Ed Atkin and Chris Gresswell-Green both left Grimsby to build legal careers elsewhere. On Thursday, they brought a national law firm back with them.
Switalskis opened its 12th office at Fisherman’s Wharf on 12 March, marking the Yorkshire firm’s first venture into North East Lincolnshire. The move puts solicitors specialising in medical negligence, child care law, residential conveyancing and commercial property on the ground in a town where access to specialist legal services has required long journeys to Hull or further afield.
For families navigating child protection cases, the arrival matters in concrete terms. Switalskis can now offer legal aid-funded work in North East Lincolnshire—something regulations require a physical office presence to deliver. Previously, those families faced limited local options or the complexity of working with distant firms.
The 395-person firm already operates 11 offices across Yorkshire and London. Grimsby represents a calculated bet on what the firm describes as a growing legal market in coastal Lincolnshire, where existing clients had been travelling considerable distances for face-to-face meetings.
Atkin, now joint head of residential conveyancing, grew up in Grimsby and retained connections to the town’s property and business networks. Gresswell-Green, a medical negligence director, shares the same roots. Both were instrumental in making the case internally for the expansion.
“Grimsby is my hometown, and home to my co-directors,” Atkin explained. “We have deep knowledge of the local community and its property and business markets and have strong partner connections in the area. Having this local presence will give clients better access to face-to-face contact, which supports our personal approach.”
The office will house solicitors across four core practice areas, but clients can access the firm’s full range of services. The Court of Protection team, which already serves clients in the region, will use the Grimsby base for local meetings. Colleagues from other specialisms across the firm’s network will do the same.
Regional law firms have been expanding their physical footprints over the past three years, responding to client demand for local access combined with specialist expertise that smaller high street practices struggle to maintain. The model relies on scale—national resources and specialist teams supporting multiple offices, each rooted in local markets.
For Grimsby, the investment signals confidence in the town’s economic trajectory. Switalskis is creating what it describes as “skilled jobs” in the area, though the firm hasn’t specified how many roles the office will initially support. Jonathan Hyldon will lead the commercial property work, while Jennifer Heckingbottom joins the child care team alongside CEO John Durkan, who attended the opening.
The legal aid element deserves emphasis. Child care law—representing parents or family members in cases where local authorities seek to remove children—relies heavily on legal aid funding. Many firms have retreated from this work due to low fees and high complexity. Having a firm willing to take on legal aid cases locally prevents families from facing proceedings without proper representation.
Atkin framed the move as both personal and strategic. “Our Grimsby office opening is a natural step for us as we have existing clients in North East Lincolnshire,” he noted. “It reinforces our model of delivering local access backed by national expertise. We plan to create skilled jobs here and contribute positively to the area’s professional and economic life. I’m thrilled that we’re investing in the future of this town and the local region.”
The Fisherman’s Wharf location puts the office in a redeveloped waterfront area that has seen gradual regeneration over recent years. Whether the legal services market in Grimsby can sustain additional competition—and whether Switalskis can convert its existing client base into a foundation for growth—will become clearer over the next 18 months.
For now, two former Grimsby residents have reversed the familiar pattern of young professionals leaving coastal towns for opportunities elsewhere. They’ve brought the opportunities back with them.
