In the whirlwind collapse of Halliwells, the lucky ones (most of the workforce fortunately) got swept up by rival firms but, as the dust settles, other issues remain. Which is why Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and HBJ Gateley Wareing have ringfenced former Halliwells staff in separate LLPs in a bid to limit their respective liabilities. That may give them the opportunity to duck any unforseen problems missed during the rapid negotiation process.

Meanwhile, Manchester Met University has stepped up to try and help out some of those who got left behind – the gang of Halliwells future trainees who saw their training contracts go up in smoke last week. The university will give £1,000 to any firm that takes on unemployed law graduates for a month and the receiving firm will be able to pay the graduates minimum wage over the period without incurring costs.

And finally, for those intent on finger pointing, in an article entitled “Halliwells’ staff: where are they now?“, The Lawyer has produced a list of partners who enjoyed the fruits of the Spinningfield’s premium, cited by many commentators as a key factor in the firm’s collapse; here they are:

Ian Austin

Mike Ball

Andrew Buchanan

Alec Craig

Charles Glaskie

Rebecca Grisewood

Mark Halliwell

Stephen Hills

Jonathan Moakes

Susan Molloy

Andrew Platt

Paul Rose

Karen Spencer

Paul Thomas

Rod Waldie

Source: The Lawyer