Report this comment to a moderator

Dickie Dees to launch in Leeds with transfer of entire York office

Oh dear. This is like watching a slow motion car crash. The merger with Philip Ashworth & Co was perfect for Dickinson Dees. They were similar firms both in terms of reputation (decent but not national big hitters) and culture (conservative, resistant to change and ostentatiously proud of their roots). Making this move is going to be needlessly expensive, alienate the workforce and send a clear message that Dickinson Dees does not consider the York market important enough. Furthermore, this announcement underlines that at a management level, Dickinson Dees are behind the times. Frankly it's now too late for the firm to move to Leeds. In 2007 Dickinson Dees went public on their view that Leeds was over-lawyered. That is as true today as it was then. Indeed since then a few other firms have opened in Leeds. Two of the firms which opened up in Leeds after 2007 were Ward Hadaway and DWF. These two firms represent a real danger to Dickinson Dees as they are squeezing the firm's traditional market. Both Ward Hadaway and DWF have grown faster than Dickinson Dees in each of the last five years. Furthermore they are both making eroding Dickinson Dees market position in Newcastle and the North East. Opening up in Leeds is going to be an expensive investment for the firm which produces little reward. DWF is now paying higher salaries and securing the best talent in Newcastle, whereas Ward Hadaway is now the firm with the strongest client roster.

2-Jul-2011

4:19 pm