Legal Business Awards 2010

Hill Dickinson won a tightly fought battle to top the North peer group of the LB100 back in 2007 and has managed to dominate it ever since, boasting a three-year run as the top dog. Being top of that particular peer group is no mean feat – the group houses a larger percentage of the UK’s top 100 firms than any other – so flaunting a solid £22m turnover margin over your nearest rival demonstrates real star quality.

Liverpool-based Hill Dickinson has had an excellent run since its first appearance in the LB100 in 1997. At that stage its revenues hovered just below the £13m mark. Following a string of mergers, most notably the tie up between legacy firms Hill Dickinson and Hill Taylor Dickinson in 2006, and its savvy acquisition of commodities niche Middleton Potts in July 2009, Jackson’s efficiently run outfit finished 2008/09 with a recession-busting turnover growth figure of 12%. Significantly, it was the only Northern-based firm to record double-digit growth, and revenues came in at £82m – a massive 179% increase on its 1997 total.

In the past five years alone, Hill Dickinson has leapt an impressive 12 places in the LB100 and is now safely ensconced in the top 40, capping an excellent year for the firm. If it can maintain momentum, Hill Dickinson looks to remain the steadfast leader in the North for some time to come.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

BRODIES

Bill Drummond, managing partner

Reporting a compound annual growth rate over the past five years of 19%, the highest in the LB100 Scotland peer group, Brodies is the embodiment of a consistent performer. In 2008/09 turnover grew by 6% to £39.6m, a good showing in a tough climate, but it is not just financials that shout quality; the firm also acted as lead counsel on two of the UK’s four bank rescues.

DWF

Andrew Leaitherland, managing partner

Few firms have managed to break into new markets with such aplomb as Manchester-based DWF broke into Leeds in 2007. The firm followed that up with a bold move into London in 2008, hiring catastrophic injury specialists Graham Dickinson and Claire Bowler from Davies Lavery. Leaitherland has made no secret of his firm’s ambition to crack the top 30 and on this evidence it’s a cert.

HBJ GATELEY WAREING

Michael Ward, senior partner

Diversification into public sector and regeneration work has paid off and this firm continues its upward trajectory towards becoming a fully-fledged national brand. Despite fielding large banking and property departments, turnover increased by a healthy 6.7% in 2008/09 to £47m and the Anglo-Scots firm successfully controlled costs without a formal redundancy programme.

MICHELMORES

Malcolm Dickinson, managing partner

For the first time in five years, the South peer group was not the worst performing in revenue terms in the LB100 and success was exemplified by Exeter’s Michelmores – a worthy addition to the group following its 10% rise in turnover in 2008/09 to £18.9m. Excellent progress but that represented a slowdown for this firm; growth has averaged 20% per year over the last half a decade.

TUGHANS

Ian Coulter, managing partner

In a confident display of dynamism, Tughans recently appointed Coulter managing partner – at 38 the youngest ever for the Northern Irish outfit. In a further bold move, the firm also invested soundly during the downturn, making a concerted effort to build profile through the development of a new PR campaign. The marketing drive has paid off, and all core areas have attracted growth.

Award presented by Network MP