Dickinson Dees pulls in trio following Watson Burton raid

Dickinson Dees has taken on two new partners and a director in Newcastle and its growing York operations, despite the turmoil suffered by its volume business (see page 1).

The recruitment spree follows the hire of Julian Gill, who was poached from regional rival Watson Burton for Dickinsons' corporate recovery practice last week.

"I think it fits into our overarching strategy and will help us achieve our objective of being the pre-eminent law firm outside London," said Dickinsons managing partner Jonathan Blair.

Will Gunston was a senior associate with Osborne Clarke in London and is joining Dickinsons' corporate recovery group in Newcastle as a partner. Partner Steven Berry from Hull firm Andrew M Jackson has joined as a director in the property team, while Stuart Wardlaw has rejoined as a partner to head the environment team after having taken a career break, before which he was a director at the firm.

The recruitment of Berry follows hot on the heels of former Andrew M Jackson partner David Stone's hire, who is now head of commercial property at Dickinsons in York.