2010 marks bicentenary for law firm Hill Dickinson

International law firm Hill Dickinson is celebrating its 200th year in business this year, an important milestone for the firm, which was founded in 1810 by Edward Morrall. The firm plans to celebrate its bicentenary with a series of events and with a major charity drive, which will take place over the next two years.

Throughout its 200 years Hill Dickinson has played a vital role in many high profile cases, most notably acting on behalf of the owners of RMS Lusitania and RMS Titanic. The firm was involved in the famous William Herbert Wallace murder investigation and made history by recruiting one of the first women in Britain to qualify as a Solicitor.

“As we embark upon the celebrations of our 200th year at Hill Dickinson, we are very proud of our development into a highly successful, contemporary firm, which is built upon the strength of our historical roots and our client partnerships,” says Senior Partner Tony Wilson. “The firm has come a long way since 1810, when the Liverpool office was first established. Since then, additional offices have opened in London in 1929, in Manchester and Chester in 1997 and in Piraeus in 2006, and we are extremely pleased that we were able to announce the opening of our Singapore office in 2009, just prior to our bicentenary. Clients are our heritage and they are essential to our future. We now look forward to the next chapter of our development and to contributing to the future prosperity of our clients, our people, our communities and the cities in which we operate.”

As part of this planned community activity, Hill Dickinson will be working with the Community Foundation Network to raise vital funds for a number of charities throughout the North West. The firm is aiming to raise £200,000 in total over the next two years for projects in specific community groups, including sport, education, young carers and music.

In addition, the firm will be hosting a series of events throughout 2010, including client events at high profile venues such as Manchester Art Gallery and Chester Cathedral.

Hill Dickinson had an impressive year in the run up to its bicentenary. As well as celebrating the successful launch of its Singapore office in May 2009, the firm merged with long-established, London-based law firm Middleton Potts in a move that has significantly boosted Hill Dickinson’s presence in the commodities sector and added further weight to its global reputation for shipping and transport work. The firm won North West Insider’s Property Law Firm of the Year, The Liverpool Law Society’s Employment Team of the Year and Managing Partner Peter Jackson was recognised on Lawyer Top 100 within the Management category - the only North West-based Managing Partner named.

Hill Dickinson is highly ranked by Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500, guides to the UK Legal Profession and having a broad balance of business and spread of expertise enables the firm to continue to perform ahead of the market.