Meet our people
Stephen Bottley - Partner
Finance and projects
Jurisprudence, Oxford University
In 2001 I moved to Birmingham for a six-month secondment in our corporate department. I enjoyed it so much I never actually left.
I was attracted to Birmingham by the friendliness and openness of the people in the office – there’s a real lack of stuffiness here. When we’re busy we work at least as many hours as our colleagues in London. However, as with the experience in any of our offices, it’s enjoyable work and we don't work hard for the sake of it, but for a purpose, which our clients really appreciate. Added to all this is the support you get. From IT to the know-how systems to the team around you, everyone and everything’s there to help.
My current role is banking partner in the finance and projects team. We don’t see ourselves confined by the ring road – few of our deals are solely Birmingham-based. We pull in work from beyond the immediate city. Just last week we were awarded a job from a London venture capitalist where we were competing against Magic Circle firms. We didn’t just win on price but because they genuinely wanted to work with us. The DLA Piper name is very strong and opens many doors for us. One of the biggest buzzes is winning new quality work.
I’ve found the quality of work in Birmingham to be 'Premier League' standard. In addition, being in the regions can mean you are much closer to clients. Bankers have a very similar career path to lawyers and you follow them through your career and build up relationships over a period of time. It’s not claustrophobic but happily familiar. Very soon, you start to feel a part of the city’s professional network. Provided you put the effort in, you’ll definitely get something out.
We enjoy lots of interaction with our international offices. At least 50 per cent of the deals we do involve some kind of overseas element. You’ll often need to get legal opinions from your colleagues around the firm. We also get inward work sent to Birmingham from around the world.
The footprint of DLA Piper is ideally suited for this work and gives us a huge advantage over less connected competitors. There’s no other firm that lets you perform on an international stage like this whilst allowing you to remain in Birmingham. In fact, there is no other firm quite like this one!
