Walker Morris adds DLA Piper partner in latest City hire

Walker Morris has hired DLA Piper’s UK equity capital markets co-head Martin Penn, adding another senior City lawyer to its Leeds-based team.

Penn joins after 18 years at DLA Piper, where he made partner in 2016 and most recently served as co-head of UK equity capital markets. He previously worked at Freshfields and Simmons & Simmons.

He advises listed companies, investors and investment banks on stock market listings, fundraisings and other corporate deals, with a particular focus on the life sciences and technology sectors.

Penn joins Walker Morris as an equity capital markets partner and takes the number of partners in its corporate team to seven.

“The chance to help shape and grow the firm’s equity capital markets offering, work on high-quality, complex transactions, and do so as part of a collaborative and ambitious team was a key attraction,” Penn said.

“On a personal level, the opportunity to live and work in Yorkshire was a significant draw.”

City talent heads north

The move continues a run of hires by Walker Morris from major City and international firms.

Pensions director Danny Fowler recently joined from Fieldfisher, while planning director David Wood arrived from Hogan Lovells before the firm’s merger this year. Litigation director James Smith is set to join from Freshfields later this year.

Walker Morris operates from a single office in Leeds, with around 60 partners.

The firm has been growing quickly under managing partner Jeanette Burgess who took over in 2024. Revenue rose 11% to just over £90 million in the year to April, while PEP topped £1.1 million - putting it among the most profitable large firms based outside London.