BCL Legal has one of the largest teams in Yorkshire and the North East servicing candidates across Private Practice, In-House and the Public Sector.

We act for firms and organisations as far north as Newcastle, in the east to Hull, down to Sheffield and stopping in the west at the Pennines. Lincolnshire is also covered from here.

The UK's second biggest legal centre after London, the Leeds legal community continues to expand with new firms coming into the city every year. The financial strength and confidence of the Newcastle firms has been demonstrated by their commitment to expansion throughout the country. Watson Burton has an offering in the city as well as in Leeds, the Dickinson Dees York office is housed in the prestigious Chocolate Works development. In Sheffield, DLA has invested heavily in city centre flagship premises, surpassing the firm's Leeds offices. Other 'Steel City' commercial firms such as Nabarro LLP, Keeble Hawson, Wake Smith and HLW all remain committed and thrive in this buoyant legal scene.

BCL Legal has a strong foothold within legal departments in commerce and industry and works with clients across a broad range of sectors from financial institutions including HBOS, Skipton Building Society to food giants Northern Foods and Asda.

Liverpool enjoyed significant regeneration as it prepared for "Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008". The landscape and famous skyline has been transformed whilst the city centre has been modernised radically, as has the legal market place.

There are currently seven top 100 UK practices based in Liverpool, three with their head offices in the city.

Despite the recent modernisation and changes, Liverpool retains its unique character and charm. There are more listed buildings in Liverpool (outside of London) than anywhere else in the UK. The new bars and restaurants have enhanced the already vibrant nightlife scene in the city, with a greater variety of eateries and diverse range of pubs and clubs to suit all tastes.

We have seen an influx of lawyers from London and one regional practice which has its roots in Liverpool has recruited seven former Magic Circle partners over recent years.

The picturesque suburbs of Southport, Wirral and surrounding areas offer excellent retreats away from the hum-drum of city life (whilst remaining easily commutable) and which city can boast three open golf courses and a variety of water sports within a 45 minute drive of the city centre?

Bank of America (MBNA) holds one of the region's largest in-house legal teams and other well known organisations include Princes Foods, Littlewoods, Vertex, Pilkington and The Royal Liver.

The Manchester team is the largest in the North West and is dedicated to recruiting in private practice, in-house and the public sector for both permanent and temporary job seekers. We also have a dedicated consultant who is a specialist in the recruitment of newly qualified solicitors to advise you at this critical stage in your career. The North West region includes the beautiful Lake District of Cumbria in the north down to Cheshire in the south.

 

Ever since Manchester's regeneration effort began in earnest at the end of the 1990s, the city has developed into a fantastic place to live, boasting all the trappings of the capital whilst maintaining its village feel. Whilst the legal community includes national giants DLA Piper, Addleshaw Goddard and the like, we have a unique regional and niche firm offering which caters for those seeking an alternative but which also provide good quality work without the necessary social sacrifice.

Preston, the third city of the region, has had a recent facelift and through a succession of firm mergers now has some big name practices including northern stalwarts DWF and Brabners Chaffe Street.

There are also a number of PLCs and household names offering a range of in-house opportunities. BCL Legal has more in house consultants in the region than any other agency and our portfolio of clients include United Utilities, Urban Splash, CWS, Amec and Pets At Home.

Many lawyers originally from the north have returned to their roots in recent years or relocated simply to enjoy the thriving city, where you can enjoy good quality of work and still walk down the street and see somebody you know. Speak to a consultant at BCL Legal who can advise on where to live, what life really is like in the north and where to work.

Principally the Thames Valley is home to Reading and Oxford as the key legal centres within which exists some of the best legal talent in the UK. With national firms Osborne Clarke, Olswang, Shoosmiths and Charles Russell all with regional offices based here along with regional heavyweights Blake Lapthorn, Morgan Cole, Manches and IBB to name a few, the choice of firm is first class for any aspiring newly qualified. If the London market isn't able to offer you the area of law you wish to specialise in or if London life is not for you but you don't want to leave the South East, the Thames Valley is the perfect choice.

As with the Thames Valley, the Home Counties offer all the benefits of London whilst not being based in the City. This not only applies to being within commutable distance of the nation's capital but also in terms of the quality of work offered by the region's leading law firms. Home to many City lawyers, the combination of quality of work and quality of life are a big attraction. With `City' style firms Clyde & Co, Charles Russell, Stevens & Bolton, Shadbolts and Cripps Harries Hall there is very little compromise on quality. It offers true country living with City quality of work with more in the way of countryside than you would think with Surrey being the most wooded county in Great Britain!

Portsmouth and Southampton offer many attractions, principally its many seaside resorts and maritime areas for which they are famous with two of England's largest ports lying on its coast. But it's not all sunshine and sands, the South Coast offers a good choice of law firm if you fancy life by the coast but also want to work for a large commercial law firm. Heavyweight firms Shoosmiths, Bond Pearce, Lester Aldridge, Blake Lapthorn and Clarke Willmott all have large offices here. Still within easy reach of London and all of the capital's major attractions, the region also offers a milder climate than most areas of the British Isles.

From the Bristol office we recruit for firms in the city itself, Cardiff and Exeter as well as towns across Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and the Thames Valley.

Bristol is positively bursting with opportunities for Newly Qualified Solicitors. The city boasts many high profile top 50 and top 100 law firms like Burges Salmon, Osborne Clarke, TLT, CMS Cameron McKenna, Pinsent Masons, Beachcroft, Clarke Willmot, Bond Pearce and Bevan Brittan.

If the prospect of working with FTSE 100 clients and dealing with top quality work isn't enough, life outside of work is positively kicking! Whilst steeped in ancient history, the social scene is far from archaic. There is an endless selection of bars and restaurants along the waterfront and lining the streets that will satisfy everyone's tastes. Bristol is home to a variety of festivals and regattas, ranging from the Balloon Fiesta to the Bristol Community Festival. Shopping wise Bristol has all the names you would expect from a major regional capital and the biggest city in the South after London.

Last but not least the scenery the region can offer is fabulous with plenty of open spaces, such as Leigh Woods, the Ashton Court Estate and the fabulous Durdham Downs with views over the Gorge and Suspension Bridge. What about the commute to work? Most professionals who choose to live in Bristol are within a 20-minute walk from the city centre, housing options are attractive and affordable with modern waterside developments a plenty.

Birmingham is the UK's fastest growing legal market with a number of commercial firms having opened offices in the city in recent years.

The largest firms in the city such as DLA Piper, Eversheds, Hammonds, Pinsent Masons and Wragge & Co act for a national and international client base and the majority of the FTSE 100 retain one or more Birmingham firms as panel solicitors. This makes Birmingham an excellent alternative to

leading London firms and there is considerable movement of lawyers between top London and Birmingham practices.

In addition to the very largest firms there are another 10 to 15 commercial firms based in Birmingham who act for national and major regional clients as well as undertaking some international work plus there are many smaller firms advising local as well as regional businesses. There is also a thriving insurance market and an increasing interest in private client services.

Outside Birmingham there are strong practices in all the region's cities and larger towns with Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Northampton, Stoke on Trent and the Black Country each boasting several major law firms who draw their clients and lawyers from the same pool as their competitors in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Amongst the more picturesque parts of the region, Shrewsbury, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford on Avon and Worcester all have Legal 500 listed firms of real quality.

The in-house market in the Midlands has been exceptionally buoyant of late. Organisations that have been increasing their in-house function include Avon, Homeserve, Christian Salvesen, National Car Rental and National Grid.

Comprising Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia is often overlooked as a legal and commercial centre. In fact all of the region's cities enjoy a thriving legal scene which reflects the region's key role in the Agricultural, Transport & Shipping, Technology, Biotech and Telecommunications sectors.

Cambridge has the largest legal market in the region helped by the worldwide reputation of the University of Cambridge and the myriad of spin-off businesses in the area. The city's success in the technology arena had made Cambridge the number one destination for venture capital investment anywhere in the world outside the United States. Major firms include Mills & Reeve, Eversheds, Hewitsons and Taylor Vinters together with smaller offices of London and international heavyweights Dorsey & Whitney, Taylor Wessing and Charles Russell.

Ipswich has a number of major commercial firms most notably Ashton Graham, Birketts and Prettys who enjoy a national client base with particular strengths in the Agriculture, Transport and Telecoms sectors. Eversheds still retains a thriving office in the city focused on insurance, projects and construction work.

Norwich is the traditional capital of East Anglia and has the most diverse legal market. Mills & Reeve, Howes Percival, Ashton Graham, Steeles and Birketts dominate the corporate and commercial scene. There are also a significant number of smaller, long-established commercial firms.

Peterborough, Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket also boast nationally recognised firms with Greenwoods and Kester Cunningham John being the most notable amongst them.

East Anglia is one of the leading markets in the UK for private client and agricultural law. Mills & Reeve is a national player in both of these fields with most larger firms retaining substantial private client teams and specialist firms such as Barker Gotelee and Roythorne & Co adding weight to the region's reputation. Suffolk is a major centre for bloodstock and horse-racing related work.