The Leeds office of national law firm Devonshires is moving to larger premises in the city to accommodate planned expansion.
The firm is relocating from Park Square to No 1 Whitehall Riverside in the West End of the city, taking 3,346 square feet on the first floor of the building on a 10-year lease.
The move coincides with the third anniversary of the firm opening in Leeds and is part of its strategic commitment to better serve its northern client base. The firm is headquartered in London and also has an office in Colchester.
The Leeds office is led by partners Chris Drabble and Gary Grigor, who joined the firm from Addleshaw Goddard in 2017.
Social housing specialists Drabble and Grigor advise borrowers, funders and trustees on all aspects of security-related transactions and financial arrangements in the social and affordable housing sector, respectively.
The Leeds office of Devonshires now houses 15 members of staff, including three other partners: Richard Anderson, a construction and engineering partner who joined in 2018 from Gateley; Kirsty Thompson, an employment and governance partner who moved from the firm’s London office in 2017; and Elad Yasdi a real estate and projects partner, who will shortly relocate from the London office to bolster the practice offering in the north.
Commenting on the Leeds expansion, Devonshires said: “With many clients across the north, our presence in Leeds has been warmly received by clients. Now we have the perfect base to do more for our existing clients and to attract new ones. In support of that we plan to make a number of significant hires and expect to double our team in Leeds in the next three years.”
The Leeds office currently offers a range of practice areas, including banking, securitisation, regulatory, governance, employment, pensions, construction and engineering, and real estate and projects, but in time the plan is for the firm to replicate the ‘full-service’ offering of its London office.
Last year, the Leeds office of Devonshires took on its first trainee solicitor, with a second to follow this year.
Grigor said: “The new office has been designed with clients and staff in mind. We are offering our clients a premium meeting space and better access to our growing team. We’ve got strong staff retention levels in Leeds and our colleagues now have a better platform to enjoy a modern and collegiate working environment, which also serves as a terrific base for further growth.”
Devonshires is an active supporter of St George’s Crypt, participating in several events in the region since opening in Leeds to raise funds and promote the work of the homeless charity.
