Hill Dickinson, a leading commercial law firm, has recorded a strong start to its financial year, advising on 95 deals worth over £1.8bn between May and November 2024. This performance builds on seven consecutive years of growth, with turnover rising 12% to £145.5m.
The corporate team’s transactions span sectors such as professional services, manufacturing, and life sciences. Key deals include Innovisk Capital Partners’ sale to Ryan Speciality, EA Technology’s investment from Summa Equity, and Phenna Group’s acquisition of Environmental Compliance & Services Limited.
Hill Dickinson’s strong performance across its corporate offering comes off the back of significant team expansion across all its regions, marking a series of key partner hires, including the recruitment in early 2024 of James Harmer in London and of Nick Dawson and Emma Callow from Irwin Mitchell in order to establish a Birmingham team and, more recently, the arrival in August of Mark Johnson, who joined the London team from US firm, Haynes and Boone. There are now over 100 lawyers in the firm’s national corporate team.
Commenting on the firm’s performance, Ian Riggs, national head of corporate at Hill Dickinson, said: “The first half of our financial year has been a dynamic period for the national team, with involvement in a diverse array of UK and cross-border M&A, private equity, and public equity finance deals. Activity has surged over the past couple of months, as teams across all of our offices worked at pace to complete transactions ahead of the October Budget, which introduced significant changes to the capital gains tax regime.
“We are proud to report that our performance aligns closely with our growth strategy. By securing mandates from a broad spectrum of institutional and owner-managed clients, the total value of deals advised marks a record high for the team at the half-year point. While the pace of transactions has naturally slowed since late October, the pipeline across our corporate teams remains robust. With strong momentum heading into the second half of our financial year, we are confident about continuing to deliver high-quality advice on landmark transactions across all sectors.”
Fiona Parry, head of business services at Hill Dickinson, added: “Our corporate team has delivered a remarkable level of activity, showcasing its strength and adaptability in an ever-evolving M&A environment. From high-profile UK deals to complex international transactions, the team has played a key role in helping clients achieve their aims.
“We’ve reached a record-breaking half-year milestone, with the total value of deals advised exceeding all previous benchmarks and, as we move into the second half of the year, we remain focused on maintaining this momentum.”