Freeths Bristol celebrates third-year anniversary with record growth

Published by

Kirsty Muir

Freeths is celebrating the third-year anniversary of a Freeths presence in Bristol. Located at 101 Victoria Street, the firm continues to stand out in the South West for its entrepreneurial approach to advising businesses, local authorities, financial and insurance institutes on a wide range of legal matters.

Freeths Bristol has grown from a team of two in April 2019 to a team of more than 40 lawyers as the office continues its recruitment drive in all legal service areas. In addition, the office’s revenue has increased by 55% over the last 12 months, which is testament to its entrepreneurial culture where lawyers have the freedom to be adaptable and flexible when advising clients on legal issues.

The highly regarded Real Estate team, led by Managing Partner, Adam Watson, is now 20 strong and is bolstered by the growing Corporate team, headed by Partner Emily Settle, with both consistently winning big ticket mandates from key clients (including advising Carlsberg on its recent deal with Marston’s plc to form a new joint venture beer company in the UK).

Experienced Corporate specialist Lottie Hugo recently joined as a Director to develop and support the team’s increasing client portfolio, which includes the firm’s appointment to the corporate panel of the UK legal panel of energy giant Centrica plc. Real Estate Partner, Duncan Tringham has continued to impress with new instructions from a variety of local authority and commercial property clients whilst Ben Moylan, specialist Banking & Finance Partner adds another dimension, acting on a variety of corporate finance transactions for both big name and disruptive mid-market lenders

Recent deals include assisting The Cornwall Council on the acquisition of Phases 3 to 5 of Langarth Garden Village in Cornwall worth £200m (GDV). The acquisition is a key milestone in the overall land assembly and development of Langarth Garden Village involving the development of a new town with around 4,000 homes, new schools, commercial, retail and public space and a £47 Million grant funded highway scheme – one of the UK Government’s landmark national garden village schemes, the largest development currently taking place in the South West and the largest ever to take place in Cornwall.

The Bristol office has also advised Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management with the disposal of a £172m industrial portfolio in the UK to Westbrook Partners in a forward commitment deal.

The Dispute Resolution and Commercial teams have both grown with new hires, including energy lawyer Rhianna Wilsher, who joined as a Director from international firm, Bird & Bird, and is already adding to her team, building upon the mix of real estate and clean energy deals handled by Director, Michael Bray. Leading telecommunications specialist Partner, Dan Cuthbert continues to win work from a variety of public and commercial clients, whilst commercial litigation Director, Simon Hough is building a mixed disputes and insolvency practice, handing some heavy-weight cases. Recent dispute cases include advising on a claim worth £170m.

The breadth of expertise for Freeths Bristol has also increased with recent senior hires specialising in agricultural property and private client disputes to meet client demand for these services in the South West.

Adam Watson, Managing Partner of the Bristol office, said: “Over the last three years, we have made our presence known in the South West. As we continue to look forward, we will be recruiting even greater numbers of talented lawyers to ensure that our clients remain fully supported. Although growth is never for growth’s sake at Freeths, the 40+ strong Bristol office will continue to develop and could easily double in size over the next 2 to 3 years.”