International law firm Clyde & Co is to open an office in Bristol next year after hiring two leading insurance disputes lawyers.
Ian Peacock joins from the Bristol office of Womble Bond Dickinson while John Eastlake has been appointed from Kennedys in London. They have become partners in Clyde & Co’s UK Professional and Financial Disputes (PFD) group. 
Ian Peacock, pictured below, has specialised in professional indemnity litigation at Womble Bond Dickinson since leaving practice in the City of London nearly 25 years ago. Much of his work has involved the financial service industry and he has been involved in several of the high-profile mis-selling scandals.
John Eastlake was London head of professional indemnity at Kennedys. He advises on professional negligence claims for solicitors, accountants, surveyors and architects as well as ‘new professions’ such as IT and marketing. He also provides risk management and claims prevention advice to professions, and advises directors’ and officers’ insurers in relation to policy coverage.
Clyde & Co has a total staff of 3,600 including 390 partners, 1,500 lawyers and 2,000 legal professionals working in offices across the globe. It has nine offices in the UK, including London, Guildford and Oxford, five in mainland Europe and 13 offices in North and South America. 
Senior partner Simon Konsta said: “We are focused on serving our clients when and where they need us, and this focus has driven our global and regional insurance growth strategy over the past decade.
“Bristol is a key centre for professional and financial disputes work and having John and Ian on board gives us a great foundation, as well as a platform for further growth.”
Clyde & Co’s decision to open in Bristol underlines the city’s standing as the UK’s number one regional legal centre.
A survey last year by property advisers CBRE revealed law firms in Bristol occupy nearly 875,000 sq ft of office space, placing it at the top of a table of the 10 cities.
Birmingham came second with nearly 782,000 sq ft and Manchester was in third place with 775,000 sq ft.
Clyde & Co’s PFD group comprises over 150 lawyers in the UK and its professional liability practice has a long-established reputation as a leading advisor on policy coverage, defending claims and regulatory proceedings, focusing on each of the major professions, as well as ‘emerging professions’ such as recruitment, management consultants and IT professionals.
The group operates across all Clyde & Co’s offices worldwide, with specialist professional liability teams in key jurisdictions.
Clyde & Co PFD group partner Andrew Blair added: “Both Ian and John are hugely experienced and well known professional liability defence lawyers with strong track records of success, which have underpinned the building of two very successful practices and teams.
“Increasingly, clients want and need strong regional capability in addition to City capability. We already have an established PFD presence in Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland. Bristol adds another piece in the jigsaw.”
Clyde & Co can trace its roots back to 1933 when Arthur Clyde opened its first office.
