Appointments: Law firm expands education team; Wills & probate expert joins growing firm; Global growth drives restructure at manufacturer

LAW firm Lupton Fawcett Denison Till, has expanded its education team to provide additional expertise to a growing number of clients within the sector.

There are now 13 people in the team following the recent appointment of specialist charities and education lawyer Mark Honeywell.

Mr Honeywell’s expertise is in academy conversion and governance work.   He also provides advice to independent schools, colleges, church schools and other educational organisations on charity law issues, and is a member of the Charity Law Association.

He joins a multi-disciplinary education team which acts for universities, colleges and schools across the UK, providing advice on property matters, employment and health & safety issues. In addition it acts for a number of student accommodation providers on debt recovery and property litigation.

Jointly headed up by Michele Phillips and Jonathan Moore, the team operates across Lupton Fawcett Denison Till’s three offices in Leeds, York and Sheffield.

Ms Phillips said: “We recognised that many educational institutions have particular needs beyond those of most commercial enterprises. That is why we have assembled a multi-disciplinary team which can talk and understand the language of the sector and provide schools and colleges with expertise in many different areas.

“We are very pleased to have attracted Mark to the firm.  He has a great deal of education experience and will enable us to build our expertise in the sector further.”

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A NEW head of wills and probate has been appointed to the team at James Legal Solicitors in Hull.

Chris Hutchinson previously owned and managed his own firm and latterly practiced at another local firm in Beverley and Bridlington.

Mr Hutchinson said: “I have known Nick Miller for many years and have always admired the way he runs the practice as it really isn’t like other firms – old fashioned ways have been thrown out of the window. I had also previously worked with the practice manager, Lindsey Nicklin, who encouraged me to take this opportunity.

Nick Miller, director of James Legal, added: “Chris is the latest person to join our growing team. I have known Chris for some years and he has always struck me as the type of person I would like to work with, so I am really happy that he has joined us. Fitting with the rest of the team, Chris is a really nice guy who brings with him a wealth of practical and legal experience.”

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MANUFACTURER of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions J&C Joel, which picked up the Small Exporter award in the 2015 Yorkshire Business Masters, has announced a board restructure.

Fiona Blackett, sales director, will step down from the board and her directorial position after deciding to return to her native Australia. She will remain with the company in a business development role.

She is succeeded by Stuart Coomber brings with him a wealth of experience at board level and has previously worked in underground construction and pharmaceutical packaging. He has spent more than 25 years in sales management focusing on international direct and channel sales.

To support the company’s growth of stage engineering, Tony Griffiths, will become head of stage engineering projects. He has more than 25 years’ experience within the theatrical industry and will have full responsibility for stage engineering’s staff, financial return, marketing and development.

The changes will also see Middle East project manager Ben Richardson-Owen, return to the UK after five years based in the Dubai office.

James Wheelwright, CEO at J&C Joel, said: “We are continuing to strengthen our management team to ensure we are in the best position for future growth. These changes are a positive step towards making sure we have the best team to deliver our services to clients across the globe.

“Our business has expanded over recent years and we want to continue to do so with growth across all the sectors of the business and territories. We need to reflect this by creating new positions within the firm to help achieve our growth plans and support all of our customers’ needs.”