8 YORKSHIRE POST TUESDAY DECEMBER 11 2007

ADVERTISING SPOTLIGHT Watson Burton

Suzanna Bain

WATSON Burton has beenestablished for nearly 200 yearsand has a solid reputation as oneof the leading law firms in theNorth.

Until recently, the only officeswere in Newcastle but, astestimony to the firm’sunprecedented growth andprogressive outlook, bases havenow been set up in Leeds andLondon, too.

A huge publicity campaign andmuch fanfare surrounded theopening of the Leeds operation inJune 2005, not least becausecreating a new practice in such ahighly competitive city is a hugelyambitious and bold move, onethe sceptics said was misguidedand foolhardy.

But thanks to the passion anddedication of the partners at thehelm of the Leeds office – andtheir extended teams – the clientlist has flourished and nowincludes such high profile namesas Countrywide plc, MinorplanetSystems plc, IDS plc, Austin Reedplc, Braime plc, Freudenberg,Barrett Steel, American Golf,Safestyle UK, Icelandic Group,Clugston Group and Connells,flying firmly in the face of thedoubters and sceptics who saidWatson Burton’s Leeds Officewould never be a success.

So what is it about these lawyersand the way they work that setsthem apart from the rest?

It’s clear the moment you meetAndrew Walker, Lester Wilson andMartin Smith that they are notonly totally dedicated to whatthey do but have an infectiousenergy and enthusiasm that’shard to beat.

Add to this their approachable,friendly manner and unswervingcommitment to always put theclient first and maintain direct,personal contact and it’s easy tosee why they’re taking Yorkshire’scorporate finance communityby storm.

They have certainly tackledthe Leeds legal establishmenthead-on and challenged theestablished Leeds legal hierarchywith considerable success.Intrigued to hear about how theygained such a diverse range of

quality clients, I ask what it waslike laying the foundations of afledgling business and whetherstarting from scratch was a helpor a hindrance.

“The majority of law firms inLeeds have been around forhundreds of years so WatsonBurton’s decision to launch a newventure meant working on anentirely blank canvas andbuilding the business up,” explainWalker and Wilson.

“Daring to be different wasinevitably going to get tongueswagging but thanks to thesupport, systems and know-howof our Newcastle and Londonoffices, we quickly got an effectiveinfrastructure up and runningand now have an impressive trackrecord that proves our criticswrong.”

A case in point is theCountrywide plc £1.15bn takeprivate by Apollo ManagementInternational LLP, for which

Watson Burton’s corporatefinance lawyers advised a 150-strong management team onmanagement equity investment.Also for Countrywide plc was aproposed £970m 3i-backedmanagement buyout, led byAndrew .

Without wanting to highlightdeals, the list of goes on includingsignificant deals for Geo. Adams& Sons, IDS plc and BrillProperties Limited, adding weightto the argument that Walker,Wilson and Smith are more thancapable of handling a wide rangeof clients and transactions, nomatter how diverse and complex.

Perhaps another reason for suchspeedy success is that onlypartners who understood the

local scene were allowed to jointhe fold, to make the most of theirin-built strategic knowledge ofthe local marketplace and therelationships they already had. Soat a time when many larger firmshave stepped out of Yorkshire toconcentrate on global work,Watson Burton is maintaining asuperb focus, allowing it to trulyplug into servicing quality clientsacross the region.

Yet that doesn’t mean thecounty’s borders createboundaries – quite the contrary,in fact, with a number of clientsfrom further afield being referredand engaging the team on thestrength of reputation alone.

Keen to delve deeper into thissuccess story, I decide to find outwhat really makes this crack teamof down-to-earth professionals tick.I want to know what drives them,what inspires them and ultimatelywhat makes everything they touchso consistently turn to gold.

It’s clear one of the mainreasons these key players lovetheir jobs so much is being able tofashion new ways of working,rather than being shackled tostuffy old traditions and pointlessprotocol.

Walker explains: “There’ssomething very energising aboutthe process of mouldingeverything from the grass rootsupwards. Gathering specialistsfrom different backgrounds whenthe Leeds office was starting outmeans we now have a vast wealthof experience and knowledge andcan deliver services in a fresher,newer, more innovative way thanour competitors.

“Seamlessly bringing together acollection of like-mindedprofessionals from differentdisciplines has not only benefitedexisting clients but also attractednew ones, which in turn hasallowed us to deliver very realresults in a relatively short spaceof time.”

Smith and Wilson agree, sayinga key reason for them signing upto the Leeds venture was to be apart of “back to basics lawyering”where partners work on dealsright the way through fromevolution to completion, ratherthan delegating all the work andnever being seen again by clients.

“There’s more partnerinvolvement here than in otherfirms and the fact we’re local,rather than national orinternational, means customersdon’t end up paying through thenose for an inflated cost base,”explains Walker. Indeed, TheLegal 500 describes the team as“very commercial in theiropinions” and their clients arepleased to find “the team thatpitches for the work does thework” with “immense hard workand enthusiasm”.

Add to this what Martin Smithcalls “the pioneeringentrepreneurial spirit” – and thesense that what you achieve is adirect result of your own effort“instead of having little influenceover shaping things and rarelygetting to see the outcome of yourown ambition and drive” – andyou have a recipe for a happyworkforce that’s always preparedto go the extra mile.

This level of commitment isundoubtedly recognised andappreciated by clients – many ofwhom are so impressed they will

remain loyal for years to come –as is the firm’s determination toprovide that personal touch, ratherthan let deals roll along without aname or face to put to them.

For Lester Wilson, thesatisfaction of “buildingsomething unique” is a keymotivator as is “seeing othermembers of the team grow,develop and blossom” and when Ispeak to David Bowden, Head ofCommercial Property at Leeds, allthese sentiments are echoedthrough and through.

David explains that to keep up-to-date with developments in hisfield he runs his own practice,because he firmly believesproperty lawyers risk becominginstitutionalised and a merefunction of the corporatedepartment if they don’t keeptheir finger on the market’s pulseby maintaining direct contact.

“Watson Burton’s work is highprofile and high value, as are itsclients, which you get to knowwell because it’s such a partner-led service,” he tells me. “Ithoroughly enjoy being involved

in transactions from beginning toend and engaging with them inthis hands-on way. It’s refreshing,rewarding and motivating to workwith such a well-bonded team.”

The firm’s ability to see thebigger picture and pull togetherexpertise across other corespecialist disciplines is a bigselling point, as Bowden explains:“It’s vital the corporatedepartment has a strong propertydepartment to support it, asmany clients are important toboth, such as Barrett Steel. Butthis goes for tax, employment,commercial and pensions, too,right the way across the Leeds,London and Newcastle offices.”

Having gained an insight intothe minds of these high-flyingindividuals and learnt moreabout the contribution they’vemade to the success of the Leedsoffice and quelling speculationabout its strength, stability andpotential, I’m eager to find outwhat the future holds.

“The Leeds office is performingvery well, ahead of target, so we’regoing to maintain our approach

of being genuinely client-led andwill be recruiting people across allthree offices who share thisethos,” says Andrew Walker.

“Now we have an establishedclient base and team, we will bebuilding further on our keydisciplines of corporate andproperty in particular,” hecontinues.

“Having proved our Yorkshireoperation is not only sustainablebut very profitable and quashedany negative rumours we are well-placed to deal with any downturnin the short to medium term andare confident we’ll continuemoving onwards and upwards.”

Wilson concludes: “At WatsonBurton we’ve got the right blendof grey hairs and youthfulexuberance – there’s simply nosubstitute for experience marriedwith enthusiasm.”

So what can I tell you aboutthis prestigious law firm’sLeeds operation that I haven’talready mentioned? One thing’scertainly for sure; not only is ithere to stay, it’s also a force to bereckoned with.

A legal force tobe reckoned with

EXPERTS LEADINGTHE WAYThe great success of theWatson Burton LeedsCorporate team has beencomplemented across severalkey legal disciplines at theCity Square-based practice,with partners inemployment, education, taxinsurance and family makinga strong impact in theYorkshire market andbeyond.

Dr John McMullen, one ofthe UK’s leading authoritieson employment and anacknowledged educationspecialist, has firmlyestablished the firm’spresence in its chosenmarkets.

A wide range of newclients across commerce,industry and the public sectorhave followed John and thefirm has developed stronglinks with key bodies such asthe Association of UniversityAdministrators (AUA), whichthe firm sponsors and ACAS .

Professional negligenceand tax law expert KarenEckstein has also made hermark with a specialcommendation at the UKTax Lawyer of The Yearawards in the summer, whileHead of Family Lyn Ayrtonhas acted in a number ofrecent high-profile, high-value divorce cases.The fact we’re local

means customersdon’t pay throughthe nose for aninflated cost base.

TOP TEAM: Watson Burton’s partners, from left, Martin Smith, Andrew Walker and Lester Wilson.

Since opening in June 2005, Watson Burton LLP’s Corporate Finance team in Leeds has completed over60 major transactions, below are some examples...

1 City Square, Leeds LS1 2ES. Tel: 0113 235 5455 www.watsonburton.com

L E E D S • L O N D O N • N E W C A S T L E

thealternative

Countrywide plc£1.15 billion take private by Apollo Management International LLP - adviser to 150

strong management team onmanagement equity investment

Barrett Design & Build LimitedAdviser to the selling shareholders in management buyout

Freudenberg Nonwovens LPAdviser to the buyer on a series of strategic acquisitions

Brill Properties LimitedAcquisition of Watchmoor Business Park for £42million

Adviser to the buyer and JV partners

Pressure Technologies plcAdviser to Brewin Dolphin Securities on the admission of Pressure

Technologies plc to AIMMarket capitalisation £17 million

Fountain Capital LimitedAcquisition of Wyse Leasing North Limited

Adviser to the buyer

TF & JH Braime (Holdings) plcAdviser to the company on admission to AIM

Albion plcAdviser to the independent directors on recommended Takeover Code cash offer by

Pentakan Limited

Uplift Power Platforms LimitedSale to AFI Aerial Platforms Limited and investment in AFI–Uplift Limited by

Barclays Private EquityAdviser to the shareholders and management

JA Hotels LimitedAdviser to the buyer on acquisition of Parkmore Hotel Limited

Estateman LimitedAdviser to management on the buyout of

Estateman Limited fromWealth Management Software plc

Crisp Thinking LimitedAdviser to the company on several rounds of equity fundraising in conjunction with

Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Adam Hildreth

Clugston Group LimitedComplex share repurchase and group reorganisation

Humdinger LimitedAdviser to the shareholders on sale of Humdinger Limited to AIM-listed confectionary

and snack foods group Zetar plc for £13 million

Connells LimitedAdvising on the strategic investment in TM Property Service Group

Luminary Solutions LimitedAdviser to the shareholders on the sale to Ingres Corporation

Countrywide plcProposed £970million 3i backed management buyout

Adviser to management

Geo. Adams & SonsProposed sale of entire share capital to Tulip Limited

Adviser to the sellers

Northern Foods plc / Vision CapitalBuyout of Smiths Flour Mills, Pork Farms, Park Cakes Bakeries and Fletchers Bakeries

Deal value £160millionAdviser to all 4 management teams

Onward sale of Smiths Flour Mills to LongmyndDeal value confidential. Adviser to management

Countrywide plcAdviser on various strategic acquisitions and disposals with an aggregate value

in excess of £30million

IDS plcAcquisition of Nordic Bioscience for £17 million and associated re-financing

Adviser to the buyer

Minorplanet Systems plcAcquisition of the minority shareholding in Minorplanet Asia Pacific Pty Limited

Adviser to the buyer

Geo. Adams & SonsDisposal of Geo. Adams & Sons (Distribution) Ltd to Kerry Foods plc

Adviser to the seller

Austin Reed Group plcClass 1 transaction relating to office and distribution centres

Adviser to the company

Ora Capital Partners plcSale of Solar Labs plc to Kanyon plc for £4.5 million

Adviser to the seller

Northern Bear plcSale of Chirmarn Holdings Limited to Northern Bear plc for £3.5 million

Adviser to the seller

Red Kite HoldingsAdviser to the company on several strategic acquisitions and investments

Deloitte Corporate FinanceRecommended takeover of logistics and oilfield services company

Deal value confidentialAdviser to Deloitte (acting on offeror's behalf)

Fountain Capital LimitedAcquisition of Damar Training Limited. Adviser to the buyer

Contract Natural Gas LimitedComplex share reorganisation and investment

Andrew Walker • Lester Wilson • Martin Smith