Two new partners for Brabners’ fast-growing Manchester team

Growth continues with increasing pace for Brabners with the appointment of two new partners, Stephen Hadlow and Piers Dryden, to its corporate team based in the firm’s Manchester office.

As well as further strengthening Brabners’ leading corporate practice, the appointments add to Brabners’ already significant expertise in the tech sector.

Stephen has more than 20 years’ experience in the North West advising UK corporates and high-growth tech firms on strategic transactions and mergers and acquisitions. He also advises on corporate disposals to employee ownership trusts, a growing trend in exit strategies for business owners. He joins from Knights plc, having previously held partner roles at Turner Parkinson and JMW.

Piers’ appointment marks the establishment of a new FinTech regulatory practice at Brabners covering a broad range of FinTech sub-sectors. Having worked at firms including Slaughter & May, Debevoise & Plimpton and Ogier, Piers advises on a broad range of FinTech matters, including: blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) utilisation; digital asset issuances; alternative payments services; and smart and automated contract implementation for businesses. He also has extensive experience of corporate advisory matters as well as investment fund formation and maintenance.

Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “Growing the practice based in our Manchester office is one of our key strategic objectives, which has seen us increase the size of our partnership in the city by more than 60% since the start of the last financial year.

“Growth in Manchester’s FinTech sector in particular continues to outpace all other parts of the UK, so it’s imperative that we build on our offering to further support those high-growth businesses operating out of the city region, as well as further afield. Piers’ experience in particular opens up whole new practice areas for us in what we believe will be a truly unique offering in the North West and with national reach.”

The appointments come after Brabners ranked top in the Legal 500 table of North West law firms, secured three rankings in the Times’ Best Law Firms 2020 and announced another year of sustainable profit and revenue growth.

The firm generated turnover of £33.6million in the year to the end of April 2019, up from £33.1million the previous year, and invested over £1.8million to boost growth as part of its three year change programme.