Overview of the Largest Law Firms
As many of the biggest law firms in Birmingham are based in the City Centre of Birmingham, I’ll start by listing the nominated firms in this area.
DWF – Located on Colmore Circus in LBKF’s old offices, DWF has arrived in Birmingham with a big bang after securing Gateley’s Corporate business in the middle of 2016. DWF already have one of the largest teams for IP and Technology in Birmingham and a large team for Public Sector work in Birmingham. Add to that a bit of Litigation and you have a force in Birmingham. Add to that a growing Real Estate team and a team for employment law and you have a winning combination which I expect to grow in size and that in time could pose serious competition to Birmingham’s established law firms.
National Firms
DLA Piper – Nationally DLA Piper have 610 partners, 10,000 employees and £1.75bn in revenue. Some of that will have arrived through their 450 employees in Birmingham. When compared with Gateley, they rival them on headcount, turnover, and job type. Still, DLA Piper do appear to be a very different firm, and I’ll leave it to you to provide the comparisons.
Eversheds Sutherland – Formerly just Eversheds, this firm with 745 partners, 12,000 clients and £500m turnover now have offices in over 70 countries. They have expanded their reach in Birmingham with the merger of the American law firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. As far as I can see this is a recognition of a push towards internationalisation from Birmingham so they can offer not only the localised services they are known for, but also a truly global service.
Ashurst – The magic circle law firm with international offices in 15 different countries.
Squire Patton Boggs – The product of a merger between Squire Sanders & Hancock and Patton Boggs. Another Global Firm, it’s tough in Birmingham for the British US firms now . They do seem to be succeeding, but perhaps it’s the UK offering at the moment which is stronger.
Mills & Reeve – It isn’t fair to judge this firm as an English law firm as their international branch is referred to as Mills & Reeve International. They do have networks and partner law firms across the globe however. They don’t seem to provide support for house purchases abroad, but they do seem to have a very strong EU law Offering.
Shoosmiths were founded in 1856 and have thirteen offices throughout the country. Shoosmiths are a national law firm and when compared with others I’ve mentioned in this blog, they cannot be said to have a domestic or international focus.
Mills & Reeve, a British law firm, was founded in 1880 with its headquarters in Birmingham.
Kennedys – Global law firm with a head office in London and a specially located office within Birmingham’s city centre. It was founded in London in 1970 and is 46 years old.
DAC Beachcroft LLP is a British commercial law firm with a company head office in London. DAC Beachcroft have one Birmingham office located within the city centre.
Bates Wells Braithwaite
Taylor Wessing UK is part of an international law firm which focuses on life sciences, technology, media and communications, real estate and energy and finance law.
Blackfords LLP is a law firm which, in addition to its activities in Birmingham, has offices in London, Cardiff, Godalming (Surrey) and Cardiff. Blackfords was founded in 1894.
Fladgate LLP is a British commercial law firm founded in 1776, headquartered in the City of London. Fladgate has a network of international offices and associated members and law firms across Europe, the United States, East Africa and Asia.
Brooks & Partners LLP is a British commercial law firm which has offices located in Birmingham’s city centre. Brooks & Partners was founded in February 2003.
How We Define the ‘Largest’ Law Firms
As legal directories and rankings become more mainstream and the concept of what constitutes the "biggest" law firm evolves, we’ve sought out what criteria are used by other publications to determine which firms are "biggest" or largest and why.
The American Lawyer has historically cited the number of lawyers a firm has worldwide on its list of "Biggest US Law Firms". In the UK, the criteria for the Top 200 UK Firms include not only the number of lawyers but also revenue, average seat size, and PEP (profit per equity partner).
London-based Legal Business focuses on revenue, office location, and employee headcount when determining its ranking of the "Top 50 UK Firms". It includes a "Most International" ranking that looks at the balance of leverage – equity partners to non-equity partners – and the "Top 50" list. Its ranking of the "Top 50 Largest Firms in the World" factors in a mix of profit and revenue.
In the Netherlands, Legal500 provides a similar analysis of the "Top 50 Law Firms" and "Top 50 Law Firms in Europe".
We will continue to keep you updated as we find new ways of determining which firms are listed among the "Top". Stay tuned for our look at the number of Birmingham-based lawyers across the Top 100 UK firms.
Largest Law Firms and Their Areas of Practice
The city boasts a number of noted law firms, with wide ranging fields of practice. Hammonds LLP which was established in 1868 as Hammonds & Co is one of the oldest law firms in the country. Hammonds has retained its regional character and has maintained a close connection with business enterprise, including small and medium sized enterprises. Hammonds has a number of notable clients, including Worldnet Technologies which it has acted for in relation to numerous intellectual property and IT protection matters. Browne Jacobson LLP is a strong multi-practice firm, with a wide range of sectors including education, health and insurance. It has a strong presence in public sector advisory services and has advised the Department for Education in relation to various academies. DLA Piper UK LLP is a multinational firm with a particular focus on commercial and corporate law, and is noted for its substantial real estate and litigation practices. Public sector clients have included Coventry City Council, which it has advised on a range of matters including procurement and intellectual property issues.
Major Law Firms’ Profiles
Deans Court Chambers
Originally established in 1986 to cater for the needs of the Birmingham & Solihull Bar, Deans Court Chambers continues to provide City Centre barristers’ clerking services for some of the leading elements of the Birmingham bar, including Proceeds of Crime specialists. The Chambers was reconstituted as Deans Court Chambers on 1st September 2015 to include civil silks, the criminal team and family & child care element. Totally independent and self-funding, Deans Court Limited now has the expertise to deal with every aspect of life, from birth to death, covering the core areas of practice of civil, family, criminal and employment law.
Clyde & Co
Since its inception in 1933, Clyde & Co has grown to become a prominent global law firm with a strong established presence in the city. Claiming to be the largest law firm in Birmingham, it boasts a head office in the city and more than 2,500 staff worldwide. With a particular speciality in insurance law, it is now one of the most recognised firms in the field and has amassed many industry awards including the title of Insurance Law Firm of the Year at the British Insurance Awards in 2008 and again in 2011.
Browne Jacobson
Browne Jacobson began as a two-person firm in Nottingham and has its origins in 1832. It has since expanded across the Midlands, and now boasts its office in Birmingham after it merged with Birmingham-based firm, Tindals. The firm now employs 1,300 staff across the country, offering a full service of law to local businesses. One recent award saw Browne Jacobson named as Law Firm of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2012.
Shoosmiths
Originally part of the Simmons & Simmons group from which it spun off in 2001, Shoosmiths currently employs a significant 1,500 staff across the country. It has spent the last decade establishing itself as a full service national law firm for nationwide clients. Shoosmiths’ Birmingham office has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the sale of Birmingham Aluminium Castings. The firm has won a number of awards since opening in the city, including the title of Law Firm of the Year at the Birmingham Legal Awards in both 2015 and 2016.
Squire Patton Boggs
With a history of serving clients dating back to 1890, Squire Patton Boggs is now one of the largest integrated law firms in the world with over 1,500 lawyers. The firm first set up in Birmingham in 1998 where it quickly established itself as a top international law firm. The firm currently operates more than 45 offices across 19 countries worldwide.
Why Does Birmingham Have So Many Large Law Firms?
Birmingham’s compelling business landscape, strong academic connections, and historical legal tradition make it an attractive hub for large law firms. Historically, in addition to having the largest number of barristers outside London, Birmingham was also the birthplace of some of the most notable legal movements in Britain, with many of today’s large law firms tracing their lineage from the pioneering work done by lawyers in the city.
The city continues to play a significant role in shaping legal practice, via its large base of well-respected institutions as well as its strong academic presence. The city has large numbers of major UK-headquartered companies, financial and professional services businesses, and central and local government offices, all of which require the high level of expertise that large law firms provide. Birmingham is also the headquarters of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the independent regulator of the solicitors profession.
Birmingham also boasts ubiquitous Macdonald Linklater, the international law firm headquartered in London with over 6,500 employees working across 52 offices in 25 countries serving international businesses, and which has a team of 1,870 lawyers, including 580 partners in 13 offices abroad. Before it became Linklaters in 2006, Linklaters had grown from the Midlands roots of Linklater & Phipps, founded in Birmingham in 1838, into one of the world’s leading law firms. Today, Linklaters’ major areas of work include mergers and acquisitions, asset-based finance, banking, private equity, corporate and tax . Birmingham also hosts other elite international law firms, including Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells, and Pinsent Masons, further establishing the city as an important centre for large law practice.
Birmingham is a major centre for commerce, and has a population of 1.1 million, making it the second most populous city in the UK after London. Global corporations, including Fortune 500 companies, find Birmingham’s modern infrastructure, quality of life, connectivity, and expanding workforce very appealing. This is matched by Birmingham’s talent-generation capabilities due to its impressive student base, showcasing the city’s ability to create new opportunities for large law firms through innovation.
Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest legal services cluster, embraces a wide range of sectors, many of which require the support of large law firms. It is a centre of commerce and industry and a hub for the service sector, generating over £24 billion by lending and banking. Whether it is pharmaceuticals and biosciences, digital and tech businesses in Birmingham’s thriving ‘Silicon Canal,’ insurance or engineering, Birmingham’s businesses continue to prosper and grow at a phenomenal rate. With an overall growth of 5.8%, Birmingham continues to outpace London, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Birmingham was the heart of the country’s industrial revolution, evolving into a modern metropolis with a long history of innovation, progress, and development across all fields. This, undoubtedly, has created the ideal conditions for large law firms to thrive in the country’s second city.
Opportunities and Drawbacks of Large Law Firms
The current market is creating fierce competition, particularly for the largest law firms in Birmingham. In the West Midlands, the high-profile mergers of the last decade have resulted in a small number of firms offering a wide range of services across multiple jurisdictions. With clients expecting a high-value service at a fixed cost, large law firms are having to adapt quickly to stay one step ahead of their competitors. With the emergence of alternative business structures (ABSs) enabling businesses to operate outside of traditional legal partnerships, this has also had an impact on the domestic legal market. Many of the largest firms have embraced the opportunity to expand their services, but others have been forced to consider more niche areas of expertise to differentiate themselves from the pack and increase market share. In the past, many of the most successful Birmingham law firms have focused on local clients, however firms are now looking further afield, with a greater emphasis placed on servicing clients throughout the UK and abroad. For the larger law firms in Birmingham, the recent Step Up Birmingham strategy initiated by Birmingham City Council, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Birmingham airport is signalling an opportunity for further growth. Under the strategy, significant investment is set to be made to transform and improve the local infrastructure, and with plans for the HS2 rail link connecting Birmingham with London and a new international station, it presents an opportunity for Birmingham commercial law firms to attract talent as well as increase their national and international reach, by positioning the city as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.
How to Select the Best Law Firm in Birmingham
When tasked with choosing a law firm, clients often struggle to find the right fit. The decision is significantly more important than it initially may seem; a good lawyer has the potential to change the course of your life, whether in terms of your business or in personal matters. This is especially true in a large city such as Birmingham, where the choices can be overwhelming – there are hundreds of potential law firms of various sizes, specialisms, and locations competing for your business.
When evaluating whether or not a law firm is right for you, it is important to consider a number of factors relating to both the firm and yourself. This will allow you to gain the insight necessary to make an informed decision on the direction of your legal services . There are multiple aspects to consider when exploring law firms, including their areas of expertise, the qualifications and experience of their lawyers, how you as a client are treated by the firm, and the likely costs of those services.
It stands to reason that a law firm should be knowledgeable in the area for which they are providing a service; if you are seeking advice on a simple legal matter, you should not expect a real estate firm to have any idea about employment law. Equally, a company seeking commercial litigation services should use a law firm with strong commercial experience. The ‘biggest’ law firms may have considerable resources, but may be ill-suited for the specific needs of a client. This can be an important factor to keep in mind throughout the process of selecting a law firm, and is unique to each individual business, organisation, or person seeking advice from a lawyer.