The East of England Development Agency is currently holding a competition to choose an iconic ‘landmark’ similar to the Angel of the North to raise the profile of East Anglia and attract visitors to the region. This desire for a higher national profile is shared by the legal profession in a region that many people wrongly dismiss as a backwater.

The lifestyle attractions of East Anglia, with the Norfolk Broads, Suffolk Downs, medieval towns and cities such as Norwich, Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds, and hundreds of beautiful villages, are well known. With even the most remote areas only a couple of hours away from London, this is an appealing prospect for lawyers looking to leave the City behind. That the region’s leading law firms can also offer a genuine challenge and career prospects for an ambitious lawyer is less well-known but as established as part of the landscape.


When most people think of East Anglia, they immediately think of Cambridge. This is understandable as the city is at the heart of ‘Silicon Fen’, the technology and biotech hub. With more than 1,000 technology businesses employing in excess of 35,000 people, this is also the world’s second largest venture capital market.


Although centred on Cambridge, the hi-tech sector is actually a major employer across East Anglia, from Peterborough in the north, to Ipswich in the east. Ipswich in particular is home to a number of spinouts from the BT research centre there, encouraged through BT’s own incubator fund.


Despite the focus on Silicon Fen in the financial press, East Anglia has a diverse economy which supported local law firms during the technology downturn in 2001/2. In the north-east of the region, Norwich is less involved in the technology sector but makes up for this with businesses such as Unilever, Bayer, KLM and Norwich Union choosing to base major operations there. The city is currently undergoing something of a boom due to massive inward investment and improved transport links to Europe.


All of East Anglia’s cities have capable, full-service law firms which have spent much of the past decade evolving to meet the increasingly complex needs of clients. The largest of these are now among the most developed law firms outside London and tend to recruit staff from the best City and regional firms.


By building up strong teams of corporate finance, commercial property, IP/IT and banking lawyers to complement long-standing expertise in areas such as transport, education and public sector law, these firms are attracting clients from across the UK and, increasingly, taking work from London rivals.


The long-term prospects for East Anglia’s law firms seem excellent as the region’s fast-growing companies mature into major international businesses. If they are to keep pace with clients, they will need to continue to recruit first-class lawyers who want to enjoy life without sacrificing their career. Could you be one of them?



Philip White is a senior consultant in the Birmingham office of Integral Legal Recruitment