DWF aims to conquer Newcastle as it hires Dickinson Dees' Flynn

DWF is set to launch a full-service practice in Newcastle, following the hire of partner John Flynn from Dickinson Dees.

Corporate specialist Flynn announced that he would leave Dickinson Dees’ Newcastle office on 4 May. His departure date has not been decided, but the firm has said that it does not intend to hold Flynn to his contractual notice period.

Flynn will join DWF as executive partner, in charge of building a full-service office in Newcastle. Details about the DWF launch have not yet been disclosed, but a senior source at the firm confirmed that Flynn’s hire was part of plans for a more substantial offering in Newcastle.

DWF has had pensions lawyers in Newcastle since 2009, with department head Martin Jenkins leading the team there. But managing partner Andrew Leaitherland has previously disclosed his desire for a bigger footprint in the city.

“I’ve got an eye on where to look at over the next two or three years,” Leaitherland told The Lawyer in 2009 (12 October). “I’ve had discussions with firms in Newcastle, Bristol and Birmingham. [But] every time we look at a new office we have to staff it, and we’ve got the fit-out costs.”

Flynn twice unsuccessfully ran for senior partner at Dickinson Dees, in 2004 and 2010.

“I would like to thank John for his contribution to the firm in the past years and wish him well for the future,” said Dickenson Dees senior partner John Marshall.

“I’ve been at Dickinson Dees for 30 years,” said Flynn. “It’s a North-Eastern institution and a great firm, and I leave with a lot of regret, but I’m looking forward to new challenges. The plan is to build a full-service office in Newcastle, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

DWF also has offices Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Preston. No one at the firm was available to comment at this time.