Appointments: Law firm welcomes partner; Head of legal hired at £250m turnover company; Tax director recruited; and more

LAW firm Ward Hadaway is further strengthening its regulatory team with the recruitment of a regulation lawyer.

Rachel Birks has joined the firm as a partner with more than 13 years’ experience advising on regulatory matters across the healthcare, social care, childcare and professional services sectors.

She started her regulatory career as an in-house lawyer at the General Medical Council and has gone on to act for five of the nine healthcare regulators in the UK.

Ms Birks has presented numerous cases before various committees of the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and General Social Care Council and also the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal.

She has dealt with private prosecutions for regulators and has prosecuted on behalf of the General Dental Council and the Security Industry Authority.

Ms Birks has also delivered training to fitness to practise panel members for different regulators and is experienced in dealing with High Court Appeals and Judicial Review matters.

Stephen Graham, partner and head of regulatory at Ward Hadaway, said: “Rachel’s recruitment further strengthens the services which we are able to offer to our regulatory clients. Her strong background and experience advising on matters across a range of different regulatory sectors adds greatly to the already strong line-up we have here.

“She has already shown herself to be a strong team player as well as a figure of authority in her specialist field so we are really pleased to welcome her on board.”

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LEEDS family law specialist Jones Myers has boosted its growing children department with the appointment of solicitor Jane Bolton.

The seven-strong department is an acknowledged leader in children’s law; handling private law matters, and specialising in public law cases – where a local authority has issued care proceedings with a view to a child being adopted, placed in foster care or returned to their parents.

Accredited by the Law Society to act for children, a widely recognised professional standard demonstrating experience and expertise, Ms Bolton represents parents, grandparents, children and local authorities within proceedings. She brings eight years of legal experience to Jones Myers after moving from Leeds law firm Henry Hyams.
 
The appointment has been sparked by the firm’s ever-increasing private and public sector instructions from across the region and further afield, the firm said.

Jones Myers partner and head of the children department, Kate Banerjee, who is a member of the International Child Abduction and Custody Unit, said: “Our fast-growing client base reinforces the breadth and depth of our expertise and attracting top talent is vital as we continue to expand our services into areas including adoption and surrogacy.

“Jane’s appointment exemplifies this goal – she is highly capable and combines professional knowledge with great empathy and respect.”

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SUPPLIER and shipper of commercial gas CNG Ltd has added to its  in-house capabilities with the appointment of Susannah Franks as head of legal.

Formerly part of O2’s Legal Counsel, Ms Franks brings a diverse range of transferable skills and expertise to the energy business. Her main objective is to grow a small in-house legal team who will be responsible for managing the firm’s legal and regulatory compliance as it expands its Energy Connections portfolio and readies its electricity proposition for launch.

The appointment marks a significant investment in the future of CNG, a business with a £250m turnover and an increasing 5% share of the SME market.

Ms Franks said: “I’m very excited about this opportunity. CNG is a great company, with fantastic people who really care about delivering for their customers.  I’m looking forward to helping the business develop its legal team, as CNG continues to grow.”

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ACCOUNTANCY firm Hentons is supporting its expansion with the appointment of a new tax director.

Simon Roberts is promoted to the role and will work with a team of ten specialists.  

Mr Roberts joined the business eight years ago and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Simon Gray, tax partner of Hentons said: “Simon brings a passion for his craft that motivates his team and supports strong relationships with clients. His promotion strengthens our tax advisory team at a time when entrepreneurs need experienced counsel. We continue to put the building blocks in place to ensure Hentons retains a focus on client service as it expands its capabilities.”

The firm has recently announced the expansion of its Sheffield office and wealth management teams.

Hentons has a team of 60 specialists working with a range of businesses from medical professionals and property investors to manufacturers, academies and charities.