DLA office enjoys its best year in recent history

Sarah Day, the office managing partner since May 2011, said the last financial year was the “best in recent history”.

No figures are available yet, but the world’s biggest commercial law firm is due to release its annual results for the financial year to the end of April by the end of this month.

Ms Day, a finance partner, said the strong performance was due to areas that typically do well in downturns such as litigation, but also others that might have been expected to struggle, such as real estate.

The office has diversified its client base in recent years and acts for a number of national and international property and venture capital funds, including Sun Capital Partners, the US buyout firm.

“They are very active in the market at the moment and in some places are making the market,” Ms Day said of the funds.

Leeds is DLA Piper’s second largest UK office by headcount, with a ‘collegiate’ group of 44 partners. The total headcount is 483.

Ms Day said the workload is a mix of local and global. “Increasingly they are not either-ors. They are two sides of the same coin and inextricably linked,” she added.

“Clients will be instructing us from outside Yorkshire and outside the country because of relationships and expertise.

“We have strong links with China, the Commonwealth of Independent States, France and Germany and West Coast USA.”

She said a lot of corporates are doing very well at the moment, in spite of the recession.

“They might not be leveraging in the way they might have done a number of years ago but they are active and making the most of having a good cash position and some good transactions to be done in this market.

“It is not a doldrums recession. It is a problem on a macro level. We have a lot of strong businesses continuing to do well but moving cautiously.”

Asked what she thinks is setting the best companies apart from the rest, Ms Day said: “Having a plan for the future is going to set every company apart at the moment.

“It’s been very easy over the last three years to allow ourselves to think ‘we can’t predict anything, the world is changing every six weeks, we just have to wait and see’.

“It does change every six weeks. We are now coming back to the idea that maybe the better view is Greece will leave the euro. Two weeks ago it was staying in. A month before it was coming out. It’s becoming recognised that we can’t wait for the world to stop turning and then plan. This state of flux at a macro level could continue for a long time. We need to take control of our own destiny and plan for what we can plan and not wait for things. If you do have a plan at least you can adapt it when changes happen. If you don’t know where you are going you won’t get anywhere.”

DLA Piper is a main sponsor of the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards, alongside Big Four accountancy firm PwC, Yorkshire Bank and investment bank Goldman Sachs, which is running a business support programme in Yorkshire.

Ms Day said the awards are successful because they are about excellence rather than popularity, “although presumably popularity helps”. She added: “You feel that the awards really mean something. I would hope that the businesses that enter feel they get some benefit out of it even if they don’t win.”

DLA Piper sponsors the category for companies with a turnover of more than £50m.

Premier Farnell, the electronics distributor, won the category last year. Judges highlighted the high levels of enterprise and competitiveness at the Leeds-based company, with management, innovation, performance, customer service and employee motivation as key differentiators. The awards are now open for entries and companies have until July 2 to submit details.

The Yorkshire Post is inviting entries from all companies with a great story to tell, so long as they are based in Yorkshire or have significant operations in the region. The winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony in Leeds on November 1 with a heavyweight political speaker. Alistair McGowan, the BAFTA-winning impressionist, is the presenter.

Categories range from entrepreneurialism and exports to community involvement, innovation and outstanding employment practices. Our associate sponsors are Bradford University School of Management, power station Drax, IT specialist KeyedIn, telecoms giant O2, QBE Insurance and translation services firm thebigword.

• Enter the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards now