Malcolm
Simpson

Malcolm is our Managing Partner and has overall responsibility for the firm, as well as over  30 years’ experience handling commercial disputes.

Known for his pragmatic and fiercely commercial approach, Malcolm fights hard for his clients and he sets an ambitious and challenging agenda in leading the firm – aiming to give all 500 Walker Morris people a bright and exciting future.

As well as being an accomplished trial lawyer, Malcolm resolves disputes via arbitration, and more frequently by negotiation. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and a CEDR accredited mediator.

Lasting relationships and world class clients

Building lasting relationships with clients and being an integral part of their leadership team is incredibly rewarding, and, Malcolm says, “one of the great things about disputes work is the variety. It’s been a privilege to represent some of the best-known names in the business world, some global and some national brands, but all truly world-class”.

Malcolm always takes a strategic approach to solving his clients’ disputes, making sure he understands where they want to get to and then formulating a plan to reach that outcome. “Yorkshire grit and a healthy amount of self-awareness definitely helps”, he says.  “I play to my strengths and understand my weaknesses, which helps me build the best team”

People first

Whether in his leadership role or advising clients, for Malcolm “it’s all about bringing people with you”. On home turf in Leeds, where he grew up,  Malcolm was the first person in his family to stay on at school, and after working for a bank at the age of 18, he discovered law through the banking exams.

His family were worried about him giving up a “job for life” when he made the decision to go to university, but he went “without a backwards glance” and he (and his family) couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Malcolm has been recognised as a leading litigation lawyer by both Chambers and the Legal 500 for many years.  He was a judge for The Lawyer’s prestigious European Awards for a number of years, is listed in Best Lawyers in the UK and recognised in the prestigious Acritas Stars database as a stand-out lawyer. He is the long-standing adviser to a number of global and major UK corporations and has strong connections with law firms in the US, Europe and Asia.