People on the move: McAlister Family Law; Fieldfisher; Mason; One

L-R Jonathan Casey, Amanda McAlister and Chris Fairhurst

Manchester-based McAlister Family Law owner Amanda McAlister has further boosted her team with the appointment of Chris Fairhurst as partner and Jonathan Casey as solicitor.

The firm, founded only a matter of months ago, has set its sights on being the UK’s ‘go to’ authority on all family law matters, with a mission to provide expert advice and guidance to clients within a framework of empathy and truthfulness.

Fairhurst, 48, an acknowledged expert in the realm of children’s issues, is one of only a small number of dual-qualified Resolution and Children Panel accredited specialists in the country, and a recognised authority in the matter of complex child abduction cases, as well as national and international relocation issues.

The married father of four brings to the firm more than two decades of experience, and frequently is called upon by national broadcast and print media to provide expert comment on relevant children’s issues and family law matters.

Prior to joining McAlister Family Law, Fairhurst held positions at Slater and Gordon and Stephensons.

Jonathan Casey, 28, who achieved a first in law at Liverpool John Moores University, also worked at Slater and Gordon in Manchester, and before that Haworth and Gallagher in Birkenhead.

He has a particular interest in Tolata (Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996) cases, a complicated area of law relating to the ownership of land as it pertains to cohabitees. He also represents parents locked highly contentious residence and child contact disputes and is experienced in advising parties in intractable and alienated parent cases, some involving allegations of addiction, emotional, physical or sexual abuse.

Casey is also well known on the music scene, having his own band, The Jon Casey Blues Band, a four-piece that has played all over Europe, including support gigs with international artists such as Andy Fairweather Low and Dr Feelgood.

Casey and Fairhurst will work closely together in their new roles.

McAlister said: “I’m delighted to welcome our new recruits on board. Both bring particular specialisms that complement the already comprehensive offering here at McAlister Family Law, and both are dedicated to delivering a service to our clients that vastly exceeds their expectations.

“With Chris and Jonathan as key members of our team, our plan to position McAlister Family Law as one of the UK’s leading family law firms is fully on course.”

Fairhurst said: “I believe, very strongly, in the culture and ethos of McAlister Family Law, so to be a part of this exciting new firm fits perfectly with my own outlook and ambitions. I am very much looking forward to our working together to shape, in a positive and holistic fashion, the provision of family law in the UK.”

Casey added: “Joining McAlister Family Law from Slater and Gordon was the opportunity of a lifetime, and one which offers me the chance to focus on some of the most challenging areas of family law. We really are developing into a force to be reckoned with.”

McAlister Family Law is part of Beyond Professional Services Group.

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Medical negligence law firm Fieldfisher has hired Jenny Urwin – Slater and Gordon Lawyers’ Manchester head of clinical negligence.

Urwin will join Fieldfisher’s as a partner on March 19 and will lead the firm’s Manchester practice.

She began her career at Pannone Solicitors in 1993 and became a principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon in 2014.

Urwin specialises in all aspects of claimant clinical negligence for adults and children. She has a particular focus on maximum severity cases, such as cerebral palsy and other complex birth injuries, amputations, brain injuries and blindness or loss of vision.

She also specialises in wrongful birth cases, particularly those relating to Down’s Syndrome, severe congenital brain disorders and congenital abnormalities.

Her career includes securing multiple million-pound settlements for clients.

Paul McNeil, head of personal injury and medical negligence at Fieldfisher, said “Jenny is an exceptional clinical negligence lawyer who is committed to her clients on whose behalf she has obtained outstanding results. We are delighted that Jenny is joining Fieldfisher and the founding partner in our Manchester clinical negligence team.”

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Cheshire-based PR and marketing company Mason Media has rebranded as Mason and made a series of senior hires.

The agency, which celebrates its 15th anniversary later this year, has recruited Emma Blackmore and Nick Huber as senior strategists.

Also joining the 10-strong team in the role of chief operating officer is experienced entrepreneur Jon Wyles, former chief executive of private equity-backed self-storage brand Smart Storage.

The firm anticipates adding further members to the team and is also considering potential acquisitions.

Mason was established in 2003 by former Daily Mail journalists Nick and Lucy Mason and provides its clients with a full suite of PR and marketing services from its office in Neston, Cheshire.

Nick Mason, chief strategist, said: “While PR and Content remains a pivotal part of what we do, we now provide many of our clients with a more integrated service offering.

“We have content writers and film makers working alongside designers and web developers to give our clients the right strategic advice and delivery in both the B2B and B2C space.”

Blackmore has more than15 years working in PR and marketing and has also worked as head of commercial for the Chester Race Company. Huber is an experienced business journalist and PR consultant.

Strategy director Lucy Mason said: “Emma and Nick are fantastic additions to our team – both are serious players with great track records.

“Jon used to be a client but is now working with us on a growth plan for our own business. We expect to make further hires and are also interested in talking to the owners of complementary businesses who may be seeking an exit or interested in joining forces.”

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Sale-based integrated communications agency One has recruited several marketeers across the business.

Leading the pack is senior Drupal developer, Michael Trestianu, who will be using his five years’ experience to translate client requirements into bespoke digital solutions.

Drupal is an open source content management system (CMS) which is particularly useful for scalable and ambitious website projects.

Michael is Drupal certified and specialises in backend development. He said: “One has built itself a fantastic reputation over the years thanks to its excellent track record and impressive roster of clients, so I am do delighted that it has chosen to welcome me onto its digital team.

“With so many new digital clients, it’s a very exciting time to be joining the agency and I can’t wait to start tackling the new and exciting challenges they will bring.”

Charlotte Foster has joined the client services team as senior account executive, while the PR and social team has welcomed Grace James as PR account executive and Sean Cresswell as social account executive.

Providing support across the agency is digital marketing executive Alex Woolley has been tasked with optimising digital strategy by monitoring the performance of online channels, managing PPC campaigns and providing client insights.

Wayne Silver, managing director at One, said: “We believe it’s important to hire the very best in marketing talent in order to help us deliver the highest quality service and boost the businesses of our growing client roster.

“All five recruits have already shown diverse talents and we look forward to seeing the unique creative visions they will each bring to the agency.”

Offering digital, PR, social media, advertising and design services to a range of B2B and B2C clients, the agency’s client roster includes Hoover, Taylor Wimpey, United Utilities and Bupa.

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