150 years in Norwich and still growing: Leathes Prior opens new city centre office

Leathes Prior has opened a new office at Seebohm House in Norwich - a move that caps a period of rapid growth and arrives in the firm's 150th anniversary year.

The move gives the firm's growing team room to expand and reaffirms its deep roots in the city.

Founded in the city in 1876, Leathes Prior has grown steadily in recent years, expanding both its workforce and the range of specialist legal services it provides to businesses and individuals across Norfolk and beyond. Seebohm House is the latest step in that journey.

Dan Chapman, Managing Partner at Leathes Prior, said:

"Opening Seebohm House is a proud moment for everyone at Leathes Prior and a real reflection of how far we have come as a firm.

To be doing it in our 150th year makes it all the more special. Norwich has been our home since 1876 and we are hugely proud of that history - but this is about the years ahead of us, not behind.

We have ambitious plans, and Seebohm House gives us more space to deliver them - to invest in our people and keep providing the standard of service our clients expect."

Seebohm House will complement the firm's existing Norwich premises as it continues to recruit and develop its specialist legal teams.

The new office also has its own fascinating connection to Norwich's history. Built in 1872, just four years before Leathes Prior was founded, Seebohm House was originally part of Haldinstein's Boot and Shoe Manufactory, one of the businesses at the heart of Norwich's once-thriving shoemaking industry.

Designed by prominent Norwich architect Edward Boardman, the building later became part of the Bally shoe manufacturing operation, which continued in Norwich until 1999. Today, Seebohm House remains an important example of the city's industrial heritage, recognised by Norwich City Council for its surviving historic features.

The move follows sustained investment in people, premises, technology and brand, which has strengthened Leathes Prior's position as one of East Anglia's leading full-service law firms.

Dan added "for us, growth isn't about getting bigger for its own sake. It's about creating sustainable career opportunities for our people, attracting talented individuals to the firm and continuing to develop the services we offer our clients. Reaching 150 years is something to celebrate, but we are certainly not standing still – there is plenty more we want to do, and Seebohm House is just the next step."

Seebohm House reinforces Leathes Prior's place as an independent, ambitious and forward-thinking law firm, firmly rooted in Norwich, growing across East Anglia, and with its ambitions as strong as ever after 150 years.