Paradise move for legal firm
ASECOND law firm has agreed a deal with a major new office development in Birmingham city centre.
Knights will relocate from Newhall Street to Two Chamberlain Square once construction work is completed later this year on the second building at the £700 million Paradise project.
They will join 150 staff from DLA Piper which agreed a lease for the top two floors last year.
Knight has signed up for 18,000 sq ft where it will base up to 160 employees.
The firm entered Birmingham’s legal market following recent buyout deals of Emms Gilmore Liberson and commercial litigation specialist ERT.
Knights listed on the stock exchange in 2018 since when it has more than tripled its number of employees to over 1,100 and grown its office network to 13. The move to a new city centre base in Birmingham follows the recently announced investment in office premises in Leeds and Nottingham.
Chief executive David Beech said: “Ensuring our office spaces are fit for the needs of the modern lawyer is central to maintaining the strong operational backbone of the business that we have built. These open-plan and larger premises give us the space to continue to expand in these key regions while supporting our modern and collaborative way of working.
“Despite working from home efficiently, without any impact on productivity, offices remain key for a business that is focussed on team and culture.
“Despite short term market uncertainty created by Covid-19, we remain committed to investing in our business to best position ourselves to emerge stronger and take advantage of the pipeline of recruitment and acquisition opportunities that we expect to accentuate in the current market environment.”
Rob Groves, regional director for Argent, which is managing the development, added: “Welcoming Knights to Two Chamberlain Square means we now have a major professional services hub developing around both of our first buildings, with PwC, DLA Piper and now Knights all choosing Paradise.
“This move again demonstrates the amazing momentum behind Paradise that continues to attract the highest calibre of businesses keen to grow their client and staff base by providing the best possible professional environment in the very heart of Birmingham.”