Commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has confirmed a number of Head of Office appointments across its UK operations as it builds stronger internal structures to support organic growth.
Following a trial period in Manchester and Leeds, each of the firm’s four main UK offices in Liverpool, London, Manchester and Leeds will now operate with a Head of Office, supported by one or more deputies, to act as a focal point for local issues, communications and engagement.
The firmwide Heads of Office structure sees the following groups of individuals confirmed or newly appointed in their roles:
Liverpool: Matt Noon (Partner and Head of Liverpool Corporate) will head the Liverpool office assisted by deputies Joanne Hughes (Partner, Health Litigation) and Sarah Ainslie (Head of Delivery and Change).
London: Kiran Bhogal (Head of Healthcare, London) will head the firm’s London offices (including St James’s), assisted by Panos Pourgourides (Partner, Yachts) and Siiri Duddington (Partner, Shipping) as deputy heads of office.
Manchester: Barry Gibb (Partner and Head of Pensions, Manchester) is confirmed as head of Manchester, assisted by Joanna Trewin (Head of Health Advisory, Manchester) as deputy.
Leeds: Esther Venning (Partner and Head of Health Commercial and Regulatory, Leeds) is confirmed as head of Leeds, assisted by Sandip Khroud (Partner, Corporate)
Hill Dickinson has grown its workforce by around 10% since 2019 and now employs 950 people worldwide, of which more than 200 are partners and legal directors.
Hill Dickinson is an international law firm that I’m proud to be able to say has a strong and unified culture across all offices and countries that we operate in. As we grow our offering and our workforce, we nevertheless recognise the importance of being responsive to local trading conditions and meeting the varying needs of our people and clients in different locations. The Heads of Office appointments – and their deputies – have been created to meet that need.Peter Jackson
CEO
Explaining why the firm has adopted an individual Heads of Office structure now, Hill Dickinson CEO Peter Jackson said: “Hill Dickinson is an international law firm that I’m proud to be able to say has a strong and unified culture across all offices and countries that we operate in. As we grow our offering and our workforce, we nevertheless recognise the importance of being responsive to local trading conditions and meeting the varying needs of our people and clients in different locations. The Heads of Office appointments – and their deputies – have been created to meet that need.”
Referencing the firm’s ‘people-first’ focus, he added: “We have always said that to preserve our culture as an employer of choice we need to bring our people along with us as we grow. Our Heads of Office are individuals who understand our vision and where we are headed, and what we need to do to get there. They are also already well known to and trusted by their colleagues in each office, and externally to local professional organisations and our clients.”
The firm’s international offices have adopted a head of office approach for some time.