Halliwells break-up confirmed as former rivals move in
The break-up of north-west law firm Halliwells was completed yesterday with confirmation that its Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield operations have been acquired by three former rivals.
City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has scooped up Halliwells’ Manchester insurance practice, taking on 17 partners, plus other lawyers and support staff. The new team is to be integrated into BLG’s Manchester office and will focus on catastrophic injury, fraud, regulatory and public work.
National firm HBJ Gateley Wareing (HBJ) has taken on the remaining 40 partners from the Manchester operation, along with the troubled firm’s banking and finance, corporate, real estate, real estate litigation, corporate recovery, commercial litigation, intellectual property, employment, pensions and construction business units. HBJ is to operate, under its own name, from Halliwells’ present Manchester office.
North-west law firm Hill Dickinson has taken over Halliwells’ Liverpool and Sheffield operations. The transaction saw more than 19 partners, 41 fee-earners and 29 support staff from Liverpool and a team of 36 from Sheffield change firms.
The Liverpool deal will add to Hill Dickinson’s commercial and property litigation, corporate, insolvency and commercial property practices, and introduce private client work. The new Sheffield practice, comprising health, corporate, commercial litigation and property practice groups, will be Hill Dickinson’s first venture into Yorkshire.
Following the sales, Halliwells was placed into admninistration last last night. Commenting, joint administrator Dermot Power, BDO business restructuring partner, said: 'Securing sales of the business to other highly regarded firms, which will protect approximately 700 partner and staff jobs, is positive news for the employees and the industry as a whole. It is well known that the firm assumed substantial property obligations in recent years which significantly increased operating costs. This, together with the slowdown in transactional activity in the current economic climate, put unsustainable pressure on cashflow and the partnership resources.'
He added: 'Other professional firms will have to pay far greater attention to management and particularly cash management, following the stress testing of an LLP frame work which has been less than robust.'
BLG senior partner Simon Konsta said: ‘These hires strengthen our position in our core sector and extend our overall offering to clients, who we recognise want increased choice and flexibility.’
HBJ joint senior partner Michael Ward said: ‘We are being joined by a team of partners and staff of the highest quality and they are looking forward to putting the recent past behind them and focusing on what they do best – delivering the very best client-focused commercial legal service.’
Hill Dickinson senior partner Tony Wilson said: ‘We aim to make the transition smooth and seamless… and look forward to supporting our existing and new clients through this exciting period in our history.’
Comments
There doesn't seem to be any
There doesn't seem to be any mention of anyone taking over the £8 milllion a year lease of the Manchester premises.
The introduction of the even
The introduction of the even more risky ABS model is only a year and a half away. Surely a consumer study should be done about the impact of LLPs going to the wall on the consumer. Should the risks of LLPs be explained to the customer in the intial letter to the customer which would allow the customer to make an informed consumer choice as to whether to use a law firm business that limits its liability and is driven by profit rather than professionalism.
profit driven legal practices
The law is no longer a profession . it is just a bunch of greedy narcistic cretins who work on the premise that , win or lose for the long suffering client , the lawyers line their pockets and stuff their chests with filty money. Thank god I ceased practising before the rat pack took over
Halliwells outstanding debts
I am a sole trader, Enquiry Agent, owed a substantial amount of money for unpaid invoices by Halliwells. Will I get paid, I doubt it. Will the partners be held to account by the administrator, I doubt it. Will the administrator pursue the partners, I doubt it. The Law Society should investigate the goings on at Halliwells, some of my outstanding invoices go back 12 months and no doubt they have been paid by their clients. I was promised payments on numerious accaisons, but the cheques failed arrived. Can any one advise me.
recovering debts as a result of the demise of halliwells
my suggestions are
1. contact the SRA
2. Contact the ministry of justice
3 trace the partner responsible for the debt and write to her or him demanding repayment and then serve them with a bankruptcy notice if the amount owed is over 750 pounds
4. Go and sit outside their offices until you are paid . call the m e n and tell them first so that the matter will get maximum publicity
5 in future ALWAYS ask for 50% upfront
6 be glad you havent lost your life
Halliwells Unscrupulous Partners
I worked for many years in the Legal Profession. At the start of my career Solicitors were, on the whole, gentlemen. Now they are scheming, money making scoundrels. Believe me, I know the levels to which they now stoop. I think any service provider should hound the Administrators, who are very likely to be friends of the Corporate Recovery Lawyers of the former Halliwells, to justify the money taken from the firm by the former partners from the Manchester property deal. This is afterall unchartered territory. The whole situation stinks but if no one pushes for answers the whole thing will die a death; service providers wont be paid and the former equity partners of halliwells will walk into their new positions, rubbing their greedy hands whilst putting two fingers up to all the poor sods who will suffer financially because of their greed. . My advice to anyone owed money from Halliwells is to hound the Administrators until you get answers.
Halliwells demise
What was the Law Society doing whilst Halliwells was insolvent and trading during the last 12 months, it appears nothing.
service provider?
I wonder what happens to the small businessman who has provided regular facilities services to Halliwells and yet awaits outstanding invoice payment? Do they remain at the bottom of the pecking order for their payment, whilst having provided vital services up to this demise? The larger amounts of money owed to others - do those take priority because they have a "recognised name" and maybe more clout behind them - whilst the albeit small facilities services provider faces going under too? Surely the smaller amounts owed should be cleared first in order for those providers to at least survive this miss mash of financial incompetence.
HALLIWELLS (Partners)
What was the Law Society doing whilst the senior partners (parasites) were plundering the assetts of Halliwells. What action has the Law Society taken, it appears absolutely nothing, standing on the side lines cheering them on.
I WILL NEVER TRUST THE LAW SOCIETY OR A SOLICITOR AGAIN