DAC Beachcroft’s Bristol office re-elects Nick Knapman as Location Head

Published 9 abril 2019

Nick Knapman has been re-elected as Head of DAC Beachcroft’s Bristol office at Portwall Place. He has held the role since May 2016.

Knapman started his career with the firm in Bristol as a trainee and now heads up the firm’s National Real Estate Shopping Centre team.

DAC Beachcroft's Bristol office is the firm's largest office location with 760 colleagues – making the firm one of Bristol’s largest legal employers. It provides a full-service commercial law offering to businesses and large organisations in the South West and nationally across areas including Insurance, Corporate and Commercial, Health, Real Estate, Employment, and Professional and Commercial Risk.

Knapman, commenting on his re-appointment, said, “We have grown considerably in Bristol over the last ten years and with 760 colleagues in our Portwall Place office, our significant depth of talent means we are a real legal force in the city. We pride ourselves on being a significant employer in Bristol, and we are committed to developing and retaining talent in the local area. Just in the last few months, we have welcomed key lateral hires in Bristol, including our Head of Banking, Chris Wall, and our Head of Immigration, Shahjahan Ali.

“I think it speaks volumes about the firm that a considerable number of our lawyers – myself included – started their careers with DAC Beachcroft in Bristol and have remained with us as they have progressed through the ranks.”

The growth of DAC Beachcroft’s Bristol office comes as the international firm has delivered consistently strong financial performances in recent years, increasing its turnover by 11% to £230 million last year and growing its profit per member by 23 per cent.

DAC Beachcroft’s Senior Partner Virginia Clegg said, “I am delighted that Nick will be taking up a further term as Location Head. He has done an excellent job so far and has a solid foundation to further build on our successes in Bristol.”

DAC Beachcroft’s Bristol office is especially active in supporting its local community. In October 2018 the office won the Bristol Law Society CSR Firm of the Year award in recognition of several initiatives it undertakes, including:

• Passing the £100,000 milestone for fundraising for Bristol charity Above and Beyond, which supports Bristol city centre hospitals. Over three years, 35 colleagues have cycled from Bristol to Paris to raise funds – this year for the Foetal Medicine Unit at Bristol Royal Hospital;
• The fifth year of partnership with Bristol Metropolitan Academy. 18 staff attend Bristol Met on a monthly basis for mentoring sessions with pupils, helping them get better GCSE grades and boosting Progress 8 in the school;
• Supporting, with Bristol Met, the Step Up to Serve campaign led by HRH Prince of Wales;
• Supporting Feed The Homeless Bristol through volunteering;
• Supporting the Bridge the Gap programme, which helps unemployed and vulnerably housed people to take steps towards being ready for work;
• Supporting Bristol Pride, IDAHOT, World Aids Day and LGBT History Month;
• Working with Access Sport to help disadvantaged children enjoy sport, by developing five BMX tracks around Bristol; and
• Hosting a public donation station – for the fourth year running – for gifts of toys for disadvantaged children in the city as part of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

The firm’s Bristol office also takes great pride in supporting a number of cultural institutions in the city, including Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol Old Vic, and Bristol Music Trust.