People on the Move: Ward Hadaway; Addleshaw Goddard; Roger Hannah & Co; Tosca Debt Capital; Trowers & Hamlins

Ward Hadaway’s six newly-qualified solicitors took a well-deserved break at Quayside Seaside recently in celebration of their new appointments.

Mona Mojtabavi and Tom Goodburn from the Manchester office, Andrew Craven, Sarah Adamson and Holly Vevers from the Newcastle office, and Natalie Payne from the Leeds office were joined by Ward Hadaway’s managing partner Martin Hulls and executive partners for Leeds and Manchester, John Murray and Paul Johnson, respectively.

During their two-year training contracts the NQs (newly qualifieds) have worked in different departments across the firm to get a flavour of various areas of law, including corporate, private client, employment and property.

Tom Goodburn, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two years with Ward Hadaway during my training contract.

“The firm’s strong presence across the North was a major draw when applying and one of the major aspects which I have enjoyed has been the chance to work with so many fantastic clients who operate in my home region.

“The opportunity to learn from so many experienced solicitors within the firm has been invaluable to my development and I look forward to continuing to build my career here.”

Martin Hulls, managing partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “I would like to personally congratulate all of our NQs on their success with Ward Hadaway.

“As a firm we are dedicated to the development of all of our people, investing in them and encouraging them to try something different. We believe this is crucial in order to deliver the best service to our clients.”

“The high number of trainees who choose to stay on with us is testament to us having the best working environment and career opportunities available at the firm.”

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Addleshaw Goddard has announced the promotion of 14 of its lawyers in its Manchester office.

The firm has promoted six to legal director and a further eight to managing associate.

Those promoted to legal director are: Sue Bennett, Jemma Clarke, Sam Haigh, Louise Jones, Ben Edwards and Steph Townley.

Those promoted to managing associate are: Frances Proctor, Adam Barrett, Joe Cobb, Lisa Slevin, Andrew Bayley, Natalie Bromley, Jessica Burgess and Kate Jones.

The firm has also welcomed its fourth cohort of legal apprentices.

Some of the new AG apprentices

Ten apprentices have joined the firm as part of its transaction services team, five of which will be based in its Manchester office.

The Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship, delivered in conjunction with BPP Law School, incorporates the equivalent of a first year of an undergraduate law degree.

The two-year programme will provide the 10 apprentices with extensive in-house and external training as well as tailored assessments providing them with the legal and administrative skills to progress into other roles within TST and the firm.

Upon completion of the qualification, the apprentices will be promoted to paralegals and can continue with further study, including the option to progress on to the Solicitor Apprenticeship scheme which offers ambitious individuals an alternative route to becoming fully qualified solicitors at AG.

Mike Potter, head of the transaction services team, said: “The legal profession continues to change and as a firm we must continue to adopt our way of working to fit with these changes, one being the way we recruit our lawyers of tomorrow.

“We see apprenticeships as an invaluable opportunity for harnessing talent. Our long-standing apprenticeship programme is standout in giving apprentices immediate experience of the workplace, and is an excellent alternative to the traditional university route to qualification.”

AG first launched its legal apprenticeship programme in 2013, and since then has recruited 22 paralegal apprentices and six solicitor apprentices.

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Roger Hannah & Co has recruited Matthew Godwin to further expand the Manchester firm’s already highly experienced building consultancy team.

Matthew joins with more than 10 years’ post-graduation experience working across both public and private sectors, having relocated to his North West roots from Newcastle.

Matthew Godwin

The firm said his strength in project-related works will be an invaluable part of its expansion plans.

Matthew said: “The opportunity to join Roger Hannah & Co within the building consultancy team was something I simply could not turn down.

“The business will help to progress my career over the coming years and I’m looking forward to helping the team develop and moving the business forward.”

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Tosca Debt Capital (TDC) has appointed a new assistant portfolio director, bringing the Manchester-based lender’s total headcount to 10.

Polly Tames joins the team from Bench, having spent 13 years with the British streetwear brand.

Polly Tames

In her new role Polly will work with TDC’s portfolio director, Victoria Daly, in managing its growing investment portfolio.

TDC’s latest appointment lays the foundation for continued deal-making in regional markets, with a particular focus on unlocking the potential of SMEs within the Northern Powerhouse.

Richard Williams, partner at TDC, said: “Polly is a great addition and brings a unique insight and understanding of our clients’ point of view, having sat on the opposite side of the table during her time at Bench.

“The last 12 months have been very strong for us – our focus remains on the conversion of our strong deals pipeline as we move towards the launch of fundraising for Fund III, which will bring us closer to achieving our 2023 vision of reaching £1bn in funds under management.”

Polly said: “It’s an exciting time to join TDC and I look forward to supporting regional SMEs and entrepreneurial management teams, and using my industry knowledge to benefit my colleagues, clients and investors.”

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Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has recruited new real estate partner, Chris Parkinson.

Chris joins the Trowers Manchester office from Brabners where he previously worked in both the Liverpool and Manchester offices, latterly as head of residential development.

Chris has more than 20 years’ experience in real estate with particular emphasis on land, development agreements and regeneration of urban and brownfield sites.

His clients include housebuilders, planning promotion companies, developers and property investment companies.

Developments in the Manchester office continue with the expansion of the corporate team with the addition of Kavita Roy and the promotion of projects & construction expert Tom Holroyd to the firm’s partnership.

Suzanne Benson, partner and head of the Manchester office said: “I am delighted that Chris has decided to join us at Trowers.

“His appointment will further strengthen our real estate offering in the North West, particularly in the private sector market.

“This is a very exciting time for us in Manchester right now and the growth of the team reflects the increased diversity of our service and our client base across the North West and beyond.”

Chris Parkinson added: “It’s great to be part of the Trowers team and its ambitions for growth.

“It feels like a really good fit bringing my private sector background, work and contacts to the firm to complement the established expertise that Trowers has in the commercial, housing, private residential and public sector markets – it’s a great team right across the practice.”

From left: Chris Parkinson, Kavita Roy and Tom Holroyd

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