Dickinson Dees adds to new Leeds base with Pinsents hire

Readers' comments (22)

• Cilla Surprise | 30-Mar-2012 2:08 pm

  A slightly surprising move.

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• Anonymous | 30-Mar-2012 3:57 pm

  Pinsents have an excellent reputation but their Leeds office looks increasingly marginalised within the firm, while Dickinson Dees have a great track record with comparable regional clients - wouldn't be surprised to see others follow.
  It's nice to see the still relatively new managment team at DD seem to have got their house in order and are now making good moves forward in both Leeds and London. Arguably should have done it 8/9 years ago but they seem to be coming out of the recession in a positive fashion which is good to see.

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• Cilla Surprise | 31-Mar-2012 6:06 pm

  It is surprising that someone who presumably was meant to be the biggest promoter and 'on message' partner of Pinsent Masons Leeds Office decides to leave for a relative new comer to the Leeds legal market. He has been head of Leeds for just over two years. With all respect to Dickinson Dees they have not exactly set the world on fire recently and I would be slightly concerned if I was Pinsent Masons losing high ranking partners to Dickinson Dees. Pinsent Masons would be stupid to overlook their core regional offices. They are still fundamentally a national firm (even more so with the recent merger). The Leeds and Birmingham Offices were the core of the Pinsents practice. Yes they have tried to expand internationally (the alliances have been complete failures) and yes they have tried to build their London Office up - but these regional offices should not be overlooked. They formed the base of the firm. As someone posted above maybe Dickinson Dees are about to make some waves and partners from other firms will be flocking there. Interesting times.

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• Anonymous | 2-Apr-2012 10:13 am

  A surprising move - but one that looks good for both parties.
  For Dickinson Dees it brings some much needed credibility. Hopefully this will stop them losing their most talented staff (although the number of lateral hires to internal promotions, suggests management really don't rate their own associates / directors).
  For Mark Owen, it's a clever step down. He'll quickly be recognised, in terms of technical expertise, as far better than any of the other Dickinson Dees partners. He's also the only big name associated with Dickinson Dees in Yorkshire. He also has the 'wow factor' from his Take That days.

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• Anonymous | 2-Apr-2012 2:23 pm

  In football terms this move is equal to a player from Bolton Wanderers transferring to Yeovil Town FC.

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• Anonymous | 2-Apr-2012 2:56 pm

  The football analogy seems pertinent. In the 2000s it seemed Dickinson Dees followed Peter Risdale economics; always in the press with lots of expensive lateral hires.
  During the next decade many of these lateral hires flopped but had no reason to go elsewhere whilst the pay was so good.
  Fast forward to 2012 and Dickinson Dees (from the other rumoured moves) appears to have resurrected this strategy in Leeds. Will it succeed? Will they have goldfish in the board room? Can they really compete against DLA, Addleshaws, DWF etc

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• Commentator | 2-Apr-2012 3:50 pm

  With Dickinson Dees arriving in Leeds, the market now has a third tier (the bronze circle).
  The golden circle is firms like DLA and Addleshaws.
  Then you've got the silver circle like Pinsents, Eversheds and DWF.
  Then you have the bronze circle of Dickinson Dees, Cobbetts and Watson Burton.

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• Cilla Surprise | 2-Apr-2012 4:58 pm

  Bit like the captain of Bolton who has played in all their games this season moving to Yeovil Town in the transfer window.
  What about Walker Morris in the golden, silver and bronze circle analysis commentator?

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• Anonymous | 3-Apr-2012 9:33 am

  This move would begin to make sense if Mark had been told that Leeds will become the firm's lead office next year.
  After all the York office has grown far more quickly and been much more profitable than the Newcastle and Stockton offices.

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• Anonymous | 3-Apr-2012 10:03 am

  Does Mark Owen know something we don't?
  Could DD be about to make Leeds their lead office?

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• Anonymous | 3-Apr-2012 12:54 pm

  Mark Owen is a high calibre lateral hire. This really is a coup for Dickinson Dees.
  What confuses me is that it is well known in the market that Dickinson Dees is heavily over partnered. Therefore once the recruitment drive is over will they (finally) look to move on their less successful partners?

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• Anonymous | 3-Apr-2012 1:36 pm

  Would it matter? If DD are preared to invest considerably in Leeds, who cares if the HQ is Leeds or Newcastle.

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• Anonymous | 3-Apr-2012 2:55 pm

  DD must be guaranteeing his pay for at least a couple of years, as they will need to do to persuade any other decent "recent senior recruitments" to work for them.
  DD = the next Dewey Leboeuf.

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• Cilla | 3-Apr-2012 6:38 pm

  Out bid by Dickie Dees.

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• Anonymous | 4-Apr-2012 11:53 am

  Commentator | 2-Apr-2012 3:50 pm
  Are you joking?
  Watson Burton have four lawyers in Leeds. Pinsents and the Shed in the same category as DWF, ha ha.
  What about Squire Sanders and Walker Morris?

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• Anonymous | 4-Apr-2012 12:00 pm

  Gold, Silver and Bronze Circles? Watson Burton above Walker Morris???? Watson Burton are in a Danteesque Circle of Hell in Leeds. No Gordons? Squires? I'd rate good old Leeds stalwarts like Luptons above Watson Burton.

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• Anonymous | 4-Apr-2012 12:23 pm

  Chris Booth is the new Leeds Office head at PM.

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• Anonymous | 4-Apr-2012 2:04 pm

  Breaking news: It looks like Chris Booth, new office head at PM has also moved to DD.
  
  http://www.dickinson-dees.com/christopher-booth/

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• Commentator | 4-Apr-2012 2:15 pm

  To be fair I never listed Walker Morris. I reckon they are on the edge of the silver circle, in danger of slipping into the bronze circle.
  I just listed some firms. You're right that Watson Burton are propping up the market. I didn't list all the firms because I didn't have the time.

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• Anonymous | 5-Apr-2012 11:06 am

  So why did DD go to York in the first place?
  
  Was it just bad judgement and this is them correcting that?

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