People: Law firm adds to property litigation team with Pinsent Masons hire; PwC announces string of appointments and promotions; and more

Director, Paul Pinder (left) and associate solicitor, Thomas Walsh (right), join Martyn Liberson’s property litigation team at law firm Emms Gilmore Liberson.

A specialist lawyer with more than 13 years’ experience in dealing with complex commercial, mixed-use and residential development schemes has joined the property litigation division at Emms Gilmore Liberson (EGL) from Pinsent Masons.

Paul Pinder has been appointed as director and will work alongside partner,Martyn Liberson in developing the law firm’s expanding client base.

He is joined by Thomas Walsh, a University of Law Birmingham graduate, who takes up the position of associate solicitor within EGL’s property litigation team.

Pinder brings significant experience of advising UK and international pension funds, institutional investors, public sector landlords and private developers. He will be responsible for advising clients in all areas of property litigation matters, encompassing site assembly, vacant possession strategies, statutory compliance and mixed-use commercial-residential structuring, including service charge consultations and lease extension claims.

He moves to EGL from Pinsent Masons in Manchester, where he was head of the housing law property disputes team, having previously held senior positions at DLA Piper and Nabarro.

He said: “I am very pleased to be joining such a well respected firm with an impressive client base that shares the same values of investing in its clients and people. EGL has a track record of providing a first class client service and quality advice through a personal approach underpinned by highly skilled and trained lawyers that are specialised in dealing with complex cases. I am very excited to have moved to Birmingham to further my career and look forward to working alongside Martyn and the team.”

Martyn Liberson, partner at EGL, said: “We are delighted to welcome two hugely talented professionals to our busy property litigation team at different stages of their respective careers. Paul Pinder is in an unrivalled position as there are very few property litigators in the West Midlands with his specialist background and deep knowledge of the property sector, having spent the major part of his career working in two global law firms. Clients will be advantaged by Paul’s blend of technical skills combined with a very ‘can do’ approach to client’s problems.  His appointment gives EGL the opportunity to develop our constantly growing client base and standing in the Midlands and London.

“Thomas Walsh demonstrates our commitment to recruiting and developing young talent and adds value to what is already an exceptionally skilled property litigation team.”

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James Andrews, Anna Roberts and Alan Carroll.

PwC Midlands has strengthened its tax team with the appointment of two partners and five directors.

James Andrews (partner) and Anna Roberts (director) join PwC’s growing Midlands tax team, and will be based in the Birmingham office.

Andrews has been appointed as a Transfer Pricing (TP) and Value Chain Transformation (VCT) partner.  He has spent his career in the Midlands working alongside multinational and PE backed businesses of all sizes and across a range of industries. He joins from KPMG where he led the Midlands TP Team as well as the Financial Transactions TP network across their regional offices.

Roberts joins as an M&A tax director from KPMG where she spent 13 years focusing on M&A and international tax. She brings experience of working across industries, sectors and jurisdictions, and has provided tax advice to a diverse client base ranging from PE-backed business and multinational groups through to privately owned business.

Both join the firm in addition to the following internal promotions of international tax specialist Alan Carroll to partner, along with Thomas Rees, Carolyn Norfolk, Jon Clements and Aidan Coleman to director.

Carroll, who has been with PwC since 2003,  has been promoted to partner with a focus on international tax and inward investment to the UK, having worked across the international tax, large corporate and deals markets for the firm in both the UK and the US.

Trusha Kachhela, partner and tax leader for PwC in the Midlands, said: “I’m delighted to announce these appointments, demonstrating our continued commitment to strengthening our tax practice in the Midlands. These latest appointments bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to benefit our clients and strengthen our market position.

“We are proud of our diverse and inclusive workforce and continue to invest in colleagues at all levels to achieve our growth ambitions and to our meet clients’ needs.”

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Cushman & Wakefield has expanded its development and panning team in Birmingham with the appointment of Hannah Lorna Bevins as planner.

Bevins joins from Wood in Leamington Spa. She has four years’ experience in providing planning advice to landowners and developers, working with clients including Homes England. She has also provided research support for the re-opening and expansions of both Manston Airport and Heathrow Airport.

In her new role, she will be responsible for planning appeals, applications and public consultations as well as supporting the wider planning team. She will report to Mark Jackson, planning partner in Birmingham.

Cushman & Wakefield’s nine-strong development and planning team in Birmingham has worked on a wide range of key development projects in the Midlands including the redevelopment of the former Royal Hospital Site in Wolverhampton for Homes England and Godwin Development’s 17 storey Landmark Tower in Derby, which was approved on 10 January.

Jackson said: “We are pleased to welcome Hannah. Her experience, particularly in residential planning, will be a great asset to the team and our clients as we continue to grow.”

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GVA has appointed Craig Alsbury as head of a combined planning, development and regeneration (PDR) service in the Midlands.

He will oversee the newly amalgamated offer which will bring all 21 of the Midlands offices’ planning and regeneration experts into a single, combined team.

Alsbury said: “Historically it made sense to operate two teams out of our Midlands office and we have been extremely successful working that way. But the old structure has become less relevant with time and we have an opportunity now to do things differently and better.

“We are fortunate to have an extremely strong client base spanning both the private and public sectors; perhaps the best that I’ve seen in my time at GVA and this, combined with a really strong pipeline of work, means that the future is looking exceedingly positive.”

He added: “Couple with the impending Avison Young merger and our upcoming move into new office space at Brindleyplace, we couldn’t be doing this at a better time.”

His appointment follows the retirement of former joint head of PDR in the Midlands, Stephen Hollowood.

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