Freeths has become the latest national law firm to open a base in Bristol as the city continues to grow in standing as one of the strongest legal centres outside London.
The office, at Temple Quay, Bristol Temple Quarter, will be headed by a real estate specialist but will offer a range of legal services as more lawyers join, Freeths said. 
It is the Top 50 firm’s first venture into the West of England and Bristol’s highly competitive legal market. Freeths’ 12 offices stretch from London through the Midlands to Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.
The office opening comes at a time of record growth for the firm, with turnover reaching £89.8m – a 14% increase in performance over the previous financial year.
Chairman Colin Flanagan admitted that Bristol was a competitive legal market, but said Freeths’ arrival reflected the level of commercial activity in the city.
“We believe this opening offers a real opportunity for Freeths and we are confident that we will quickly win market share to make the office a success,” he said.
Real estate lawyer Adam Watson, who has moved from Freeths in Nottingham to head the Bristol office, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to expand the Freeths brand into a new market. We have a number of additions to the team lined up to join us, bringing a broad range of expertise which will be supported by specialist resource from across the firm.”
services delivered by Freeths range from commercial property, dispute management and M&A expertise to employment law and commercial contractual support, supplemented with many niche specialisms.
Freeths’ arrival comes almost a year after international firm Clyde & Co opened its Bristol office with three partners.
Rival Simmons & Simmons opened a small Bristol base in 2012 – its first in the UK outside London – with 12 fee earners and five business services staff. It recently moved to a showpiece office for its 74 fee earners and 79 business services staff now based in Bristol.
