Leeds is the UK’s most important legal centre outside London.

 

Five of the UK’s 20 largest law firms have a significant presence in Leeds: DLA Piper, Eversheds, Pinsent Masons, Addleshaw Goddard and Hammonds.

 

According to The UK Legal 500: “Leeds has a sophisticated and highly competitive legal market, second only to London.”

 

Expansions and mergers have resulted in a spate of relocations to new and larger offices within the city. Eversheds, one of the UK’s biggest law practices, has taken 121,000 sq ft of prime office space at Bridgewater Place.

 

There are around 150 law firms operating in Leeds. Employment in the sector, excluding self-employed, grew from 6,050 in 2001 to 7,800 in 2006.

 

According to the Law Society of England and Wales there are just under 2,630 solicitors in Leeds and around 6,038 in the Yorkshire and Humber region. There are 481 practicing barristers in Leeds and 586 in the wider region.

 

The success of Leeds as a centre for financial and business services has been underpinned by the development of its corporate legal sector, which offers an extensive range of specialist services.

 

These include corporate finance, corporate restructuring and insolvency, global project financing, trade and investment, commercial litigation, competition, construction, Private Finance Initiatives and Public Private Partnerships, tax, derivatives, IT, employment, pensions, intellectual property, sport and entertainment.

 

The School of Law at the University of Leeds has over 800 undergraduate students and receives over 3,000 applications for less than 300 places available each year.

 

Currently ranked the 11th best law school in the UK, the school is set to move into a new £12 million building in 2010. It aims to become one of the top 50 law schools in the world by 2015.

 

The world’s first virtual courtroom has been developed in a collaboration between the University of Leeds and the city of Hangzhou in China. Legal Grid Online has been set up to help resolve legal disputes and provide mediation for businesses operating in one of the world’s fastest growing markets.

 

Leeds Law School at Leeds Metropolitan University has over 1,000 students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

 

Approximately 750 students are enrolled at the BPP Law School in Leeds, which provides continuing professional development and training to individuals entering the profession.

 

Leeds Legal has been set up by leading members of the legal profession and organisations in Leeds to promote the high levels of service, expertise, no-nonsense advice and value for money service provided by the city’s law firms. Visit: www.leedslegal.co.uk

 

As the range, expertise and competitiveness of Leeds law firms has grown, many have expanded nationally and internationally and several now rank among the top ten firms in the UK, with offices in Europe and Asia.