In the past three years Halliwells has made up 38 internal partners and 35 laterals. This has come over a period of rapid expansion at the North West firm, which has also pulled off several mergers, most recently with Cuff Roberts in Liverpool, which added more to the partnership. In the past three years the number of internal candidates has decreased, from 20 in 2003-04 to 11 in 2004-05 to seven in 2005-06. However, laterals are still coming: from five in 2003-04 to eight in 2004-05 to a high of 22 in 2005-06.

The majority have come in as fixedshare (ie junior) equity partners. Only two laterals joined the equity in 2005- 06, while the firm promoted four fixed-share partners into equity. Lateral hiring has been undertaken across the board: in 2005-06 the firm brought in 10 laterals in its home town of Manchester, while Liverpool and London both made five external partner appointments each. Litigation and insurance are historically the most heavily promoted areas within the firm, with a total of eight litigation internal appointments and eight laterals over the past three years. Insurance accounts for 13 internal promotions in three years (although that tailed off in 2005-06, when there was only one), plus five laterals. And 2005-06 saw a rise in corporate and real estate laterals, with five and six respectively.