People on the Move: Hurst; Vincents Solicitors; Forbes Solicitors; Eversheds Sutherland; Addleshaw Goddard

From left: Tim Potter, James Hamilton and Fiona Wheeler

Accountancy firm Hurst has recruited two managers to its tax advisory team to meet growing demand from clients.

The arrival of James Hamilton and Fiona Wheeler bolsters the firm’s international and private client expertise.

James has joined Hurst from Citibank in London, where he was a manager in its in-house tax department.

Before joining Citibank he worked at Grant Thornton and spent time on secondment at global mining giant Anglo American.

Fiona previously headed the personal tax services and payroll team at Thompson Jones in Bury.

Before joining Thompson Jones she was a tax senior then a private client manager at Booth Ainsworth in Stockport.

Hurst chief executive Tim Potter said: “James and Fiona have lots of experience in specialist areas which are of growing importance to our clients.

“We are seeing a steady rise in requests from across our client base for international tax advice and the appointment of James to our team enhances our ability to meet this demand.

“With Brexit looming there has been a marked increase in the number of entrepreneurial businesses turning to us for advice as they look at new markets outside Europe.

“In addition, we are seeing growing numbers of inbound inquiries from European firms looking at how they can mitigate against Brexit, for example by setting up a UK entity.”

He added: “Fiona brings an important skillset to the firm, having undertaken extensive private client work for entrepreneurs, and her experience complements the wealth management offering we have developed in partnership with Pareto Financial Planning.”

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Vincents Solicitors has welcomed Zoe Fleming, a highly experienced private client lawyer, to the firm.

A member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) and STEP-qualified, Zoe has more than 12 years’ expertise in private client work, primarily in providing legal services for older people.

Zoe will be based at Vincents’ Lytham office, a town where she has worked for more than 12 years, latterly at Roland, Robinson and Fenton, and Dickson Haslam prior to that.

She is one of a handful of solicitors locally to hold a qualification from the Society of Trusts and Estate Planners (STEP), and to be a member of SFE. She also acts as an advisor to Age UK Lancashire on a voluntary basis.

Vincents Solicitors’ MD Phillip Gilmore and Zoe Fleming

Zoe handles the full range of private client issues, such as wills and probate, power of attorney and court of protection work, estate planning and trusts, and specialises in supporting older people or those who need help with care.

She said: “An ageing UK population means a growing need for solicitors with specialist expertise who can support people with capacity issues, be they age-related or otherwise, and help them to plan for their future care.

“Often, clients and their families find they don’t know where to turn when capacity becomes an issue. An experienced solicitor should be the first step as we understand the legal landscape and can support them through the whole process.

“I have a particular interest in dementia care and long-term planning, and work hard to make sure my clients receive the very best possible outcome.

“Coming to Vincents, which puts its clients at the heart of everything and has a very down-to-earth approach, I know I will receive the support I need to continue to advocate successfully on behalf of my clients.”

Phillip Gilmore, Vincents’ managing director, said: “Zoe is known throughout Lytham and South Fylde for her unrivalled knowledge in wills, probate and estate planning, and for her caring approach to her elderly clients, for whom she provides a truly expert service.

“We are delighted to welcome her to Vincents and will be pleased introduce her to our clients around the Fylde Coast and throughout Lancashire over the coming weeks.”

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Jane Burbidge has re-joined North West legal firm Forbes Solicitors as a partner and head of the wills, probate, tax and trusts team.

The move is part of the Law Returners Programme supported by The Law Society and Women’s Returners Network.

Jane qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and first joined Forbes in 2003. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT).

Jane Burbidge

She specialises in estate planning, including drafting wills and trusts and advising on inheritance and other tax issues, dealing with probate matters and administering estates.

Forbes Solicitors’ specialist team of wills, probate, tax and trusts lawyers works to ensure the smooth transfer of wealth from one generation to the next and to safeguard financial security.

Jane, who is based in Preston, said: “It is great to be back at Forbes, working with such a strong team which has a great track record.

“Whether you are a family member or executor, dealing with a will after a person’s death can be a complex affair, which is why our team is dedicated to ensuring the process is dealt with care and compassion.”

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Eversheds Sutherland has continued the expansion of its corporate team with new lateral partner hire, Michael Birchall.

Michael, who will join the global legal practice from Addleshaw Goddard later this year, will assume the role of head of Eversheds Sutherland’s Manchester-based corporate team.

Richard Moulton, partner and co-head of the global corporate and M&A team at Eversheds said: “Michael has an excellent reputation within the legal and corporate markets and will bring a huge wealth of knowledge and experience with him.

“As part of our ‘one team’ corporate strategy, our teams in Leeds and Manchester naturally operate as a single entity based in the North of England. With the addition of Michael our clients will have access to an enhanced corporate capability and a larger pool of partner-led resource from which to draw upon.”

Partner Robin Skelton added: “Michael’s appointment will reaffirm our commitment to the needs of our clients and we are delighted to welcome him on board.

“Michael’s appointment will enable us to continue to work as ‘one team’ to deliver service excellence and quality deal advice to clients locally, nationally and internationally.”

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Criminal and regulatory lawyer Alan Fox has joined Addleshaw Goddard as a legal director in its corporate crime and regulatory investigations team.

The continued growth of the practice follows the 2018 hires of partner David Pygott in London, legal director Tony McGlennan in Scotland and legal director Janie Wong in Hong Kong.

Alan arrives from a 10-year tenure at the Health and Safety Executive, where he was previously head of casework, having also been joint head of legal advisors office and before that a senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service.

“Alan is an extremely well respected criminal and regulatory lawyer, particularly in the health and safety community,” said Erin Shoesmith, head of AG’s health and safety team.

Alan Fox

“Coming from the HSE, he brings a wealth of experience in health and safety law, which will play a crucial part in growing our corporate crime and regulatory investigations practice.

“His tenure at the HSE, and the lens through which he has viewed cases, will be indispensable to our clients.”

Alan’s practice at the HSE focused on criminal and regulatory investigations and prosecutions for the national regulator of workplace health and safety across England and Wales.

His expanded practice at AG will include private prosecutions, compliance, training, public inquiries and deaths in custody cases and corporate crime and investigations generally.

Alan will be based in Manchester and will take the number of lawyers in the corporate crime and regulatory Investigations practice to 30.

Nichola Peters, head of the corporate crime and regulatory investigations group, said: “Alan’s input, as ex-HSE, will have a big impact on the way we deliver advice to clients.

“We have a multi-disciplinary team to reflect the ever-growing sophistication of the regulatory authorities and world of investigations and, as the market continues to develop, we will ensure we have the right team to deliver the advice clients need.”

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