Law firm Birketts opens office in Bristol

Published by

Nicky Godding

The EQ building, Bristol

Birketts, a UK Top 50 law firm based across southern England, is to open an office in Bristol.

It will be Birketts’ seventh office, adding to the firm’s offices in London, Sevenoaks, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, and Norwich.

Birketts has operated a ‘hub’ in Bristol since January 2021, which has acted as a collaborative space for its South West-based Partners and lawyers. In line with the firm’s growth strategy and reflecting the dynamic South West economy, the firm will establish a full-service presence in Bristol this autumn.

The firm will be based in EQ, a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads train station. EQ is the first new build office in Bristol which has committed to deliver Net Zero Carbon (NZC) in operation, in accordance with the UK Green Building Council’s framework approach.

The five Partners leading the firm’s Bristol practice are: Tom Berisford (Banking and Finance); Deborah Carrivick (International Private Client), Stuart Cleak (Real Estate Renewables), Dan Crockford and Alex Penberthy (Shipping and International Trade). Th Partners will be joined by seven lawyers.

The office will have a strong sector focus, including financial institutions, insurance, private wealth, renewables and clean energy, agribusiness, and shipping and international trade.

Jonathan Agar, Chief Executive at Birketts said: “The opening of our Bristol office is a key step in Birketts’ growth trajectory and will further expand our network of offices in southern England. Our hub has been extremely successful and has laid the foundations for the introduction of our brand of Next Level Law to the South West. The feedback from clients in Bristol has made it crystal clear how much potential there is for the firm to operate competitively from an established office in the city, and we look forward to being able to provide both new and existing clients a more comprehensive legal service from our new location.”

On behalf of the Bristol Partners, Deborah Carrivick said: “We have all lived and worked in Bristol for many years and are delighted that Birketts is formalising our presence in the city. We are also pleased to have secured an office space which aligns with the firm’s ESG strategy. We have a top flight team of nationally and internationally recognised experts in Bristol and the strength and depth of this team means we can offer opportunities for talented lawyers to work on regional, national, and international matters. We are very proud of the Birketts culture, and we would be very interested to speak to anyone about joining us as we embark on the next chapter in our exciting growth story.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.