DWF loses Newcastle head Flynn in wake of Crutes deal
DWF’s Newcastle chief John Flynn is set to leave the firm just over a year after joining to set up the firm’s practice in the North East city.
John Flynn
Flynn, who joined the Manchester-based firm last year from Dickinson Dees as executive partner, is understood to have encountered integration difficulties since the firm’s recent merger with Newcastle’s Crutes.
No formal announcement has been made internally about his exit, but it is understood that one is expected imminently. A source close to the firm said that Flynn had been absent from the Newcastle base for a few weeks and that many in the office are aware of his departure, which comes just months after the Crutes tie-up went live at the start of 2012 (25 November 2011).
Flynn’s destination is unclear, as is his likely replacement, with pensions head Martin Jenkins and former legacy Crutes managing partner Helen Agar touted as possible candidates if the firm chooses to retain the executive partner role.
Flynn joined the firm as Newcastle corporate head and executive partner in charge of the base, which had three partners before the combination with 16-partner Crutes. He announced his resignation from Dickinson Dees last May, joining DWF with a mandate to launch and swell the Newcastle offering (6 May 2011).
He stood unsuccessfully for senior partner at Dickinson Dees in 2004 and 2010.
DWF declined to comment. Flynn was not available for comment.
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Readers' comments (31)
Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 4:09 pm
This may feel brutal, but it's progress for DWF Newcastle.
Whilst DDees M&A practice has dipped since Flynn left, not very much of that work has turned up at DWF.
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 4:14 pm
"... understood to have encountered integration difficulties ..."
Where would modern management be without the euphemism ...!
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 5:04 pm
Maybe the step up was too big. It's hard to move to a top 30 law firm from a top 60 practice. The expectations are greater.
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 5:27 pm
Heh - "integration difficulties"
The move from Dickinson Dees to DWF was too great. Even Flynn admitted they had totally different cultures. I imagine that "integration difficulties" means the ideas he brought from old school Dickinson Dees didn't impress the progressive board at DWF.
It's a shame as he does have something to offer. I'm sure he'll pop up in the Newcastle legal market again. I'd hazard that it won't be at Dickinson Dees though!
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 5:55 pm
He lasted less than 12 months in post. Something clearly hasn't worked out.
A natural fit for the ex-Northern Rock job?
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 6:24 pm
Glad this news is out in the open after months of grumbles.
Onwards and upwards DWF Newcastle.
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Anonymous | 5-Jul-2012 7:36 pm
"........... he [Mr John Flynn] was headhunted by DWF around this time last year............". "This was generally regarded as being something of a coup on the part of DWF". Mr Flynn stated: “Some of the things I bring from Dickinson Dees are very good – a commitment to quality, a belief that you have to do things right, that we don’t make things up as we go along".
“Andrew Leaitherland said to me [Mr John Flynn]: ‘We are going to grow’. "After he told me how big they were and how fast they had grown, I said to him: ‘Do you know we grow leeks in the North East. We grow great big leeks and they are massive, but they taste awful’ “Andrew laughed at that....."
I hope you don't mind that I have taken the above quotes from previous articles on another website and not being a Solicitor I hope that it is alright for me to do this. My opinion is that the above quotes illustrates the differences between Leaitherland as DWF's aggresive spokesperson who appears to be solely fixated on profits and Mr John Flynn's wiser and( to my mind) more acceptable approach to progressing a company.
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Monkey | 5-Jul-2012 11:37 pm
When cultures clash you move on.
He created a foot hold
Well done fella
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Anonymous | 6-Jul-2012 9:59 am
Anon 7:36,
In my role I've worked with both Dickinson Dees and DWF. In my view Dickinson Dees are the leek in the anology.
I say this because, from what I've seen, the quality of the work from DWF and the service provided has been superior.
John Flynn is a lovely guy. I'm not convinced he's wise but he certainly has charisma by the bucket-load.
He was the star performer at Dickinson Dees. However when he moved to a national law firm he probably didn't measure up when compared to their star performers.
I can't imagine he enjoyed working in that environment, so it's for the best that he's left - maybe he can dedicate his time to growing some good leeks in his garden?
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Anonymous | 6-Jul-2012 10:34 am
I cannot think of another legal market in the UK that is as ripe to be taken over by a regional law firm as that in Newcastle / the North-East.
There's not been any meaningful competition for years. Many deny this but it has had an impact, as demonstrated by the inability of North East firms to translate their market position in Newcastle into other cities.
Therefore if DWF want to cement their position as the leading firm in the North East, they need to apply the formula that has worked so well in their other offices into this market.
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