| Birmingham |
Wider horizonsFollowing a flurry of new arrivals to the Birmingham legal market, the City’s mid-tier is getting crowded. Yet, with the region’s biggest players increasingly looking elsewhere for sources of revenue, opportunities continue to open up. By Maria Jackson Over the past few years, Birmingham’s attractiveness to mid-sized national law firms has skyrocketed. Midlands stalwart Freeth Cartwright has become the latest in a long line of firms to decide that England’s second city appears to provide the perfect opportunity for growth. But with other newcomers – including Clarke Willmott, Harvey Ingram, BPE Solicitors and Shoosmiths – already battling with a strong mid-tier that have ambitious plans of their own, the new firms need to have deep pockets to make an impact. Shoosmiths posted a whopping 27% increase in turnover in 2007 to £95m, sending a powerful message to other Birmingham upstarts that it has the most to invest. Interestingly, however, it is probably the only new firm that doesn’t need to. Its local strategy has already paid off and the firm’s Birmingham arm boasts an impressive roster of clients including Electrolux, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. Clarke Willmott recorded a 14% leap in turnover in 2007 to £45.1m. However, it also witnessed a 20% drop in PEP to £194,000 (not the strongest financials to take on the increasingly competitive Birmingham market), but is healthy nonetheless. Freeth Cartwright’s turnover increased by 13% – bang on the national average – to £31.1m, and it climbed five places to 75 in the Legal Business 100. Still, the real test will come over the next two years. It will take at least this long to see the full impact of its investment into Birmingham. To read the rest of this article subscribe to Legal Business. 
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