Birmingham is the place to be in 2020 – you heard it here first!

The 2020s are almost upon us, but given that the last decade has seen so many unprecedented developments in politics, the economy, social media, mobility and innovation, how can we possibly predict what the next ten years has install for us?

Looking out of my office window at the number of cranes and ongoing construction, one thing is very clear, the Birmingham skyline will most certainly look different.

Birmingham’s major regeneration schemes are now in full flow with phase one of the Paradise Scheme which is due to complete next year becoming the new (and much larger homes) of PWC and DLA Piper in the City (Press release: Law firm signs up to £700m Paradise scheme).

In fact, it feels pretty safe to say that Birmingham is going to be the “on trend” City of the 2020s. The likes of HSBC and Barclays have already got in on the act, with HSBC opening its new Head office smack bang in the middle of Birmingham earlier this year and with the impending arrival of the new tram system, HS2 and the Commonwealth Games in 2022, the national and international spotlight is firmly on Birmingham (and that’s without even mentioning the Peaky Blinders effect on tourism to the City).  I would go so far to say that if we don’t capitalise on all this potential growth then future generations may well judge that we failed to deliver on the huge opportunity that is front of us.

So what better time for Taylor Root to open its new Birmingham office…

Taylor Root (and the wider SR Group members) already act for the majority of international and national firms in the Birmingham market and it was very apparent from conversations with our clients that there was a clear gap for a specialist legal recruitment consultancy of Taylor Root’s capabilities to be based here. So fast forward the clock and we are in month 3 of our journey, with very exciting times ahead.

Historically known as “the City of a thousand trades” where business and industry have thrived for the last 250 years, the Midlands benefits from strong links to a range of key industries from insurance and finance, engineering and manufacturing, energy and a vast real estate market. This has also made it highly attractive to overseas investors and in particular from China and the Middle East and that investment is set to continue.

Within the legal market, City firms have long since recognised the importance of having a strong presence in Birmingham and many now have full-service offerings in the heart of the central business district as well as a number of smaller boutique firms with specialist practices.  When you also throw into the mix the emergence of legal teams at the Big 4 Accountancy practices and smaller firms who have consolidated into big regional players, Birmingham is a thriving legal hub.  

The law firm’s appetites to grow in this market do not appear to have slowed since the 2016 referendum and the message we are getting from the market is very much that this a good time for them to invest in growing their talent pools outside of London wherever possible. If this all plays out as expected, Birmingham will fast become the largest legal market outside of London.

It really does feel that is a great time to live and work in Birmingham. So if you are a local lawyer out there looking for a new role or perhaps you work further afield but are looking for a new challenge and the opportunity to relocate, why not get in touch to find out more.