Hall Brown Family Law has announced the latest stage of its expansion with what it has described as a “statement hire”.
The boutique firm has appointed Andrew Breakwell to head its new Birmingham office.
In addition to having led the family departments at a number of the UK’s other leading legal practices, Mr Breakwell is acknowledged as one of the country’s most capable and experienced specialists when it comes to high net worth divorce.
Hall Brown’s co-founder and Senior Partner, Sam Hall, said that taking up residence at the Colmore Building in the centre of Birmingham was a “logical step” for the firm, which already has seen rapid growth at its premises in Manchester, London, Sheffield and Leeds.
Mr Hall added that the arrival of Mr Breakwell was something of a “statement of intent”.
“Persuading Andrew to join us is genuinely nothing short of a coup. He is immensely experienced and hugely respected by legal peers and clients alike.
“Given that we are looking to replicate the success and standards which we have seen in our four other locations, we were keen to appoint someone who would already embody those qualities.
“Andrew was at the very top of our list. In addition to having the seniority required, he has handled some of the very cases which have determined key elements of family law for the rest of us to follow.
“We resolutely believe that we can make the sort of impact in Birmingham which we have elsewhere and with Andrew in charge of our office in the city, we have the ideal person to spearhead our operations.
“We are also very well advanced in our plans to grow our vital and talented team in Birmingham and expect to make further announcements to that effect in the coming weeks.”
Born and bred in the West Midlands, Mr Breakwell helped launched the family division of Mills and Reeve in Birmingham, which for a long time was considered the area’s pre-eminent practice.
He was subsequently head of the family divisions at both Harvey Ingram and Shakespeare Martineau.
Since being among the very first to be accredited to act in the most complex and highest value divorces by Resolution – the body representing family lawyers in England and Wales – Mr Breakwell has acted in a number of the most noteworthy cases of the last two decades.
They include the 2017 marriage split of the non-executive chairman of Laura Ashley, Dr Khoo Kay Peng.
Mr Breakwell’s appointment is the latest major step forward made by Hall Brown during 2023.
Last month, the firm entered what it explained was a “new and exciting” phase of growth by recruiting Will Taylor as Chief Financial and Operations Officer.
In April, it revealed double-digit increase in turnover, while its staff roster grew by a similar proportion over the same period. It now employs a total of 64 people, 48 of whom are fee earners.
Furthermore, Hall Brown claimed a clutch of awards and completed yet another clean sweep of the UK’s leading legal rankings.
Two of the prizes came on the same evening in June, when it took the Boutique Law Firm title at the eprivateclient Excellence Awards in London and was named Medium-sized Law Firm of the Year in the Manchester Legal Awards (MLAs).
In October, the firm clinched a place as one of the best law firms in England and Wales in a classification compiled by The Times newspaper for the sixth successive year.
During the same month, it appeared once more in the top echelon of family law practitioners in two other prestigious rankings drawn up by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.
Having been dubbed “the crème de la crème ” in the North West by Legal 500, Hall Brown was referred to as “incredible” by Chambers and Partners.
In another indication of the firm’s reputation, its Managing Partner, James Brown was also appointed to an influential Law Society advisory group, set up to offer guidance on best practice and innovation to senior solicitors working either in-house or in private firms across England and Wales.
