Kennedys seals hire of 70-strong Halliwells team for Sheffield launch

Kennedys is set to launch an office in Sheffield with the hire of a 70-strong team, including eight partners, from Halliwells.

The UK top 50 firm will officially open in Sheffield in the New Year, bringing its total number of offices across the UK to nine.

The office will be led by insurance specialist Suzanne Liversidge, who has built up a legal insurance team in the city over 13 years. She will be joined by fellow partners David Fearon, Judith Bloor, Helen Snowball, Cameron Clark, Niall Edwards, Greg Woods and Heidi Swale.

The team comprises 45 lawyers and 17 members of support staff.

The move will significantly bolster Kennedy's insurance capabilities and is part of a wider strategy to boost the firm's national coverage.

Managing partner Nick Thomas (pictured) said: "We will be delighted to welcome an excellent team with such strong reputations. They will be an integral part of the national service Kennedys offers to our clients. This development underscores our significant commitment to servicing the insurance industry."

The firm recently recruited former Burges Salmon managing partner Guy Stobart as its new chief executive.

In a statement, Halliwells said: "We can confirm that a team of insurance lawyers will be leaving the firm to join Kennedys. Halliwells retains a strong multi-disciplinary practice in Sheffield covering insurance and healthcare, corporate, real estate, employment and construction."

The departures are the latest of a spate of recent exits for Halliwells. Last month the firm saw Manchester insurance liability partner Chris Fletcher and litigation partner Stephen Morris leave to join Berrymans Lace Mawer and DWF respectively, while insurance liability partners Chris Gough, Tim Short and Louise Shaw also left the firm to launch a Manchester base for insurance litigation specialist Plexus Law.

Halliwells recently posted a 16% decrease in revenues for the first six months of the financial year, with fee income coming in at £34m against a figure of £44m for the same period last year.

Halliwells on the Legal Week Wiki