Long-serving Hill Dickinson CEO, Peter Jackson, to step down in 2024 and be succeeded by Business Services Group Head, Craig Scott

International law firm Hill Dickinson has outlined its succession plans alongside the proposed retirement of CEO, Peter Jackson, who will step down from the CEO role at the end of the current financial year (30 April 2024).

A marine and transport specialist, he has been with the firm since 1983, where he was made managing partner in 2005 and became CEO in 2016.

Jackson will be staying with the Firm in an advisory capacity and will become a member of the Firm’s Board.

Partner and head of the firm’s Business Services Group, (BSG) Craig Scott, has been named as Peter’s successor, assuming the role following more than 13 years as a corporate partner and former Head of Corporate at the practice.

Fiona Parry, partner and head of the Commercial Litigation team, based in Liverpool, who has also been at the firm since 2010, has been named as the new head of BSG, and will be succeeding Scott upon his change of role to CEO at the end of the financial year.

Established in 1810, Hill Dickinson is an international commercial law firm which employs around 950 people across 10 offices, six of which are in the UK and four in Hong Kong, Singapore, Piraeus and Monaco. It is one of the UK’s top 50 law firms*.

Says Jackson: “The past 18 years at the helm of the firm have been both exciting and rewarding and the business is now exactly where we want it to be. Since 2005, Hill Dickinson has grown from revenues of £31m to £128.6m as of April 2023 – our sixth year of consecutive growth – and the firm is a highly trusted brand, with people of great integrity and extremely loyal clients.

“Craig was the clear and unanimous choice for Hill Dickinson’s new CEO. He has driven major growth in revenue and in team strength and depth in the BSG, which is now the firm’s largest division. Under his strategic leadership we will continue to remain a large independent, profitable legal firm, with ambitious growth plans for all our services. I am very confident about the future of the firm with Craig at the helm.”

With a headcount of more than 300 people, the BSG currently contributes close to half of the firm’s total turnover.

The firm’s BSG has made 18 Partner lateral hires during the past two years and has a further six partners who are expected to join the team shortly. The same period has seen five partners join Hill Dickinson’s MBG with a further partner set to join imminently. The HBG has made six partner hires in the past two years.

Incoming Hill Dickinson CEO, Craig Scott said: “Put simply, my focus is going to be continuing to invest in the retention of our valued people, strategic recruitment of high performing talent and pushing on with our plans for further sustainable profitable growth in the Marine (MBG) and Healthcare (HBG) business groups as well as BSG, which has been serving us so well over the last three years.

“The record growth in profit levels that we have achieved in that recent three-year period has meant that we have been able to retain our cornerstone contributors of the Hill Dickinson practice and in turn invest significantly in acquiring talented ambitious people as part of planning the long-term foundations for future success across all our chosen growth locations.

“Some great people are being drawn to the firm, and major name clients are choosing to work with us, because we are continually investing in growing our standing as a large independent law firm, big enough on the national stage to be a respected quality outfit, but without losing our strong presence and connection to our people and local networks in each of our chosen locations and their related business communities.
“It’s no doubt that I have big shoes to fill, and I’m truly honoured to take the baton from Peter.”

Said Hill Dickinson Chairman, Jonathan Brown: “What Peter has achieved during four decades at the firm as a partner, custodian and CEO to help guide its evolution as a firm is a credit to him. His personal dedication to the success and stability of Hill Dickinson during his long tenure has been an inspiration to us all. Peter will be working closely with Craig and the team over the coming months to ensure a smooth succession.”

Commenting on the announcement of Fiona Parry as his successor to be the new group leader of the BSG, Scott says: “As the head of our National Commercial Litigation team, Fiona has served on the BSG Board for many years and has worked closely alongside me during my time as BGL. She’s a successful and popular team leader and has successfully overseen national recruitment and expansion of her team to support our group strategy. I know that in her new role as head of the business services group, she will bring clear thinking, a strong team mentality and has the experience needed to continue to develop our strategic vision for the BSG, as we push on with achieving our plans for further sustainable profitable growth.”

Said Peter Jackson: “I would like to sincerely thank all our people for their unwavering commitment and demonstration of our core values of trust, collaboration, innovation and respect over the years in which I have had the privilege of being managing partner and CEO. The firm has an exciting future ahead.”