Movers & Shakers: North East
2022
January
Sintons has appointed private client solicitor Nikita Noel as a member of the wills, trusts and probate team.
Silk Family Law solicitor, Eleanor Lowes, has been appointed to the YRes National Committee.
The appointments of 101 new Queen’s Counsel have been announced. In Leeds: Lisa Linklater (Exchange Chambers), Charlotte Worsley (Park Square Barristers); and in Sheffield: Joseph O’Brien and Richard Thyne (St Johns Buildings) have been appointed.
Broadway House Chambers has welcomed Emily Hughes and Ella Embleton as full tenants, with effect from 4 January 2022, following the successful completion of their pupillage.
Broadway House Chambers has announced that Lydia Pearce, Nicola Hoskins and Fen Greatley-Hirsch are now Grade 2 CPS advocate panel members.
Exchange Chambers has welcomed former solicitor Satpal Roth as a new member based in Leeds.
Park Square Barristers has been joined by Jade Bucklow as a member of the healthcare regulatory and inquest & inquiries teams.
Park Square Barristers has been joined by Samreen Akhtar.
Park Square Barristers has announced that Chris Wood has been appointed to the CPS RASSO panel as a grade 3 counsel.
Park Square Barristers has announced that a number of its members have had their CPS grade increased. Laura Addy and Katie Duffy are now grade 4’s. Jon Harley has been appointed a grade 3 on the serious fraud panel list. Timothy Jacobs, Holly Clegg and Joe Hudson are grade 3’s. Chelsea Brooke-Ward, Eleanor Mitten, Helena Spector and Eleanor Durdy are grade 2’s.
The appointments of 101 new Queen’s Counsel have been announced. In Newcastle David Lamb (Dere Street) and Simon Goldberg (Trinity Chambers) have been appointed.
Park Square Barristers is to open a new office in Middlesbrough, based on Centre Square, in March 2022.
Dere Street is opening a new office in Middlesbrough, based at 2 Centre Square, early in 2022.
February
Charlotte Patterson-Ryan has joined Muckle LLP as a senior associate.
Dere Street Barristers has announced that Jodie James-Stadden has been appointed as a Fee paid Judge of the First- tier Tribunal, assigned to the Property Chamber for the Northern region.
Seth Kitson (call 2017) has joined Trinity Chambers as a member of the business and property team.
March
Ward Hadaway has announced that partner Julia Thomson, based in the Newcastle office, has been appointed as head of social housing and has overall responsibility for leading the team across the three regional offices in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.
BHP Law has promoted Jemma Ebdon to partner in the conveyancing department.
Ward Hadaway has promoted Jeremy Hardy to director within the property litigation team based in the Newcastle office. Meanwhile, former trainee of the firm, John Hendry, has qualified as a solicitor into the property litigation team.
Muckle LLP has welcomed Matthew Brady as a member of the dispute resolution team.
BHP Law has welcomed three solicitors to the team: Janet Ford; Rachel Alder; and Tracy Farman. Ford joins the residential conveyancing team. Alder joins the personal disputes resolution team. Farman joins the personal injury and medical negligence.
Ward Hadaway has announced that Alistair McDonald has been promoted to strategic business development director for the built environment team.
April
Winn Solicitors has created a new team, the serious and technical injury claims team by merging the EL/EP technical claims and complex teams. The new team will be led by associate director David Dewar.
Sintons has announced that Charlotte Johnston has qualified as a solicitor having successfully completed her training contract. Johnston takes up a role in the firm’s commercial property team.
Newly qualified solicitors, Annabella Dolling and Jessica Leech, have joined Ben Hoare Bell’s family law department, following the successful completion of their training contracts. They both joined the firm as paralegals in 2018.
Muckle LLP has welcomed Laura Keegan to its banking and restructuring team. With over 13 years’ experience in the sector, Keegan joins the firm as a senior associate. She specialises in supporting lenders and borrowers in the banking sector, advising and supporting insolvency practitioners, directors and creditors on a wide range of insolvency matters – and in her new role will be looking to expand the insolvency litigation offering that Muckle provides.
Shakespeare Martineau has appointed two business development business partners in Nottingham and Birmingham. Lois Pryor will be responsible for the firm’s residential development, commercial property and development, building communities, build to rent, and logistics legal teams. Perri Blakey will support the firm’s corporate department, as well as its East Midlands and South Yorkshire hubs in Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln and Sheffield.
Dere Street Barristers has announced that Katie Spence has successfully completed her probationary tenancy. Spence joined chambers as a probationary tenant practising exclusively in criminal law in October 2021 after working for 18 months as an in-house barrister for a criminal firm in London.
Oliver Longstaff, a member of the civil team at Dere Street Barristers, is to be appointed area coroner for West Yorkshire, covering the Leeds and Wakefield areas, with effect from 18 April 2022.
Following the successful completion of his pupillage, Stephen Williams has become a full tenant at Trinity Chambers. A Court of Protection and adult care specialist, previously worked as a solicitor, qualifying in 2011.
May
Muckle LLP has promoted Richard Nixon, Julie Garbutt and Amy Sergison to partners. Nixon joined the firm’s real estate team in 2010 as a solicitor and specialises in drafting and negotiating real estate documents. Garbutt is a specialist in all aspects of personal estate planning for individuals, business clients and their families. She advises on wills, family trusts, inheritance planning, business succession, asset protection and Court of Protection work. Sergison is part of the employment and business immigration team. She advises on all aspects of contentious and non- contentious employment law, from recruitment through to dismissal. She also leads the team on providing business immigration advice.
Sintons has announced the promotion of Paul Collingwood to partner in its private client department. He advises on the administration of estates, the preparation of wills, advising on succession planning and inheritance tax for business owners and preparing personal injury trusts and other lifetime trusts and in advising trustees on their role. He is experience in Court of Protection matters, including dealing with applications for
Clifford Chance has announced that it will relocate its Newcastle office from Partnership House to The Lumen, located on Newcastle Helix in the city centre, with effect from Autumn 2022.
Eversheds Sutherland (International) has promoted 17 lawyers to legal director, with effect from 1 May 2022. In Newcastle, Suzanne Caveney (employment) has been promoted.
Muckle LLP has promoted Sara Worsick, Tom Justice, Olivia Colbeck, Kate Rickett, Ben Thompson and Zoe Ditch to associates. Worsick joined the corporate team in 2016 after completing her training contract in Cumbria. After training with the firm, Justice qualified into Muckle’s commercial team in 2016. Colbeck is part of the private client team, advising on wills, lasting powers of attorney, probate, family trusts and inheritance planning. Rickett qualified into the real estate team in 2017 and Thompson qualified into the real estate team in 2016. Ditch qualified into the banking team in 2013 and acts for a range of clients including national banks, alternative finance providers, corporate and individual borrowers, charities and local authorities.
Sintons has promoted Lauren Fraser to associate in the wills, trusts and probate team. Suzanne Dixon has been appointed as a senior associate in the residential conveyancing team.
June
Ward Hadaway has appointed Gemma Iceton as a partner in its family and matrimonial team in Newcastle.
DAC Beachcroft has announced the promotion of 18 colleagues to legal director with effect from 1 May 2022. Sophie Devlin (health, care & public law) and Helen Laight (claims solutions) have been promoted in Newcastle.
Richard Reed Solicitors has welcomed solicitor Kat Moody to the firm’s dispute resolution team. Moody qualified in 2013 and acts for private and commercial clients on matters including employment law, professional negligence, debt recovery, landlord and tenant work, and contested probate.
Helen Woodford has joined the pensions team at Wrigleys on a permanent basis, following her recent involvement with the firm in a consultancy role. Working from the firm’s Newcastle and Leeds office, she acts for regional and nationwide clients.
July
Ward Hadaway has promoted Kerry Adcock (public sector) and Louise Cannell- Mirza (children & safeguarding) to partner in the Newcastle office.
Project finance lawyer, Andrew Coddington has joined the banking and restructuring team at Muckle LLP. With over 20 years’ experience, Coddington joins the firm as a partner and has a wealth of experience acting for both borrowers and lenders, with particular expertise in energy, acquisition and Islamic finance.
Burnetts solicitors has announced that bran injury specialist and serious injury partner Paul Brown has been reinstated as a member of Newcastle Law Society after stepping down due to his charitable commitments.
Slater and Gordon has recently opened premises in Newcastle. The new North-East base, on Newcastle’s Quayside, will be home to clinical negligence lawyers John Lowther and Georgie Redshaw, serious injury lawyers John Davis and Kate Nicklin, as well as new employment senior associates Sally Fletcher and Gill Reid.
Hill Dickinson has opened a new office in Newcastle based in Rotterdam House. Andrea Proudlock joins Hill Dickinson from DAC Beachcroft as a partner in the health team and head of office for Newcastle. Also joining the team in Newcastle are Richard Hartis, senior associate in health real estate and Sophie Robertson, a commercial health associate.
Hay & Kilner is relocating its headquarters to The Lumen, St James’ Boulevard, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5BZ.
Caroline Manningham, head of Court of Protection at Burnetts solicitors, has become a full member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners.
August
Stowe Family Law LLP has opened an office in Durham. Stowe’s family law team in Durham is headed up by managing partner Chris Birch who is joined by partners Nicky Hunter and Sarah Crilly, and solicitor David Allen.
Muckle LLP has announced that newly qualified solicitor, Gillian Scribbins has joined the firm’s dispute resolution team.
Sweeney Miller has announced that private client solicitor Gemma Brown has gained the STEP Certificate in Trusts and Estates (England & Wales).
Harvey Murray has been appointed as a Circuit Judge and has been deployed to the North Eastern Circuit, based at Teesside Combined Court.
The Bar Council has announced the appointment of Kathryn Stone OBE as chair of the Bar Standards Board.
Two new members have been appointed to the Scottish Sentencing Council. Summary sheriff Amel Elfallah joins the Council as a judicial member, while Louise Arrol takes on the role of advocate member. Both have been appointed for five-year terms.
Kirsty Stuart, an associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, is set to become chair of the Law Society’s mental health and disability committee from 1 September 2022.
September
Hay & Kilner has announced a double appointment to its dispute resolution team. Guy Barr and Adam Chaffer have joined the Newcastle-headquartered firm as senior associate and associate respectively.
Georgia Sproat has qualified into the banking and restructuring team at Muckle LLP.
Three solicitors at David Gray Solicitors have obtained specialist accreditations. Senior associate, Claire Hunter, is now an accredited mental capacity (welfare) solicitor. Gael Phillips, a solicitor in the family team, has gained her children law accreditation from the Law Society, while family solicitor, Sukhi Patter, has passed her mediation accreditation.
Sweeney Miller Law has welcomed newly-qualified solicitors Stephanie Rutherford and Niamh Farrell to the firm on the successful completion of their training contracts.
Daniel Earle has qualified into the corporate team at Sintons.
October
Sintons has added an employment partner to its team. Max Winthrop has significant experience in advising clients nationally on a wide range of issues and joins from another North East firm.
Smith & Graham has appointed Jonathan McGowan, a medical negligence and personal injury specialist, as a partner.
Womble Bond Dickinson has made a number of promotions to managing associate in the Newcastle office, including David Ridley, Oliver Rickett, Todd Rayner and Peter Cantwell in the corporate and commercial team. Also in the Newcastle office, Alice Causer and Ellen Rutherford have been promoted to managing associate in the private wealth team and Jenny Smith to managing associate in the real estate team. Meanwhile, the firm has also made a number of promotions to associate in the Newcastle office, including Georgia Whitfield and Laura McIntyre in the corporate and commercial team, Lorena Hoxhaj and Paige Lewis in the dispute resolution team, and Iain Stewart in private wealth.
Mincoffs Solicitors has welcomed Julie Parr to the firm as its new chief operating officer
Mincoffs Solicitors has announced that Grace Hughes has qualified as a solicitor and had joined the corporate department, after successfully completing her training contract at the firm.
The wills, trusts and estates team at Sintons has appointment a highly experienced new specialist. Katie Gosling joins the team as a senior associate with over a decade of experience of supporting private clients with the preparation of wills and trusts, alongside complex estate and tax planning matters.
The family team at law firm Sintons continues to grow with the appointment of a new solicitor. Ifi Archibong is a family law specialist who has particular experience in handling divorce and separation matters, domestic violence issues and cases involving children.
Smith & Graham has been joined by newly qualified solicitor, Zarah Rowntree. Meanwhile, the firm has been joined by paralegal Andrew Temple.
Sintons has appointed Gemma Hewitt as its new head of people services.
November
Burnetts solicitors has appointed Paul Bell as a corporate partner.
Hay & Kilner has welcomed solicitor Jessica Cousin to its corporate and commercial team. Meanwhile, the firm has welcomed Ashleigh Barrett as a solicitor in the commercial property team.
