The firm
Liverpool-based Weightmans has been a presence in the North West legal market for well over 150 years. It has spread its wings to become a national firm and now has four further offices, in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester. The firm is best known for insurance work, and has particular expertise in its core area of workplace litigation.
The star performers
Clinical negligence (defendant); Commercial litigation; Debt recovery; Employment; Health; Local government; Personal injury (defendant); Professional negligence.
The deals
Advised on the £4m sale of International Safety Group; acting for the London Borough of Harrow and underwriters on a £4m claim for damages; acted for the partners of a law firm subject to disciplinary proceedings as a result of its conduct of cases under the Claims Handling Agreements for miners; represented Liverpool Hope University in connection with its refurbishment and new build projects.
The clients
Arrow Global; Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust; HFC Bank; Hoover; London Borough of Harrow; Newark and Sherwood District Council; Scottish Power; Wirral Borough Council.
The money
(from Legal Business magazine)
Turnover in 2008: £50m (+14% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £311,000 (+30%)
The Lex 100 verdict
Weightmans has a great reputation in Liverpool for its contentious work, particularly in professional and clinical negligence and workplace litigation. So if it is more general corporate/commercial work you're after, this is probably not your best bet. The firm does, however, also have a good reputation for training and giving its trainees as broad an experience as possible. A number of current trainees had previous experience at the firm (paralegal, secretarial) and enjoyed the work and atmosphere so much they chose it for their training - 'I had seen for myself how well they treat their staff', said one. Trainees approve of the work/life balance here - 'we work hard and play hard and I do not feel that work takes over my life'. They praise the 'approachable senior staff' and the way 'everyone works as a team'. They like the 'wide variety of different characters' - 'there is no stereotype here' and 'everyone gets on well'. The work is engaging too - 'we are often involved in very interesting and complex cases' and get plenty of responsibility. The firm is also a Lex 100 Winner in the 'confident of being kept on' category, indicating optimism among trainees about their future here. There are not too many complaints from this largely contented bunch, but some feel the support staff could be better, while others comment that commuting between offices can be difficult. It is also harder to mix with staff from other offices now there are five rather than two. However, for good, hands-on training (particularly if litigation is your thing) in a down-to-earth, supportive environment, Weightmans is definitely worth a look.