Leading law firm Ward Hadaway merges with Teesside’s The Endeavour Partnership

Now operating under the Ward Hadaway name and identity, all of the existing team from The Endeavour Partnership will continue to operate from offices on Teesdale Business Park near Stockton-on-Tees, providing the same quality legal services to its clients for which it has become renowned over its 25 year history.

Clients will now benefit from legal expertise across a broader range of practice areas, including succession planning, matrimonial advice, construction and tax, as well as having access to the extended networks and opportunities of the wider firm. Meanwhile, The Endeavour Partnership team will benefit from the extensive resource and business services support of Ward Hadaway, whose combined headcount will now stand at nearly 600.

Lee Bramley, The Endeavour Partnership’s Managing Partner, will become Executive Partner of the Teesside office. In addition to leading the office, Lee will help to oversee the evolution as the team maintains and builds on its place at the heart of the Teesside business community under the Ward Hadaway name.

The addition of a Teesside office will mean Ward Hadaway now has five regional centres, after the firm recently announced the opening of a Birmingham office in June to add to its established offices in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.

Steven Petrie, Ward Hadaway’s Managing Partner, said, “I am delighted that The Endeavour Partnership decided to merge with Ward Hadaway. The move is part of our strategic plans to grow revenue by 100% over the next 10 years. I’ve been clear about our ambitious growth plans since I became Managing Partner in 2024, and I’m proud to see our strategy coming to life.

“The alignment between our two firms has been obvious from those very first conversations. The Endeavour Partnership’s commitment to client service excellence and to its people, close attachment to the Teesside region, and straightforward, commercial approach mirrors our own vision and values. We have worked closely together for many years, and so it was a natural progression to merge, adding additional services and support to the clients of Teesside and beyond.”

Lee Bramley added, “We are delighted to be joining forces with Ward Hadaway. We have worked extremely hard over the past 25 years to create a firm trusted by valued clients and colleagues. The merger gives us an opportunity to build on that, adding scale and further expertise to our offering as part of Ward Hadaway.

“The growing regulatory landscape, new and emerging technologies and the competitive market for attracting top talent drive the need for innovative thinking in the legal sector. By joining forces, and benefitting from the additional resources Ward Hadaway brings, we can deliver even better support for our clients going forwards. Ultimately, that has driven our decision to become part of a larger firm but one that in essence shares our approach to providing legal services, albeit on a larger scale.

“It is clear that Ward Hadaway appreciates that character and distinctiveness are regional traits to be celebrated. We look forward to maintaining our Teesside focus, retaining and further building on the talent we have nurtured. We will continue to leverage our expertise and knowledge of the business landscape in this area, as part of a firm that prides itself on delivering a personal and quality service in a straightforward, respectful and ambitious manner.”

These announcements follow a period of sustained growth at Ward Hadaway, recruiting more than 100 people during 2024 across its existing offices, including eight new partners. The growth of the Firm to £53.5m for the year to April 25 indicates the firm is well on track towards its strategic growth targets and comes on the back of its record financial results for 23/24.

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