Law firm’s Leeds office to advise on six corporate deals

Jonathan Jones, the managing partner of the Leeds office, said the global law firm’s Yorkshire operations were feeling confident and were well positioned.

He spoke to the Yorkshire Post after results published by Squire Sanders Hammonds for the year to April 2011 showed that fee income for the legal practice matched last year’s figure of £118m, while profits per equity partner was £375,000, an increase of three per cent on the previous year.

US law firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey and Yorkshire-based Hammonds, marked the completion of their merger – which creates one of the largest legal practices in the world – by holding a Champagne reception at Leeds City Museum in January. The combined firm is governed by a 13-person global board elected by the partners. Hammonds was founded in the 1880s in Bradford, by a sole practitioner, Albert Victor Hammond.

The Leeds office acted for Callcredit, which is also based in Leeds, on three recent acquisitions. Squire Sanders Hammonds also advised LDC on its investment in Driver Hire.

Mr Jones said the Yorkshire operation had been boosted by work referred from the merged law firm’s overseas operations.

This had included some merger and acquisition and property work from Russia, the US and Japan.

Peter Crossley, Squire Sanders Hammonds’ European managing partner, said: “With this set of results we have a solid platform on which to continue to build our global practice and position ourselves for future growth.”

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