New base and senior hires for expanding Leicestershire firm BHW

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 12 August 2021

A leading independent commercial law firm has accelerated its growth with the acquisition of both new office space and a prominent senior associate.

And the news coincides with an overall staffing boost of over 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BHW, a Legal 500 ranked firm, is situated on Leicester’s Grove Park and continues to make waves amongst the region’s legal scene, acquiring the services of senior associate James Dent, following spells as partner at Chattertons Solicitors in Lincolnshire and associate at Northamptonshire’s Wilson Browne.

The appointment coincides with several senior promotions at the business, including Kate Burlinson and Lucy Ward, both of whom have been promoted to partner status in the commercial property and BHW development departments respectively.

With over 20 new recruits added to the Leicestershire firm over the course of the pandemic, the expansion has fuelled the need for a second base at Grove Park for its residential teams, covering over 8000 sq. ft.

“We’re delighted to have both expanded our team and brought on board someone of James’ stature,” said BHW managing partner, Nick Bridle.

“This is a highly exciting time to be joining the business, acquiring new office space that will help solidify our position as one the East Midland’s leading legal services providers.

“These acquisitions and promotions also reinforce our commitment to local investment and talent, with our Leicestershire location strategically placed to help deliver legal expertise at a national scale.”

As part of its raft of promotions, there also moves for Aimée Johns to associate in BHW’s employment & HR department, with four trainee solicitors taken on in permanent roles.

Formed in 2003, BHW has quickly traversed the legal landscape, organically growing from a staff of two at its inception to just under 90 skilled individuals today.

Specialising in strategic legal areas, it has been ranked across the 2020 Legal 500 guide for its work in corporate and commercial, commercial property, IT and telecoms and agricultural sectors.

It is also one of only two firms in the East Midlands to be ranked by Chambers and Partners for its corporate and commercial services in the private company sector, as well as its real estate work in the region.

And for newly acquired senior associate James Dent, he will be aiming to impress himself upon the business, having quickly ascended the legal ladder in his previous role at Wilson Browne, developing a reputation for corporate transactions, reorganisation and demergers, and commercial practices.

“Throughout the pandemic, people have had to navigate their career pathway based on company value and trust, with business networking out of the window,” said James.

“In these areas, I found BHW to excel, so I’m looking forward to helping uphold the standards that have come before me and help deliver continued legal excellence in the field.”

Renown as the largest independent commercial law firm in Leicester, BHW has managed to maintain its ‘built to stay’ structure since its establishment, at a time when the law field has been increasingly vulnerable to merger and acquisition.

And with an enviable client base including household brands HSBC and DHL distribution, the future looks bright for the East Midlands based firm.

Nick added: “Having boosted our talent base in the pandemic, we now switch attention to delivering a strong set of commercial objectives in the next five years, which will see us expand our client and employee base even further.”

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