Ward Hadaway merger: Lee Bramley (l) and Steven Petrie
Merger talks announced earlier this year between Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway and The Endeavour Partnership, the Teesside commercial law firm, have proven successful.
The Endeavour Partnership, which had 29 lawyers, is now operating under the Ward Hadaway name, with managing partner Lee Bramley now executive partner of the Teesside office.
Ward Hadaway now has five offices, with Teesside and its recently opened Birmingham adding to its established bases in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester. It now has nearly 600 people in total, including 104 partners and 315 lawyers, and turnover in the last financial year was £54m.
Steven Petrie, Ward Hadaway’s managing partner, said: “The move is part of our strategic plans to grow revenue by 100% over the next 10 years. I’ve been clear about our ambitious growth plans since I became managing partner in 2024, and I’m proud to see our strategy coming to life.”
Mr Bramley added: ” We have worked extremely hard over the past 25 years to create a firm trusted by valued clients and colleagues. The merger gives us an opportunity to build on that, adding scale and further expertise to our offering as part of Ward Hadaway.”
He said the decision reflected also “the growing regulatory landscape, new and emerging technologies and the competitive market for attracting top talent”.
Birmingham firm Glaisyers – not to be confused with Glaisyers ETL – has entered administration, with its family work, the largest department, transferred to Cartwright King, and its civil litigation practice moved to Davisons Law.
Opus Restructuring, the administrators, said the switches had secured 14 jobs. The firm had been losing money for some time, they said, and despite efforts to reduce overheads, there was not a solvent solution.
A new serious injury and complex claims firm, Richard Edwards & Co, launched in Liverpool last week. The eponymous Mr Edwards was previously a partner at Potter Rees Dolan and more recently Hugh James.
He said: “Setting up my own practice has been a daunting experience. Having spent the last 11 years working in Manchester, however, I knew the time was right to take this step. Being born, raised and always having lived in Liverpool, I’m pleased that I will now be practicing law again from my home city.
“Liverpool has a thriving legal community and it will be exciting to be part of that once again. Not having to make the daily commute up the M62 and back will also be a blessing. I have learned a great deal working alongside some of the best lawyers in the catastrophic injury field. I plan to bring that to bear on behalf of clients at Richard Edwards & Co.”
Still in Liverpool, Atlantic Chambers and Oriel Chambers have merged to form Hundred Court Chambers.
It brings together 79 members, 20 employees and two pupils under one roof, with four new pupils set to join later in 2025.
A statement said the name “gets its inspiration from the medieval ‘hundred court’, once held in Allerton, Liverpool. Before courthouses existed, these courts are believed to have convened in open-air settings, offering a place forgathering, deliberation and fair judgment”.
Charles Prior, joint head of the new chambers, said: “Each set has worked tirelessly to build formidable reputations not only in the North-West but throughout the UK.
By joining together, we can bring together an even broader range of expertise and specialism, delivering significantly enhanced services and supporting our clients on the most complex of matters.”
In other growth news, Broadfield has opened its first US office, in New York, as part of its aim to be “a disruptive force in the legal market by providing top-tier legal services at mid-market rates”.
Last December, Southern England firm BDB Pitmans joined forces with SHP Legal Services to launch Broadfield and become the founder member of a planned international law firm. SHP Legal Services is a subsidiary of LSS Strategic Partners, itself a sister company of global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal.
SHP’s role is to provide management services to law firms joining Broadfield in the areas of technology, operations and talent acquisition.
On launch, UK managing partner John Hutchinson said Broadfield hoped to add at least six firms to the network in key European and US jurisdictions over the following two years in a bid to target mid-market private capital and corporate clients.
In fact, Hong Kong was the first overseas office, set up in February this year in association with Liu Patrick Ling & Co.
The New York office has hired five founding partners, including one from Dentons.
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