Hill Dicks seals City commodities merger deal

The two firms will officially merge on 1 July and will operate under the Hill Dickinson name.

Hill Dickinson will add its existing commodities team to Middleton Potts, with senior partner David Lucas leading the newly-merged London practice.

Middleton Potts currently has 11 partners in its London base and focuses its practice on international trade, commodities and shipping, with an emphasis on banking, corporate, projects and commercial dispute resolution work.

Once the merger is complete, the combined firms will have a total London headcount of more than 200 people and expected turnover of more than £22m.

Commenting on the merger, Hill Dickinson managing partner Peter Jackson (pictured) said: "We were already looking to grow our commodities practice and the Middleton Potts name stood out. We decided that this was just the time to invest in commodities lawyers - the volatile markets mean there is much opportunity to win additional work.

"The opportunity to merge with Middleton Potts precisely fitted our existing business strategy and the merger will provide a significant boost to our commodities, international trade and shipping practices."

Lucas said: "We look forward to being able to offer a vastly increased depth and range of our services to our international client base."

The news comes a few months after Hill Dickinson launched an office in Singapore.

The new base is the first Asian presence for the City firm, which has existing offices in Liverpool, Chester, Manchester and Piraeus.

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