People: Solicitors bolsters medical law team; National legal firm appoints new partner; and more

Langleys Solicitors has strengthened its medical law team with the appointment of Sarah Merrikin.

Merrikin, a chartered legal executive, joins the team from Chattertons Solicitors and will specialise in clinical negligence.

York-based Langleys has also promoted Layah Sampson from legal administrator to paralegal while Georgina Ravencroft has been promoted to legal administrator.

The moves come as the medical law team has been successful in the legal aid tender process, being awarded a further contract to act for those who have suffered from a brain injury during their mother’s pregnancy, the child’s birth or within the first eight weeks of their lives.

Andrew Cragg, a partner and head of the medical law team, said: “I am very pleased to welcome our new members of the team and congratulate those who have been promoted.

“Our growing team, along with our recognised medical negligence expertise, means that we can continue to support and deliver services to families in need, specifically those with brain injured children through the renewal of our legal aid contract which demonstrates our specialism in this area.”

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National law firm Simpson Millar is expanding its Public Law team with the appointment of partner and education and community care specialist, Sarah Woosey.

Based in Leeds and representing clients across England and Wales, Woosey brings with her a wealth of experience securing education and wider service provisions for children and young adults with a wide range of special needs and disabilities; including securing SEN assessments for children and young people advising on Education Health Care Plans and challenging school placements.

Having been recognised by the Legal 500 for her work, Woosey joins from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors where she spent more than three years working in the Public Law and Human Rights team and more recently, headed up their Newcastle-based Public Law team.

Greg Cox, Simpson Millar CEO, said: “We’re delighted to be able to welcome Sarah to our established, national Public Law and Education team.

“She is a well-regarded lawyer with a truly impressive track record, and her wealth of experience securing education and wider service provisions for people with special needs will make her a fantastic addition to the firm and a great advocate for new and existing clients based all around the country.

“Sarah will be based in our Leeds office, which is a key location for our Public Law department.”

Woosey returns to Simpson Millar where she trained and subsequently worked as a solicitor for a number of years. She continues to have close links to the Newcastle area where she also sits on the Board of the regional charity, Skills for People.

Woesey said: “I am very much looking forward to re-joining Simpson Millar at what is such an exciting time of growth and expansion.

“Simpson Millar is very much a firm that puts their clients at the heart of their work and makes a real difference to the lives of the people they act on behalf of; I look forward to working alongside the already well-established and well-respected Public Law and Education team. To ensure our clients receive the very best representation in the cases that mean so much to them.”

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Wrigleys Solicitors has appointed Hannah Allen, James Haikney and Kimberley Woodhead to its Leeds office.

Hannah Allen has previously worked in private client firms and comes to Wrigleys from a small North Yorkshire firm which has acts for a few clients of a type not dissimilar to Wrigleys’ client base.

Allen deals with all aspects of private client work, and specialises in succession and long-term asset protection for farmers and clients with landed estates.

Hannah said: “Wrigleys is a prestigious northern law firm specialising in the private client field. Before joining the firm, I was working with farming and landed clients and felt that if I wanted to be the best in my chosen area of expertise, the only place to become such would be at Wrigleys.”

James Haikney joins Wrigleys from DLA Piper and brings with him a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of energy-related matters, in particular in the renewables sector. Haikney has worked on some of Europe’s most high-profile renewable energy projects, including advising on the project contracts for the Fosen Wind projects in Norway.

Haikney has advised on the delivery of more than 30 wind and solar projects since 2013.

James added: “There are very few law firms out there serving the third sector on a dedicated basis, and even fewer where I can continue to develop my professional specialism in renewable energy to assist clients in the sector, which was a big draw in joining the firm. Everyone at Wrigleys is encouraged to follow their passions and that dedication really shows in how the team works on a day-to-day basis.”

Kimberley Woodhead trained at Addleshaw Goddard and joins Wrigleys on qualification. She deals with a wide range of private client work including wills, powers of attorney, tax planning, the administration of estates and matters relating to trusts.

Woodhead said: “From day one, it has been clear that Wrigleys has at its core fairness. Before joining the firm, I had heard nothing but positive things about the people that work here and the culture they foster. Now that I am here, I can understand why, because everyone I have met so far has been both welcoming and friendly.”

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