24-strong legal team joins rivals

Three partners and 21 legal and support staff will boost the personal injury department at Kennedys, based at Ventana House in the Digital Campus, on Sheaf Street.

The Hill Dickinson office in The Balance Trippet Lane will close, but the firm says there will be no redundancies.

A Hill Dickinson spokeswoman said: “We have reached a mutually beneficial agreement which is best for both clients and its people. The decision was made after the firm was unsuccessful in retaining its position on a client panel review. All remaining insurance work will transfer over to our Liverpool office.”

Alan Dury, Suzanne Wilkinson and Paul Bedford, are experts at advising on, and defending casualty claims, including disease and catastrophic injury cases.

The transfer is expected to complete on April 3.

Kennedys opened its Sheffield office in 2010 with the appointment of a 60-strong team from Halliwells. The new hires will take the headcount to 122.

Managing partner Suzanne Liversidge said she was “delighted.”

Nick Thomas, senior partner at Kennedys, added: “Alan is thrilled to be bringing the entire Sheffield casualty team with him.

“Not only do we share the same clients, which makes this a fantastic fit, Kennedys’ international network is a distinct advantage for the team. We’re delighted that their clients have been so encouraging about the move. The appointments complement our expertise in the North and reinforce our appetite for attracting top talent.”