Andy Street praises investment in talent at Midlands law firm Higgs

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Peter Davison

Higgs apprentices and trainees Abbie Hodgetts, Latoyah Thompson, Anthony Westwood, Sam Dell, Saniya Iftikhar, Simrit Chahal with Andy Street (centre)

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street praised Higgs LLP’s commitment to inspiring and developing its people as he visited the award-winning law firm in Brierley Hill.

Andy took time to speak to around 40 of Higgs’ colleagues to find out what it’s like to work at a thriving multi-discipline firm with almost 150 years of history.

He was particularly keen to talk to Higgs’ current apprentices and others early in their careers, as well as individuals who have completed either their apprenticeship or a training contract and have gone on to forge successful careers in law.

Andy said: “It was brilliant to see first-hand an expanding West Midlands business that is really investing in local people.

“I really enjoyed speaking to everyone and hearing their stories. What really stood out in my chats to people was that there are lots of opportunities to progress and rise through the ranks at Higgs, which is fabulous to see.

“I’m sure many of the younger members of the team will go on to become leading lights of the legal world in the years to come and will be a real asset to the region.”

Higgs currently has 11 employees going through an apprenticeship – with four of those having started in the last year.

The apprentices are studying for various legal qualifications while learning on the job alongside highly experienced colleagues.

Nick Taylor, Managing Partner at Higgs, said: “We were delighted to welcome Andy to our headquarters. He shares our passion for the region and for developing talent within it and it was clear to see he had a genuine interest in the varied roles of our people.

“Higgs has been an integral part of the West Midlands for almost a century-and-a-half and we’re committed to helping people in the area reach their potential now and in the future.

“The West Midlands is such a diverse and inclusive region and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Higgs offers an innovative and industry-leading service to its clients and business partners across multiple specialist areas. Earlier this year the firm was crowned Regional Law Firm of the Year at the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards and in 2022 it received an Investors in People accreditation.

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.