We are delighted to announce that 2017 is officially off to a cracking start for Swinburne Maddison LLP with the doubling in size of our Durham City headquarters accommodation at Aykley Heads.
The firm ended 2016 on a high note with news of eight new staff appointments following swiftly on from our success at the Northern Law Awards in October, where we carried off two awards for the Property Team and Young Lawyer of the Year categories. We were also shortlisted at the North East Insider Dealmaker Awards in the categories of Corporate Lawyer of the Year, Young Dealmaker of the Year and Corporate Law Firm of the Year.
We have now taken sole occupation of the 10,000 sq ft detached office building with immediate effect, adding significant additional space for the benefit of staff and clients.
This major investment in the future signals the start of a new phase in the development of the firm, allowing expansion of our service provision over a wider range of disciplines as well as the flexibility to make several new appointments.
Commenting on the firm’s future plans and our continuing appetite for business expansion, partner Martyn Tennant, said:
“With more space at our disposal, I feel we are better placed than ever to provide clients with the high standard of professional support they have come to expect. As a forward-thinking business we believe our work environment should be a reflection of the quality of the work we undertake as well as our culture, and to that end we will be investing heavily and undertaking a significant refurbishment of our workspace over the next few months.
“This expansion and investment is all about continuing to strengthen our existing key service offering as well as consolidating our place within the regional market place. As one of County Durham’s largest, most progressive law firms I believe our service delivery, expertise and legal knowledge within our core service areas are a match for those of any other legal firm in the North of England.
“We are certainly at a very exciting stage in our development – able to combine a high quality working environment with varied and challenging work from high calibre clients. As an ambitious team, we are now actively seeking to attract and recruit the best legal talent in the region to add strength and depth to our firm.”
At any one time Swinburne Maddison’s corporate team is working on a variety of transactions and was recently cited as one of the most active legal advisers in the North East M&A (mergers and acquisitions) Market Report by Experian. We have developed significant experience and knowledge dealing with low to mid market M&A transactions, particularly when advising owner managed businesses.
Mr Tennant continued: “We see Durham as the ideal place to build our business and very much enjoy being part of the local community. The arrival of Atom Bank, the UK’s first digital only bank, has had a major influence on the immediate area in which we are based and, with our listing on its legal panel, together with the completion of our first transaction for the bank in December, we look forward to further strengthening our relationship in the future.”
Simon Goon, managing director of Business Durham, the economic development company for County Durham, welcomes Swinburne Maddison’s commitment to the Durham area. He said:
“Durham is a fantastic place to do business and we’re delighted to see Swinburne Maddison making this level of investment and commitment to the area. The company has an excellent reputation for its work and is well known for employing local people and investing in the ongoing development of its staff. The investment adds to Aykley Heads’ growing reputation as an area for forward-thinking companies to grow and thrive.”
