Halliwells has gone from sustaining blistering growth for a decade to becoming the largest legal casualty of the recession. Claire Ruckin goes behind the headlines to expose the drama and confusion of the northern giant’s collapse
On 24 June 2010 Halliwells filed an intention to appoint an administrator and promptly sent shock waves through the legal profession. The move unambiguously signalled that the firm had failed as an independent commercial concern and was now locked into an effective fire-sale of its assets and practice. By 20 July deals had been agreed to transfer the bulk of the firm’s staff to four law firms, with millions in liabilities left to be sorted out by its administrator.
