People on the move: Fletcher Day; Shoosmiths; St Johns Market

Commercial law firm Fletcher Day has boosted its ranks in Manchester with the appointment of Andy Herricks as corporate partner.

Herricks has nearly 20 years’ experience advising SMEs and owner-managed clients across the region.

Well known on the professional services scene in Manchester, he works closely with accountants, banks and insolvency practitioners undertaking a mix of corporate, commercial and intellectual property work.

He said: “I have joined an ambitious firm at an exciting time and I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to grow the business in Manchester. We’ve got ambitious plans in place and with support from our London office we’re confident we will attract new recruits and clients from across the region.”

Jude Fletcher, managing partner at Fletcher Day, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Andy to our team in Manchester. We see Manchester as an important market for the growth of our firm and he is the first of a series of key appointments we are making in the city.

“With Andy’s appointment, we’ve significantly strengthened our corporate offering and he’s already generating new business from new and existing relationships which he has developed over recent years.”

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National law firm Shoosmiths has appointed experience professional Anita Shepherd as a senior associate in its Manchester office.

The move comes as Shoosmiths moves forward with its ambitious growth strategy and after its recent recognition by leading industry publication, eprivateclient, as one of the top family law firms in the UK.

Shepherd is a specialist in high value financial matters and sensitive cases involving children. She brings nearly 20 years’ experience to the role and previously worked as head of family at David Blank Furniss.

A member of Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational approaches, Anita strives to promote alternatives to court proceedings to resolve relationship disputes.

Her appointment follows the recent hire of partner Peter Morris to head up the family unit in Shoosmiths’ new Leeds office, and is part of the firm’s ambitious growth plans to develop its family law team and bolster its high net worth private client service offering in the North of England.

Chris Longbottom, head of family law in Manchester, said: ‘This is an exciting period of expansion for the Manchester office and Anita’s appointment is part of our continued investment in people to create an industry-leading family law team who are experts in advising high net worth individuals.

“Our recent listing as a top family law firm is testament to our expertise, the quality of our work, the relationships we build with our clients and the results we achieve for them. We now offer a diverse range of specialisms across the spectrum of family law to ensure that our clients – in any situation – can receive bespoke legal advice that delivers the best possible result.”

Shoosmiths recently moved into brand new state-of-the -art premises at the XYZ building in Spinningfields, transferring its entire 190 strong team into an agile working environment to support recruitment and ensure the office can continue to pursue its growth ambitions.

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A new manager has been appointed to run Liverpool’s St Johns Market – 25 years after he had a life changing moment there.

David Wightman, 62, has spent the past 23 years running shopping centres before taking up his new role at one of Britain’s oldest indoor markets.

Wightman, who lives in Liverpool, says the appointment “feels like coming home” after he met his wife while running a jewellers in St Johns Shopping centre in the 1990s.

He is to replace interim market manager Colin McCrory who has been overseeing the market after it was re-opened by Sir Ken Dodd in November, following a £2.5m revamp.

Wightman said: “Me and St Johns go back a long way, I vividly recall the old market as a child and have many great memories there so I’m thrilled to be returning at a really exciting time for the market.

“There’s a great mix of tenants at St Johns and over the next few weeks there’s going to be some really big announcements which will have a great impact on the market.

“Colin has given me a great overview of what’s been going on and what’s planned and all I can say is that Liverpool shoppers are in for a treat as we head into the summer.”

Colin Lapham, chairman of St Johns Market Traders Association, said: “It was a pleasure working with Colin McCory, his candid, down to earth, hands on approach will be missed. We thank him for his time and dedication.

“We look forward to working just as closely with David, the new market manager, over the forthcoming summer months. The changes and developments that are coming will once again make St John’s Market the historic cultural hub of the city, and we share David’s excitement at this prospect.”