Hill Dicks avoids the crowd to secure a well-tipped union with Middleton Potts

If you assume that deals done off the beaten track often turn out to be the most productive, Hill Dickinson has already got off to a great start with its tie-up with London boutique Middleton Potts.

The combination, which will go live on 1 July, will see Hill Dickinson take on all but one of Middleton Potts' nine London partners – handing Hill Dickinson a much increased presence in commercial and commercial litigation as well as in, most crucially, commodities trading and shipping work.

By all accounts – meaning neutral observers – it's a good fit. Hill Dickinson had been looking to build up its commodities practice for 18 months. The practice area, which covers mainly litigation work coming out of commodities trading alongside some non-contentious work in the sector, sits well with shipping. While Hill Dickinson has a strong marine team, with some 85 fee earners, including 61 in London, it had only a handful of commodities specialists working under London partner Jeff Isaacs (pictured).

In contrast, half of Middleton Potts' partners focus on commodities, with the four partners also spending time on shipping matters. The niche practice, which was set up in 1976, is also well regarded for its international trade work. It counts commodities giant Cargill as its flagship client, with senior partner David Lucas, who will lead the commodities group at the merged firm, having a relationship with the company dating back 30 years. Middleton Potts also works with other major names such as Louis Dreyfus, Noble Resources and Toepfer International.

However, while its reputation is good, Middleton admits its lack of scale was holding it back in shipping. As such Hill Dickinson gives it access to clients including P&I clubs and ship owners, as well as a dedicated ship finance team and access to a handful of Master Mariners (that's a seaman qualified to be captain, for the uninitiated). Hill Dickinson, for its part, hopes the merger can help its large practice close the gap with established London shipping practices like Ince & Co, Holman Fenwick and Clyde & Co.

Lucas sums up the background to the deal: "For commodity trading we are one of the leading practices and quite a big team. They have a good reputation but a small team and wanted to step up the practice. In contrast Hill Dicks has one of the biggest shipping teams and, while we have always had a good reputation, we're tiny by comparison." Lucas and the rest of his team already know Hill Dickinson's Isaacs (who made the initial approach), billing rates across the firms are broadly similar and both have similar ambitions. Even the only partner from the firm who is not set to join Hill Dickinson – corporate and commercial partner Stephen Morrall, who is switching to Dawsons – talks up the deal, stressing that he is only leaving because Dawsons is a better fit with his German-focused practice.

All that remains now is for the firms to work out the details. But with Hill Dickinson's litigation-heavy practice and relatively low cost-base well positioned to handle a substantial downturn, the omens are promising.

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