Two Dibbs partners quit after one year

DIBB Lupton Broomhead partners Paul Howard and Roger Mason have left the practice only a year after moving over as part of the Needham & James merger.

Howard, who had been partner in charge of litigation, started at rival Birmingham practice Wragge & Co on 1 January.

A departure date is yet to be set for property lawyer Mason. He is returning to Needham & James, which is planning to open a Birmingham office this year.

Dibbs senior partner John Winkworth-Smith says he believes the pair left "because you have to get used to the DLB culture".

"I think they were used to decisions being made by the partner in charge in Birmingham and decisions regarding DLB are made by central management. To put it in a nutshell, it came down to the difference between a partnership style and a corporate style," he says.

Mason says his notice period expires at the end of next month, although a departure date has not yet been finalised.

He will initially join the Stratford office, although it is expected a large amount of his time will be spent in Birmingham.

"Which office I'll be going into depends on when I leave DLB. But I was head of the property department before and I think that in time I will be heading property at Needham & James," says Mason.

Howard says: "I am delighted to be joining Wragge & Co. The firm has an excellent reputation among both the business and professional community and its rapidly-expanding client base represents an interesting challenge in my specialist area."