Appointments: Murray Harcourt; Irwin Mitchell; Gordons

AUDIT and tax advisory practice Murray Harcourt has appointed two new partners from Baker Tilly.

Murray Harcourt, which specialises in services to owner-managed businesses and their owners, began a recruitment drive six months ago in response to substantial growth in new client demand.

Glyn Thomas joins from Baker Tilly where he was head of tax for Yorkshire. As a new tax partner for Murray Harcourt, he will assume responsibility for all private client and wealth advisory services, working alongside Rosemary Anderson as corporate tax partner for the practice.

Steve Williams also joins from Baker Tilly as a new audit partner. With over 15 years’ experience advising Yorkshire owner-managed corporates, private equity investments, charities and academies, Williams specialises in audit and financial reporting services, including International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), UK GAAP, and charity accounting as well as transaction support and due diligence.

Managing Partner Richard Bright said: “The quality of all our recent recruits has been exceptional and we are delighted our brand is being to get established for something new in this crowded and undifferentiated market. We are particularly excited to have attracted two such quality partners to the firm. They have energy, drive and ambition, and critically they share our passion for client service and our belief in the importance of differentiating our market position by always being a proactive and forward-thinking client resource.”

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THE Sheffield office of law firm Irwin Mitchell has appointed dealmaker Michael Hall into its fast growing corporate and commercial team.

Hall, who moves from Hill Dickinson in Sheffield, has experience advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, specialising in acquisitions, disposals and private equity deals.

He also advises clients across a variety of sectors on general company law issues, as well as acting for both individuals and corporates in relation to joint ventures and shareholder arrangements.

Matt Ainsworth, corporate partner at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield, said: “We are delighted to announce another high calibre recruit to the team. Despite a challenging market, our deal pipeline is very healthy and it is important for Irwin Mitchell to continue recruiting the very best lawyers so that we can continue to provide our corporate clients with first class advice.”

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A NEW head of regulatory has been recruited by law firm Gordons.

Dan Stowers joins the firm as partner from Irwin Mitchell where he worked for the past five years and held a similar position. Prior to joining Irwin Mitchell, he spent two years at both Cartwright King Solicitors and DLA Piper.

Stowers specialises in defending companies and individuals in relation to regulatory and criminal investigations and prosecutions brought by the full range of regulators. These include Trading Standards, Food Standards Agency, Health & Safety Executive, Financial Conduct Authority, Office of Fair Trading and Environment Agency.

He also defends clients involved in serious and complex fraud matters including bribery and corruption, asset stripping, mortgage, advance fee, high yield and missing trader intra-community (MTIC).

Gordons managing partner Paul Ayre said: “Dan is a highly regarded lawyer, well-known for his ability to provide commercially sound, practical advice.

“His skills ideally complement the firm’s wider corporate offer. Regulatory is an increasingly important area of the law and Dan’s appointment means we are ideally placed to provide our clients with enhanced expertise in this area.”