Dealing with Success

Dealmakers at a Newcastle Law Firm are celebrating their best 12 months in four years, and are now setting their sights on further growth.

Crutes Law Firm has expanded its corporate and commercial offering considerably in the last year with head of corporate, Paul Bell, being joined by two new team members. Anne McCulloch has joined from Eversheds as a partner and Tom Bowes, a graduate from Newcastle University and Northumbria Law School, as a solicitor.

These appointments, and the firm’s decision to focus its efforts on growing the commercial side of its business, have paid real dividends.

The firm is now picking up an increasing number of corporate and commercial instructions from local and national businesses - including sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial and trading agreements.

The majority of Crutes new client wins have come from within the SME marketplace, but it has also landed corporate and commercial instructions from larger private companies that previously used Crutes for their licensing, property or litigation work.

Head of Business Services, Stuart Palmer, explains: “Due to the key foundations put in place over the last few years in the Business Services Department, increasing numbers of Crutes clients are now able to instruct Paul and his team on their corporate and commercial matters, and as such we are now reaping the rewards of having expanded the team”

Crutes reports that corporate and commercial work now accounts for 38% of the firms overall turnover, compared with 18% in 2004, and it hopes this figure will rise further as the firm shifts direction and maintains an increasingly commercial focus.

Helen Ager, managing partner at Crutes, said: “Since 2004 we have been taking Crutes in a new direction, making our presence felt as a serious, commercial law firm, having responded to the needs of our clients and increased our resources accordingly.

“This strategy is starting to pay real dividends, and we are seeing the more profitable commercial areas of our business growing at pace.

“Our service offering has been well received in the market and we have struck a real chord with SME businesses in the region who feel at ease with our size and approach.”

Crutes is one of the leading law firms in North East England. The 19 partner firm has offices in Teesside, Newcastle and Carlisle. Its client list includes large organisations in the public and private sector as well as many North East SMEs.

« Back to 2008 Archives