Hill Dickinson: Building from the ground up

Hill Dickinson, which operates across the UK and internationally, opened its Newcastle office in 2022 with a seven-strong health team.

Since then, its growth trajectory has risen rapidly.

Today, with a headcount approaching 30, the office has broadened its offering significantly, extending into additional service areas and becoming a strategically important part of Hill Dickinson’s national footprint.

A pivotal moment in that evolution came last May with the establishment of a new corporate team.

Led by partner Tom Pollard and supported by legal director Liam Stubbs and senior associate Nicole Axon, the team brought together individuals with deep regional experience and an established working relationship, having worked together, as a team, for many years.

The team – which has been further strengthened by the appointment of paralegal Keje Gilgiler – joined Hill Dickinson with a clear purpose: to build upon the team’s existing reputation and continue to deliver the best possible legal advice and experience, which has been enhanced by the scale, networks and resources of an international law firm.

That ambition is already taking hold.

The team is well known within the business, investor and professional communities across the North East and beyond, advising on a wide variety of regional, national and international transactions since their arrival in May last year.

Its client base reflects the strength and diversity of the North East’s economy, spanning ambitious owner-managed businesses, private equity funds, family offices, management teams and high-net-worth investors.

For Tom, pictured below, the opportunity to establish and grow a corporate team in the North East, as well as expand the Newcastle office to provide a wide range of legal services locally to the business and investor community, was one of the main attractions of joining Hill Dickinson.

The firm’s North East ambition also fully aligns with the direction of its national business services group, which has expanded in recent years through targeted lateral hires and investment in sector specific expertise.

The growth of the wider business services group in the North East is moving at pace, with the recent appointment of Paul Scope to lead the region’s employment team set to be complemented by further well-known, respected and experienced lateral hires in the coming months.

The team is clear about the North East’s unique appeal: it is home to a vibrant, creative and resilient business and investor community, and is a place where longstanding entrepreneurial spirit meets renewed investor interest.

It is also a region where ambition is not just welcomed but expected, and where clients value advisers who combine local understanding with a global outlook.

Hill Dickinson, with its international network and growing regional presence, sees itself as well positioned to meet that need.

The Newcastle office’s growth sits within a wider story: Hill Dickinson’s commitment to regional expansion through strategic investment.

The firm has made similar moves across the UK, where targeted hiring has helped establish highly successful teams capable of competing in mature markets.

The Newcastle office was established with that same playbook in mind: recruit experienced senior lawyers, build a multi-disciplinary offering, embed the firm into the local market and deliver a service that feels both regionally attuned and globally informed.

Hill Dickinson aims to play its part in reshaping the North East’s professional landscape, offering clients a genuine alternative in a market long dominated by established regional players, with a firm that’s rooted in the North East but with international reach and expertise.

The firm’s corporate team brings a sense of shared mission, determination and collective experience shaped over many years working together.

Looking ahead, Hill Dickinson’s vision for the North East is undeniably ambitious.

The firm sees long-term potential for the region, given the continually evolving, buoyant and ambitious economic landscape.

The Newcastle office’s growth – both in headcount and service breadth – is already mirroring the trajectory seen in other regional bases where Hill Dickinson has invested deeply.

In just a few years, the Newcastle office has moved from a small specialist team to a growing, multi-service base with a standout corporate practice.

With strong leadership, expanding capability and continued investment in senior lateral hires, Hill Dickinson is building from the ground up.

The firm’s presence looks set to become an increasingly prominent part of the North East’s legal market.

 

Hill Dickinson

www.hilldickinson.com

LinkedIn: Hill Dickinson