Brabners opens London office, adds two from DLA

Northern firm Brabners has opened its first London office and hired two DLA Piper lawyers as partners.

Real estate specialists Susan Samuel and Matt Ramsden join while the firm moves into a 5,300 square foot premises in Moorgate and the northern heavyweight makes a bold play in the capital.

The firm said Samuel will work on building out the real estate practice in both London and Leeds, while Ramsden will support the firm’s investment and property management team in Leeds.

The regional firm was founded in 1815 in Liverpool, and has offices in Manchester, Lancashire and Leeds. It enters the City off the back of a strong financial year - it posted revenues of £60.2 million in 2025 and now has nearly 600 employees.

The London move was first announced in January this year as part of its “nine-year growth strategy”. 

The new London team consists of January hires Stuart Hatcher, an ex-Forsters corporate partner with expertise in sport, and disputes partner Russell Strong, who arrived from platform firm Gunnercooke.

They will work alongside Ross Shine, a veteran commercial property partner who joined Brabners in 1990, and tax partner Euri Yoon.

What they said‍

“Susan and Matt’s appointments, along with our move into London, are grounded in our success over recent years as well as the market opportunities ahead,” said chief executive Robert White.

“We have genuinely built an independent law firm with a national reach from our office locations in the North, and now is the right time to reflect that national reach with the opening of our new permanent office in London.”

Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, noted the calibre of talent the firm was able to attract and said the move reflects the firm’s “ambition in the capital”.