Nelsons
No of Partners: 34
No of Assistant Solicitors: 45
www.nelsonsonline.com
Nelsons growth since its creation in 1983 has been nothing short of explosive. Since then, the firm has expanded from the 3 founding partners to a 40 partner regional heavyweight with a turnover of £17m.
The past 5 years have also seen the firm’s profile evolve rapidly, growing from a 26 partner Nottingham general practice 5 years ago to a commercially-focused 34 partner regional firm with offices in all 3 of the major East Midlands centres, as it seeks to make capital from the lofty ambitions of some of the larger East Midlands firms.
“Those firms which take a wider perspective must leave opportunities behind,” Nelsons chief executive, Tim Hastings, says. “We took the view some years ago that some of the larger firms would see their priorities being outside the region and we are glad that we did.”
Some firms are wary of mergers, fearing the damage they do to internal cultures. There is no such fear at Nelsons apparently, which has achieved the bulk of its expansion through 6 mergers in 5 years. This burst of frenetic activity seems to have drawn to a close and the result is an SME-focused commercial law firm, offering a full service in Nottingham, Leicester and Derby to clients such as Barratt East Midlands, Bowmer & Kirkland and the National Space Centre in Leicester.
The business-orientated practice areas – corporate/commercial, commercial property, construction and litigation account for 40% of the firm’s work, with services to high net worth private clients accounting for a further 18%. Although the proportion of Nelsons work which is publicly funded has fallen from 60% to less than 20% since 1998, the firm has retained a criminal defence practice, focused on white-collar crime and a family law department.
The remaining 15% of the firm’s workload is taken up with claimant personal injury instructions, specialising in uninsured loss recovery, industrial disease claims and multi-party actions.
The merger mania may be over, but the firm is still looking to grow organically. “We need people who can display initiative and a willing nature, who can also promote the firm and work with other units and departments within it,” says Hastings. “We are constantly looking to recruit individuals with ambition and drive.”
It probably goes without saying that those who dislike change and upheaval need not apply.
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