DAC Beachcroft, Hill Dickinson, Weightmans, and Geldards have been appointed as partners on the North West Legal Consortium’s £10m legal panel, positioning them to work closely with local authorities associated with over 40 councils in the North West of England.
Although DLA Piper has been appointed to the wider panel, the firm has missed out on partner status this time around. Addleshaw Goddard, Trowers & Hamlins, Blake Morgan, TLT, Browne Jacobson and Ashfords have also won places on the consortium’s panel which comprises 18 firms in total.
The panel for the consortium will run for four years, and has been awarded across five lots: civil litigation, prosecutions and regulatory; property, planning and environment; corporate governance, ethical standards and information law; projects, procurement and commercial; and adult social care and education.
The consortium has indicated there is room for legal work to extend during the course of the contract to other related organisations including NHS bodies, local emergency services and educational providers.
Weightmans partner Andrew Cooper said: ‘[The position of] partner firm gives us the opportunity to work closer with local authorities. This is an increasingly important consortium in the local authorities sector and we’re delighted to have been reappointed. We look forward to working closely with them in the future.’
Other notable panel appointments this year include Eversheds, Osborne Clarke and Addleshaw Goddard’s appointment to Siemens UK’s legal panel; Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Ashurst’s appointment to Credit Suisse’s recently finalised UK panel; and Eversheds, Reed Smith, Dentons and K&L Gates appointment to a seven-firm global panel created by US car rental giant Avis.
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk