Partner team doubles at Ward Hadaway in Birmingham

The appointments form part of wider growth at the Chamberlain Square office, where headcount has risen from 7 when it opened to 16, an increase of 129%, with more joiners in the pipeline.

The 5 partners appointed this year are education specialist Emma Swann, construction partner Steven Hayward and employment partners Helen Badger, Gemma Lynch and Chris Piggott. The wider Birmingham team now covers affordable housing, regulatory, immigration, education, employment and construction, working with colleagues from across the firm to deliver a full service to its clients.

The UK Top 100 law firm opened in Birmingham in June 2025 to extend its national footprint and serve more clients across the West Midlands. Within months, the team moved into larger premises in the same building, with more than three times the floor space of its first office.

Steven Petrie, Managing Partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “Birmingham and the wider region have welcomed us warmly and the response from clients and the business community has given us real confidence in the opportunity here.

“Our first year has been about establishing strong roots as Ward Hadaway. The team here are each established and well-regarded lawyers in the region and have done an exceptional job showing clients what Ward Hadaway can offer from the city.

“We want to build an office that contributes to Birmingham as well as serving it. That means deepening our relationships with clients, staying involved with local organisations and creating opportunities for talented people who want to build their careers here.”

During its first year, the office supported Aston Villa Foundation, St Basils and LoveBrum, and hosted a roundtable with Birmingham City Council on the future of social housing.

Expansion into the Midlands forms part of Ward Hadaway’s wider growth plans. The independent law firm, which also has offices in Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Teesside, is targeting turnover growth of 50% by 2029, rising to 100% by 2034. It is well on track to deliver this, having achieved 12% and 14% growth nationally over each of the last two financial years.

Steven Petrie added: “Opening in Birmingham was a major part of our plans to grow Ward Hadaway nationally. It gives us a base in one of the UK’s largest business centres and brings us closer to clients across the West Midlands, while giving them access to expertise from across the firm.

“The lawyers who have joined us bring experience across several practice areas and have broadened the work we can handle from Birmingham.

“We will continue to recruit where there is clear client demand, so more organisations across the region can access the full range of services we provide. We have built a strong team in the city and there is more we want to achieve.”