Articles From the Team

Yorkshire isn’t all about Leeds

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Leeds girl. I love the city, the people, the unreliable football team and the shopping! But, I’ll let you into a secret that those living and working outside of Yorkshires biggest city won’t want you to know… The county is made up of lots of great areas/cities and the legal market reaches far beyond the Leeds ‘Big Six’. This is particularly the case if you are a specialist in personal legal services or insurance. Leeds is dominated by the Corporate/Commercial practices and whilst there are some excellent Insurance divisions in Leeds city centre such as DWF, you will find a lot going on in cities such as Bradford (Gordons dominating the manufacturing industry from the Bradford office), Sheffield (Kennedys recently brought in the Casualty team from Hill Dickinson, meaning the office has now doubled in size since opening 2010) and York (Langleys Insurance team is developing quickly under the management of Chambers Rated Partner David Thompson).

This spread outside of Yorkshire’s biggest city is also apparent in the claimant personal injury side – The head office of Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield is one of South Yorkshire’s biggest employers and smaller niche practices in areas such as York (Pryers) are holding their own against the big players in the market.

It is even more apparent in the Private Client practice areas. Clarion in the city centre boast a 10 strong private client team and top tier, niche practice Wrigleys obviously have a significant presence both nationally and in Leeds/Sheffield. Nonetheless, high quality work acting for HNW clients is readily available across the whole county and particularly in the likes of Bradford and Harrogate. The recent merger of Barbara Titley and LCF in Harrogate secured their place as a second tier private client team in the Legal 500 and as a Top 10 Yorkshire firm they’re a first-rate employer.

I also think a special mention should also go to City of Culture for 2017, Hull. The city is under going through extensive redevelopment and regeneration and the city has a lot to offer the ambitious lawyer looking to thrive in a regional practice. The firms in Hull are stable and have a good stronghold in the local market place. Hull will keep growing and developing, particularly following an investment of £160m into Wind Turbine projects by Siemans.

If you’re approaching qualification you may well be wondering which city can offer you the perfect NQ role, keep an open mind to Yorkshire, particularly beyond Leeds. Equally, if you’re in Yorkshire at the moment and wondering where the next step is in your career, I can advise you on your options in and out of Leeds. I’ve lived and/or worked in North, East, South and West Yorkshire and I’d be happy to share my experiences on a more personal level too.

For more information contact BCL Legal.