Economic boost for Leeds as law firm Brabners opens new office as part of expansion plans

Brabners has moved into an office at 1 City Square in Leeds as it aims to build its presence in the Yorkshire market.

Brabners said it has moved swiftly to develop its team in Yorkshire, recruiting four partners, covering corporate law and real estate, as it develops a full-service offering in the region to complement its 430-strong team across the North of England.

A spokesman said: “More senior appointments are due to arrive with the firm imminently, covering litigation, real estate planning and regulatory specialisms.

"The firm, which is currently ranked as the UK's 22nd best large company to work for, and the 4th best law firm to work for in the UK, will be joining existing tenants at 1 City Square, Deloitte, LDC and Shroders.”

The new office, designed by workplace interiors specialist Incognito, represents Brabners’ third major office investment in 12 months, complementing its move to 20,000 sq. ft of Grade A office space at Barbirolli Square in Manchester earlier this year; and its relocation to similarly office accommodation in Lancashire, on the outskirts of Preston.

Robert White, the chief executive at Brabners, said: “Our move into 1 City Square marks an important milestone in our expansion into Leeds; in our plan to grow our position in the market; and our intention to play a key role in supporting the Yorkshire business community.

“We are confident our stunning new office accommodation will prove to be transformational, providing a flexible, accessible environment that facilitates and encourages collaboration with our clients and between our colleagues; consistent with our transition to agile working.

“We are incredibly pleased with our progress since announcing our entry in Leeds earlier this year, and our move into 1 City Square will provide a perfect opportunity to generate even more momentum, building on the arrival of a strong core team of Yorkshire-based colleagues as we confirm further appointments in the coming weeks.”

Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “Our culture is one of our key differentiators, whether that’s delivering on our purpose, to demonstrate that business can bring about positive change, or whether that’s by investing in our people and our office accommodation to create the environment for them to come together, collaborate and make the difference for our clients and the communities we serve.

Mr White added: “Having personally worked at Brabners as a trainee solicitor right through to managing partner, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how our team and our clients have benefitted from that approach, with our culture placed front and centre at all times, and how it has enhanced our ability to attract aspiring lawyers that will meet the needs of our clients and lead our firm in the future.”

Brabners is home to nationally recognised experts in a number of practice areas and has more than 400 staff working across its Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Lancashire offices. The firm has been in business since 1815 and has an independent grant making charity the Brabners Foundation.