Hill Dickinson
Encyclopedia
Hill Dickinson offers a range of legal services from five offices in offices England
as well as offices in Piraeus
and Singapore
. Collectively the firms have over 150 partners and a complement of more than 1,300 staff.
in connection with the sinking of the RMS Titanic and Cunard Line
in respect of the sinking of RMS Lusitania
which was torpedoed by a German U-boat on 7 May 1915.
In 1927 Miss Edith Berthen joined the firm as one of the first women in England and Wales to qualify as a solicitor. In the Black Solicitors Network’s Diversity League Table 2009 Hill Dickinson was ranked 30th within the top 100 UK law firms. In January 2010, the firm was ranked as the sixth most female friendly firm (among the top 50 UK firms by turnover) with 27 per cent of its partnership made up of women.
In 1931 one of the firm's solicitors, Hector Munro, represented William Herbert Wallace
in connection with his trial and subsequent appeal against his conviction for the murder of his wife Julia in their home in Wolverton Street in Liverpool's Anfield district. His conviction was later overturned by the Court Of Criminal Appeal, the first instance in British legal history where an appeal had been allowed after re-examination of evidence (see R v Wallace).
Partner William Goffey (known as WG) started his career in 1901 at Hill Dickinson's 10 Water Street office. He became senior partner in 1950 and continued to practice until shortly before his death in 1979 at the age of 94. As the son of a ship owning family who operated sailing barques from Liverpool under the name Goffey & Co, much of his practice was Admiralty and related work.
Goffey acted for Cunard Steam Ship Co. Limited in relation to the 1942 collision between the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary
and HMS Curacoa (D41)
which resulted in the sinking of the latter with great loss of life. on 2 October 1942 both ships were following evasive zigzagging courses about 60 km north of the coast of Ireland when the Queen Mary cut across the path of HMS Curacoa with insufficient clearance, striking her amidships at a speed of 28 knots and cutting her in two. The Curacoa sank immediately, about 100 yards from the Queen Mary. The loss was not reported until after the war ended, whereupon the Navy immediately pressed charges against the Queen Mary's owners, Cunard. The High Court of Justice subsequently ruled mostly in favour of the latter, giving two-thirds of the blame to the Admiralty and one third to Cunard. This ruling would become important in the civil lawsuits subsequently filed against Cunard by relatives of the HMS Curacoa deceased. It also prompted significant revisions in Navy policy, including the suspension of escorts for passenger liners.
More recently, Hill Dickinson represented Steven Gerrard
following his arrest on suspicion of a section 20 assault. Represented by solicitor Richard Green, Mr Gerrard faced trial at Liverpool Crown Court and on 24 July 2009 he was found not guilty by the jury.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as well as offices in Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Collectively the firms have over 150 partners and a complement of more than 1,300 staff.
History
Hill Dickinson's origins can be traced back to 1810, with the establishment of a Liverpool legal practice by the firm’s founder, Edward Morrall. The firm’s identity as ‘Hill Dickinson’ began to emerge when John Edward Gray Hill joined the firm in 1865. The firm established itself as a leading maritime law firm, and went on to represent the White Star LineWhite Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
in connection with the sinking of the RMS Titanic and Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
in respect of the sinking of RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
which was torpedoed by a German U-boat on 7 May 1915.
In 1927 Miss Edith Berthen joined the firm as one of the first women in England and Wales to qualify as a solicitor. In the Black Solicitors Network’s Diversity League Table 2009 Hill Dickinson was ranked 30th within the top 100 UK law firms. In January 2010, the firm was ranked as the sixth most female friendly firm (among the top 50 UK firms by turnover) with 27 per cent of its partnership made up of women.
In 1931 one of the firm's solicitors, Hector Munro, represented William Herbert Wallace
William Herbert Wallace
William Herbert Wallace was convicted in 1931 of the murder of his wife Julia in their home in Wolverton Street in Liverpool's Anfield district...
in connection with his trial and subsequent appeal against his conviction for the murder of his wife Julia in their home in Wolverton Street in Liverpool's Anfield district. His conviction was later overturned by the Court Of Criminal Appeal, the first instance in British legal history where an appeal had been allowed after re-examination of evidence (see R v Wallace).
Partner William Goffey (known as WG) started his career in 1901 at Hill Dickinson's 10 Water Street office. He became senior partner in 1950 and continued to practice until shortly before his death in 1979 at the age of 94. As the son of a ship owning family who operated sailing barques from Liverpool under the name Goffey & Co, much of his practice was Admiralty and related work.
Goffey acted for Cunard Steam Ship Co. Limited in relation to the 1942 collision between the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
and HMS Curacoa (D41)
HMS Curacoa (D41)
HMS Curacoa, named after the island Curaçao in the Caribbean Sea, was a Ceres group C-class light cruiser. In 1942, she became one of the Royal Navy's major accidental losses during the Second World War.-First World War:...
which resulted in the sinking of the latter with great loss of life. on 2 October 1942 both ships were following evasive zigzagging courses about 60 km north of the coast of Ireland when the Queen Mary cut across the path of HMS Curacoa with insufficient clearance, striking her amidships at a speed of 28 knots and cutting her in two. The Curacoa sank immediately, about 100 yards from the Queen Mary. The loss was not reported until after the war ended, whereupon the Navy immediately pressed charges against the Queen Mary's owners, Cunard. The High Court of Justice subsequently ruled mostly in favour of the latter, giving two-thirds of the blame to the Admiralty and one third to Cunard. This ruling would become important in the civil lawsuits subsequently filed against Cunard by relatives of the HMS Curacoa deceased. It also prompted significant revisions in Navy policy, including the suspension of escorts for passenger liners.
More recently, Hill Dickinson represented Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
following his arrest on suspicion of a section 20 assault. Represented by solicitor Richard Green, Mr Gerrard faced trial at Liverpool Crown Court and on 24 July 2009 he was found not guilty by the jury.
Mergers and acquisitions
- Halliwells LLP, Liverpool and Sheffield offices (2010)
- Middleton Potts (2009)
- Gamon Arden & Co. (2007)
- Hill Taylor Dickinson, remerger following demerger in 1989 (2006)
- Bullivant Jones & Co. (2004)
- Gorna & Co (2001)
- Davis Campbell (1997)