UK Law Firms in Ruckus as Private Client Partners Want to Move

Nick Parmee

11 March 2008

UK private client law firm Withers is taking a strong line with rival Forsters, according to The Lawyer, after Forsters hired four more partners, having already bagged partner Charles Pike and senior US-based partner Patrick Harney, who joined in November 2007. Withers are quoted as saying: "This is extremely premature. As Forsters well knows, our partnership agreement specifically forbids the Withers partners from joining other firms for considerable periods of time after their notices expire in August 2008. That is the agreement all partners freely enter into. We have informed Forsters of the position and we will be taking every step to enforce our partnership agreement." Landed estates specialists Andrew Lane and Penny Elliot, private client partner Catherine Hill and corporate partner Craigie Pearson are to join Forsters. However, the magazine says, Forsters cannot confirm when the four are moving and “sources close to Withers” claim it could be another year before they are free from their contracts. Mr Lane is reportedly already on gardening leave, while the remaining three are believed to be still with the firm. Forsters managing partner Paul Roberts is quoted as saying that the firm decided two years ago to double the size of its private client practice and in the last year it had grown by 25 per cent. He declined to comment on Withers' statement.