Leading commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has begun 2024 with a move into brand new offices at 11 Wellington Place, Leeds, giving a clear signal to the market of its ambitions for further growth.
The move follows the signing of a lease agreement in May 2023 and forms part of the firm’s wider growth and sustainability strategy as it relocates into one of the most sustainable office developments in Yorkshire.
Located in Leeds’ prestigious business district, the firm now occupies a full floor of the 10-storey building at 11 Wellington Place. The 9,000 sq ft relocation will allow Hill Dickinson to continue delivering on its growth strategy in the city, providing the space for a continued increase in headcount in the next 10 years.
Since establishing a presence in Leeds in 2017, the firm has grown its team to over 40 people in the city, as well as expanded its service lines. Originally focused purely on healthcare, Hill Dickinson’s Leeds offering now includes corporate, banking, real estate, construction, employment and restructuring.
The move follows a flurry of lateral hires for the firm in the second half of 2023, with Lemi McCauley joining as partner in August 2023, subsequently joined by Lizzy Wood and Molly Rowell from Shoosmiths, to establish a full restructuring team for Hill Dickinson’s Leeds practice. Partner Glenn Hayes also joined the firm from Irwin Mitchell in December last year as head of employment in Leeds, bringing a dedicated commercial employment team to complement the firm’s health employment team practice in Leeds for the first time.
The new space also supports the firm’s drive to improve the sustainability of its operations, with 11 Wellington Place boasting an EPC A and BREEAM Outstanding rating. Together with the adjacent building at 12 Wellington Place, it was the first office development outside London and only the fourth in the UK to achieve a NABERS Design Reviewed Target Rating of Five Stars or above.
Having now moved into the new office, the firm is preparing for the continued expansion of its full-service offering in the region, along with enhancing its national capabilities from the Leeds base.
Craig Scott, CEO elect and head of Business Services Group, said: “At Hill Dickinson, we’re continually seeking new opportunities for growth across all our offices. Leeds is a city that is seeing rapid expansion across a range of industries and sectors, which means there’s increased demand for legal services in the city – and we are responding to that. This brilliant new space reflects our strategic ambitions in a number of important areas: it allows us to meet growing demand from new and existing clients in and around the Yorkshire region, it aligns with our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to being part of a thriving business community in Leeds for the long term.
“The number of quality senior lateral hires we’ve attracted during the last two years, backed up by the strength of our growing national teams, has allowed us to expand our full-service offering into Leeds very rapidly. I look forward to welcoming even more people into our exciting new office at Wellington Place as part of our ambitious growth plans for the years to come.”
Esther Venning, Hill Dickinson partner and head of Leeds office, said: “It has been incredibly rewarding to see our Leeds office grow at such pace recently, now housing a team of more than 40 across a range of services. The Wellington Place move is an exciting next step to continue delivering on this growth.
“As one of the fastest growing legal centres in the country, Leeds is home to a host of incredible talent, with excellent universities and law schools right on our doorstep. This has created a buoyant market where we can attract strong talent at a range of levels, from new trainees to experienced partners. As we settle into our new office, the development of our people and growing our excellent team will remain at the forefront.”
The firm has worked closely with a number of subcontractors on the design and fit-out of its Wellington Place offices, with particular thanks to Incognito, Avid, Kennedy Redford, RLB and Overbury.
In July 2023, Hill Dickinson also announced the intended move of its entire Manchester operation to Gary Neville’s landmark £400 million St Michael’s scheme in 2025. The scheme represents best-in-class office space developed with the aim of achieving net zero carbon in construction and operation and targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating.
