Partner Article

Burgeoning law firm expands regional presence

Fast growing law firm PG Legal has opened a new office on Teesside and added a number of key staff and consultants to its books as it continues its rapid expansion.

The firm, established by commercial property solicitor Phillip Dean, has already moved into larger premises on the Team Valley trading estate in Gateshead since its launch last year to facilitate the strong demand for its services.

During the last six months it has also forged partnerships with six consultants, taken on three additional members of staff and awarded its first training contract to work with its growing team.

The firm has opened a new office within the Stockton Business Centre which will be headed up by experienced litigation lawyer Jonathan Fletcher who has practiced commercial law on Teesside for 19 years and gained particular recognition for his niche equine law expertise.

Mr Dean and Mr Fletcher have known each other for many years and were flatmates during their time at university. “It’s great to have Jonathan on board,” said Mr Dean. “We’ve been friends since we were students and his expertise and experience will really help with our rapid expansion plans.

“Our first year exceeded all expectations and we are now growing our client base and our own staff numbers. We have already moved into bigger offices in the north of the region and now is the right time for us to move into Teesside to take advantage of Jonathan’s knowledge of the area and connections within it.

“We believe that our commercial legal offering will be just as attractive to Teesside businesses as it has proved to be on Tyneside, which is why we are delighted to announce our move into Stockton.”

For Mr Fletcher, his new post is something of a homecoming, having spent the early part of his career working in Friends House on Dovecot Street, just 50 yard from PG’s new location.

“I’m a Teessider born and bred and have spent most of my career working on Teesside so I look forward to expanding PG Legal’s reach into an area I know well,” he said.

Through his roles in the North East Chamber of Commerce and his chairmanship of the Stockton Business Forum, Mr Fletcher is an active supporter of local business and acutely aware of the challenges being faced in the current economic climate.

He said: “Our move into the Business Centre extends our reach from Tyneside and Durham to the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire. We are delighted to offer our services across the whole of the North East and because we have made the conscious decision to keep a tight rein on our overheads we are able to pass the benefit directly on to our clients by offering an extremely competitive pricing structure. Our goal wherever possible is to fix fees, which is a rare offering in the commercial sector, but one of considerable benefit to our clients.”

Mr Dean has more than 15 years of experience working with public and private sector bodies with law giants including Ward Hadaway and Leeds-based Gordon’s.

His clients have included retail groups such as The Works Stores, Morrison’s supermarkets and bakery chain Greggs. He also has strong ties with the health and education sectors, and specialises in working with schools that are considering converting to academy status.

For more information on PG Legal visit www.pglegal.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harvey and Hugo .