We are pleased to announce that our Leeds office has moved to larger premises in the city to accommodate planned expansion.
We are now based at No 1 Whitehall Riverside in the West End of the city, taking 3,346sq ft on the first floor of the building on a 10-year lease. The move coincides with the third anniversary of the initial opening of our Leeds practice, and is part of our strategic commitment to better serve our northern client base.
The Leeds office is led by partners Chris Drabble and Gary Grigor, who advise borrowers, funders and trustees on all aspects of security-related transactions and financial arrangements in the social and affordable housing sector respectively.
Our Leeds office now houses 15 staff, including Richard Anderson, a construction and engineering partner and Kirsty Thompson, an employment and governance partner. Elad Yasdi, a real estate and projects partner based in the London office, will be working closely with our Leeds team to bolster this practice offering in the North.
Chris Drabble says: “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 broad 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 to replicate the ‘full-service’ offering of the London office. Last year the office took on its first trainee solicitor, with a second to follow this year.
Gary Grigor says: “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.”
