Hill Dickinson strengthens Newcastle office with new corporate team

Leading international law firm Hill Dickinson has expanded its Newcastle office with the appointment of a new corporate team, led by partner Tom Pollard.

The new corporate offering highlights Hill Dickinson’s investment and growing presence in the North East in line with the firm’s national growth strategy. The Newcastle office has grown steadily since its launch in 2022, most recently expanding with the addition of a six-strong marine team in May 2024.

Joining Tom are legal director Liam Stubbs and senior associate Nicole Axon, all three having previously worked as a team at Ward Hadaway. The team are an already well-known and established corporate team in the North East, whose addition will help to strengthen Hill Dickinson’s existing regional offering while expanding the reach of its national corporate team. The addition of a corporate practice for the firm in its Newcastle office also underscores the continued growth of Hill Dickinson’s Business Services Group across the UK, which in 2023/24 accounted for almost half of the firm’s total annual turnover.

Tom brings over 17 years’ experience advising clients on the full range of corporate work, in particular domestic and cross-border transactions. Tom and the team have extensive experience advising a wide range of clients from large listed companies, private equity funds and family offices to owner managed businesses, high-net-worth private investors and management teams across a broad range of sectors including renewables and natural resources, family offices and landed estates, human capital, TMT, leisure and hospitality, motor, industrials, engineering and manufacturing.

Tom is recognised as one of the leading corporate partners in the North East and has built an extensive regional and national M&A and PE practice. He is ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500 and in Chambers & Partners and was also recently named a Thomson Reuters Stand-Out Lawyer in 2025.

Hill Dickinson’s Newcastle office was originally established with a seven-strong health team, before expanding into other service areas to extend the firm’s national reach into the North East. With the addition of a corporate team, the Newcastle office now stands at 19 people and is continuing to grow.

Fiona Parry, head of business services at Hill Dickinson said: “Our Newcastle office has grown significantly since we opened it in 2022 as part of our expanded presence as a leading and trusted law firm across the UK.  Appointing Tom, Liam and Nicole to our Newcastle office as a readymade team with an established reputation is a measure of our belief in the North East legal market and our ambition, in time, to develop a full-service offering here on the ground. With that in mind, we expect to announce further hires in the coming months.”

Ian Riggs, national head of corporate at Hill Dickinson added: “Our national corporate team now numbers more than 100 lawyers, including strategic senior hires in all of our UK offices. Launching a dedicated corporate offering in the North East marks an important step in our commitment to supporting businesses in the region with the highest calibre of corporate advice. With an outstanding reputation both regionally and nationally, Tom’s appointment, along with Liam and Nicole, will certainly enhance and strengthen our corporate capabilities in the North East.”

Tom Pollard, partner at Hill Dickinson added: “Having lived in the North East for over 20 years, I’m thrilled to be leading the North East regional corporate team at a UK top 50 firm that’s not only deeply rooted in key locations across the UK but is also a significant player with a strong international presence. There is huge potential for Hill Dickinson in the North East corporate market, so I’m looking forward to working alongside the firm’s highly regarded national corporate team and contributing to the growth of our corporate offering in the region, as well as supporting the growth of a full-service offering in Newcastle, in close collaboration with the wider Newcastle office.”