected.
Diversity
