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Weightmans
Headquarters100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, United Kingdom
No. of offices9[1]
No. of employees1,400+[2]
Major practice areasCommercial law
Construction law
Conveyancing
Corporate law
Data protection law
Employment law
Family law
Insurance law
Real estate law
Regulatory law
Wealth management
Wills, trusts and estates
Will, trust and estate disputes
Key peopleJohn Schorah (Managing Partner)
Peter Wake (Senior Partner)
Revenue£125.9 million (2022/23)[3]
Date founded1827 (1827) (Liverpool)
FounderWilliam Arthur Weightman
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websiteweightmans.com

Weightmans is a top 40 UK law firm with nine offices, employing more than 1,400 people,[4] including more than 225 partners.[5]

The firm offers a range of legal services to public organisations, private companies and individuals.[1] In the financial year ending April 2023, its turnover was £125.9 million.[3]

History

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Weightmans can trace its roots back to 1827 when the firm Rutherfords was established in Liverpool.[6] The firm Field and Weightman was established in 1875.[6] In 1887 the firm Weightman Peddar and Weightman was established, becoming known as Weightmans Peddar in 1913 before changing its name to Weightmans in 1970.[6] In 1988 Weightmans and Rutherfords merged to create Weightman Rutherfords and remained known by this name until 1996 when the firm changed its name back to Weightmans and opened a Birmingham office.[6]

In 2002, Weightmans merged with a team from the firm Vizard Oldham and became known as Weightman Vizards – with offices in Birmingham, Leicester, Liverpool, London and Manchester.[6] In 2004, the firm again changed its name back to Weightmans before acquiring LLP status in 2007.[6] In 2011 the firm acquired offices in Dartford (through the acquisition of the Insurance practice of Vizards Wyeth) and Knutsford (through a merger with Mace & Jones).[6]

In 2013, Weightmans further expanded its national reach through the acquisition of the Manchester team of Semple Fraser and opened a Glasgow office.[6]

In July 2015, Weightmans merged with Ford & Warren solicitors, acquiring a Leeds office.[6]

In October 2019, Weightmans acquired the practice of Newcastle-headquartered firm, Watson Burton, adding a Newcastle office.[6]

In June 2022, Weightmans and RadcliffesLeBrasseur completed a merger. Through the merger, Weightmans acquired an office in Cardiff.[6]

In September 2023, Weightmans acquired Pierre Thomas Law, a specialist provider of legal advice on international insurance claims.[7]

Clients

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The firm's clients include insurance companies, healthcare practitioners and organisations, local government bodies, UK PLCs, multinational companies, education establishments, private individuals, SMEs and owner managed businesses.[1]

Offices

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Weightmans is headquartered in Liverpool's commercial district and has offices in eight other cities throughout the United Kingdom: Birmingham,[8] Cardiff,[9] Glasgow,[10] Leeds,[11] Leicester,[12] London,[13] Manchester[14] and Newcastle.[15]

Controversies

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In 2012 Weightmans were embroiled in a controversy after it emerged they had unlawfully accessed the credit files of individuals who were opponents in litigation against their clients.[16] The unlawful conduct was exposed after a lawyer working for Weightmans was sacked for reporting them to the Law Society.[17] The Solicitors Regulatory Authority found this course of conduct was in breach of Practice Rule 8 of the Professional Conduct of Solicitors 1999.[18]

In April 2022, Weightmans sponsored a Fleetwood Town F.C. football match hosted by convicted fraudster Andrew Pilley.[19] The sponsoring of the event came just months after Pilley was charged with multiple fraud and money laundering offences (which he was later convicted for), with Weightmans representing Pilley and his company BES Utilities in a trial in the High Court; pending what turned out to be an adverse judgement.[20]

In 2024, Weightmans found itself in further allegations of data breaches after it emerged two solicitors had accessed a client case file and extracted documents to instruct third-party solicitors in a personal matter.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Weightmans". Chambers and Partners. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  2. ^ "About us: who we are and what we do". Weightmans. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  3. ^ a b "Weightmans profits up 12.5% after merger". The Law Society Gazette. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. ^ "Weightmans LLP". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  5. ^ "Weightmans - Overview". The Lawyer. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of the Practice". Weightmans. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
  7. ^ "Weightmans expands European operations with hire of team from London's Pierre Thomas Law". BusinessLive. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  8. ^ "Weightmans Birmingham". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  9. ^ "Solicitors in Cardiff". Weightmans. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  10. ^ "Weightmans Glasgow". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  11. ^ "Weightmans Leeds". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  12. ^ "Weightmans Leicester". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  13. ^ "Weightmans London". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  14. ^ "Weightmans Manchester". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  15. ^ "Weightmans Manchester". The Legal 500. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  16. ^ Evans, Rob (13 December 2014). "Guess who's looking at your credit report …". The Guardian.
  17. ^ "Weightmans – Law firm of the year | Mr Ethical". 16 December 2014.
  18. ^ "Adjudication | Mr Ethical".
  19. ^ "The Gazette and Weightmans to sponsor Wimbledon fixture". 22 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Weightmans sponsors event hosted by convicted criminal". 26 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Weightmans in data breach scandal over misuse of case files". 31 May 2024.
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