Ward Hadaway’s new Managing Partner outlines plans to double in size

A leading Northern law firm’s new Managing Partner today announced plans to achieve 100% growth within the next ten years.

Steven Petrie has laid out his ambitions after being announced as the new Managing Partner at Ward Hadaway, a firm with offices in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.

Steven took over the reins on 1st April 2024 from Martin Hulls, who stepped down as planned at the end of his second three-year term. Steven has been a partner at Ward Hadaway for 12 years.

Steven commented, “I am extremely excited and honoured to take on the mantle of Managing Partner and I’m looking forward to building on the firm’s proud heritage built over more than 35 years. The management board and I have very clear ambitions for the firm, that I am keen to articulate and advocate internally and externally.

“I am determined to achieve substantial growth in each office, growing our turnover by over 50% within the next five years, and 100% in 10, in order to leverage our scale to continue to support organisations of all shapes and sizes.

“A fundamental element of our strategy is that we maintain our independence. I understand that passionate people make a difference, and I am committed to continuing to lead a firm which supports and challenges everyone to be their best. Our values of straightforward, respectful and ambitious will define our culture internally and for our clients, in addition to steering the impact we have on the North of England’s economy and the communities in which we operate.”

Steven joined Ward Hadaway’s insolvency team in 2012.  In recent years as Head of the Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR) Department, he has grown it to become the largest across the firm. He has spearheaded a strong recruitment and growth strategy across all three offices. To ensure a seamless succession, he has been Deputy Managing Partner for the last year, working alongside Martin on all firmwide initiatives. And he has played an active leadership role in the Responsible Business Board, which oversees and charts the firm’s ESG agenda.

Steven continued, “It should be a given for a firm of our size and standing, with such a long and proud history of giving back to the communities in which we live and work, that we will continue to innovate and push hard on our ESG agenda.  It remains a fundamental passion of mine to ensure generous investments in social value projects, involvement in programmes that encourage social mobility and the diversity of the workforce, active support of our people and their development, and initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of our firm.

“Martin has successfully charted the firm through an incredibly testing economic and sociological period. Thanks to his hands-on leadership the firm has not only achieved consistent growth in every year he has been at the helm, but also smoothly transitioned us to a hybrid working environment, attracted new talent at all levels, and invested in technology and processes to enable us to continue to deliver exceptional client service. The firm is enormously grateful for his tireless efforts, particularly during a period of such challenge and change.”

Martin concluded, “Being Managing Partner at Ward Hadaway has been an honour and a privilege.  With Steven’s energy, strategic leadership and passion, I very much look forward to seeing the firm continue to grow and expand.”

Ward Hadaway is a full service, UK Top 100 law firm of nearly 500 people.  Founded in 1988, the firm provides valued services to a wide range of clients, including businesses local, national and international from a whole host of sectors, including major housebuilders and affordable housing providers, media and tech, manufacturing, life sciences and professional services. It also works for a range of public sector and public funded organisations in health, local authority and education, as well as acting for private individuals.  It created the Fastest 50 Awards in 1998 to shine a spotlight on business success, something which has expanded to be run annually to widespread acclaim in the Yorkshire, North West and North East regions.