DLA Piper appoints new North West Head of Litigation & Regulatory

04 November 2020 – DLA Piper has appointed Andrew Smith as the new Location Head of its Litigation & Regulatory practice in the North West, replacing Stewart Plant, who has stepped down having previously held the role for the past two decades.

Stewart Plant, who has been Location Head of the team in Manchester and subsequently the North West since May 2000, will remain at the firm to focus fully on the development of his strong underlying practice which is focused in three core areas, namely retail banking, asset finance and payment services, where he has long been regarded as a market leading expert.

Andrew joined the DLA Piper team in 2000 and has more than 20 years’ experience in complex dispute resolution. He joined the firm as a trainee in 1998, and was Stewart’s first recruit into the Litigation team on qualification. Andrew has a broad disputes practice, is also the co-lead for the firm’s international Corporate Disputes group, specialising in M&A and shareholder disputes.

North West Managing Partner Mark Beardwood said “I have the highest regard for Stewart, who is an outstanding litigator and has successfully led the practice for many years. I am delighted that we have such an able replacement in Andrew, particularly given his expertise in international corporate litigation. Being able to tap into DLA Piper’s extensive global footprint from the North West is a key part of our offer. Our Litigation & Regulatory practice has been strengthened by a number of strong hires over the last 12 months and Andrew takes over at a time when the team is in great shape.”