Serving the Teesside Business Community | 69
All change – Lee Bramley is Endeavour
Partnership’s new managing partner.
Direction – Endeavour’s new management team (left to right) is Stephen Elliott,
Ged Flanagan, Lee Bramley, Nik Tunley, Nigel Williams and Simon Wake.
“We are where we are because
of our people,” says Simon.
“If you don’t have good people,
you don’t have anything.”
Business law is their forte and the
expertise across the partnership is
dedicated to serving all sectors of
enterprise across the Tees Valley.
Endeavour Partnership acts for a number
of Teesside’s best-known regional brands as
well as for multinational clients based in the
UK and beyond.
It has grown steadily over the past two
decades and goes into the next phase of its
history with nearly 60 staff in a dedicated
office building, Tobias House in St Mark’s
Court down by the side of the Tees close to
Durham University’s Stockton Campus and
Stockton Riverside College.
The partners have roots in the region,
most of them born and bred here in our
corner of the North East.
Culturally, Teesside is where Endeavour’s
heart is and where the company has
decided to remain.
“We are very much Teesside based,” says
Simon.
“We are very much focused on the Tees
Valley – most of us if not born here are
Teesside bred.
“There is plenty of business on Teesside,
our core business is serving business
clients and culturally, that’s where we are.”
Twenty years ago, the aim was to
establish a “city quality” law firm in the
Tees Valley to rival the best regional firms,
then all based in either Leeds or Newcastle.
Endeavour Partnership’s focus was to
deliver top-quality legal services and it
quickly established a reputation for being
innovative and modern.
It’s “human” and approachable side is
what sets it apart and that’s evident within a
few moments of talking to the partners.
“We are where we are because of our
people,” says Simon. “If you don’t have
good people, you don’t have anything.”
There’s no doubt these are uncertain
times in the political world as the landscape
changes and the UK’s position in Europe is
the subject of more than a little confusion.
The B-word – Brexit, of course – is the
one on everyone’s lips and the team at
Endeavour Partnership are well versed with
its implications for business in the region
and beyond.
The message they are receiving from
businesses is the desire to just get on with
an “in or out” decision so there is at least
some clear direction to move forward.
“There is uncertainty, but we haven’t
seen any noticeable downturn in terms of
work,” he says.
Politics aside, says managing partner Lee,
the landscape of the Tees Valley is in a good
position with a positive vibe and leading
voices dedicated to putting our area on the
map.
“Businesses just want to know are we in
or are we out and then act accordingly.”
So, 20 years on – what’s next for
Endeavour?
“As we grow, we very much want to be
able to support the local economy and local
skills, that’s important to us,” says Lee, who
joined Endeavour in 2002 having completed
his Law degree at Teesside University. He
established the firm’s corporate recovery
team in 2012 and was recently appointed
as chair of trustees of Middlesbrough and
Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.
“We are very much hoping to expand our
work across all sectors.
“Without sounding cheesy, we’d like to
be able to leave a legacy. A firm that has
been going for many years, regarded for
its strength and depth, with a reputation
in the Tees Valley that makes us one of the
established names immediately associated
with the area.”