LIVERPOOL-BASED law firm Hill Dickinson last night swooped on the assets of regional rival Halliwells as it crashed into administration.

Hill Dickinson has paid an undisclosed sum to acquire Halliwells’ Liverpool office and part of its Sheffield operation, in a deal that will add £10m to the firm’s annual fee income.

Also last night, Halliwells appointed BDO as administrators. It brought to an end almost four weeks of anguish at the Manchester-based firm, which started when it lodged a notice of intent to appoint administrators on June 26.

Partners at the firm cited high property costs and the economic downturn as reasons behind its downfall.

Now more than 100 of its staff will transfer to Hill Dickinson.

That includes 89 people moving from Halliwells’ Plaza offices to Hill Dickinson’s nearby St Paul’s Square base, and another 36 Sheffield staff, who mostly work in commercial law. The Liverpool staff were surreptitiously moved to Hill Dickinson over the weekend.

Hill Dickinson’s managing partner, Peter Jackson, revealed his firm has been in talks with Halliwells since April and that his partnership voted to go ahead with the deal two weeks ago.

But, just hours after the administration order was accepted by the courts yesterday afternoon, Hill Dickinson signed the deal to take on a portion of Halliwells’ assets. Deals were also anticipated for Birmingham law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing to take on the commercial part of Halliwells’ Manchester office and for Barlow, Lyde and Gilbert to acquire the insurance practice in Manchester.