People on the Move: UKFast; Vincents Solicitors; Browne Jacobson; Slater Heelis; Lambert Smith Hampton

Manchester technology company UKFast has appointed former Manchester United Foundation head of fund-raising Russell Feingold as director of CSR (corporate social responsibility) and fund-raising.

Mr Feingold previously spent six years with radio station Key 103’s Cash for Kids project.

UKFast works with more than 60,000 young people across Greater Manchester, delivering workshops, code clubs and engagement sessions in some of the region’s most underprivileged wards, in a project that started more than a decade ago.

The fast-growing tech firm also has a long history of fundraising and volunteering for charitable projects, including Key 103’s Cash for Kids, Harvey’s Den, Children in Need, among other campaigns.

The appointment sees UKFast founders Lawrence and Gail Jones formalise and expand their long-term commitment to charity and local community work.

UKFast chief executive Lawrence Jones said: “We’ve been working with a number of local projects for many years to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Businesses have a huge amount of resource at their fingertips. It’s not just about money. It’s about the time, passion and energy they can contribute.

“Is it not our responsibility as businesses owners to give back to the community where we’re based and work hard to ensure we do everything we possibly can?”

He added: “Russell is an incredible character with energy and passion. He has a proven track record of delivering real change for disadvantaged children in Greater Manchester and is the right person to help us take our work in the community to the next level.”

Mr Feingold’s brief includes the management of a fund which is to be made available for local community organisations and projects supporting disadvantaged children across Greater Manchester.

He said: “This is a dream role for me. To combine the energy of the UKFast team with my love of supporting disadvantaged children is an amazing opportunity.”

UKFast delivers more than 500 educational events to the Manchester community each year. With backing from the Government the cloud firm is set to build a new digital-focussed high-school in the city, in partnership with the Dean Trust.

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A well-known Blackpool lawyer has joined Vincents Solicitors’ Lytham office.

Lester Samuels, from Lytham, has been a recognisable face on the Fylde Coast legal scene for almost 50 years.

Specialising in commercial property, leases and corporate work, his clients include numerous businesses and individuals from across the Fylde Coast and Lancashire.

He joins Vincents from Ascroft Whiteside in Blackpool where he was a consultant solicitor, and which recently went into administration. He immediately sought a firm to support his ongoing client work, and approached Vincents.

Phillip Gilmore, Vincents managing director, said: “Lester’s reputation precedes him and, as a pre-eminent commercial law solicitor serving companies across Lancashire for more than four decades, we are very pleased to welcome him into the business.

“We are happy to provide Lester and his clients with support from the team in our Lytham office and our highly-experienced commercial department in Preston.”

Mr Samuels anticipates his move to Vincents’ Lytham office will be his last before retirement. He said: “Although it has been suggested, I’m not quite ready for retirement just yet. I tried to do it once before but it didn’t suit me.”

He added: “It was an awful shock when my previous employer folded, but I wasn’t prepared to leave my clients in the lurch.”

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National legal firm Browne Jacobson has expanded its growing property health and social care property practice with the arrival of Ann Cojeen and Dominic Canning into its Manchester office.

The appointments will further support the firm’s growth in the independent health and social care sector and its service offering based in the North West.

Commercial property lawyer Ann Cojeen joins as an associate having previously worked at Pinsent Masons and Hempsons Solicitors in Manchester.

She has more than 17 years’ experience acting for public and private sector clients on a wide range of commercial property work, including development, sales and purchases and landlord and tenant matters, and has extensive experience in the health sector.

Mr Canning, who qualified in 2017, joins as a solicitor from Hill Dickinson’s health property team in Liverpool where he acted for tenants and landlords, including NHS bodies.

Ann Cojeen and Dominic Canning

Ann and Dominic will join Browne Jacobson’s national health and social care property team, headed by partner Victoria Thourgood, and will be based in Manchester.

Its clients include NHS bodies, private hospitals and clinics, care home operators, GPs, dentists, pharmacies, banks, charities, developers, and operators providing supported living.

The team provide assistance on sales and purchases, landlord and tenant matters and development as well as providing support on corporate and banking transactions.

Browne Jacobson’s 70-strong national property practice has extensive experience in complex transactional work and is highly recognised for delivering major projects across the country, including ground-breaking regeneration projects and major mixed-use schemes.

Victoria Thourgood, partner at Browne Jacobson, said: “Health and social care is a key focus of the firm and has been one of our fastest growing areas in recent years. We’ve seen this growth, across both the public and independent parts of the sector.

“Ann and Dominic will be great additions to both our growing Manchester and national health and social care property team. Their expertise and skills will also complement our wider real estate practice and further enhance our offering to clients not just in the region but throughout the UK.”

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Manchester and Trafford-based law firm, Slater Heelis, has promoted three of its lawyers to partner.

Nicola Deutsch, head of residential property development, services housebuilders and land promoters of all sizes across the region; Jay Lafinhan, commercial property and bridging finance specialist; and Patricia Robinson, family lawyer and resolution specialist, have all become partners.

The firm has also made two associate appointments – Ceri Jones, who heads up the plot sales team and costs specialist Tom Christie in the dispute resolution team.

Managing Partner, Chris Bishop, said: “I am delighted to announce a string of promotions across the firm at all levels. It is a testament to the amount of highly talented lawyers we have at Slater Heelis.

“The firm now has a record number of fee earners spread across the full range of disciplines and I am especially proud of our success in promoting staff through the ranks.

“In a turbulent market, the firm is in a strong place. Our ability to attract and retain exceptional talent across all departments enables us to provide our clients with the highest level of legal service.”

Slater Heelis is a full-service law firm with offices in Sale, Timperley and Manchester city centre offering a range of legal services including, corporate, employment, personal injury, residential and commercial property, family law and private client.

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One of Manchester’s best-known office agents, Andrew Gardiner, has been appointed as a director in Lambert Smith Hampton’s Manchester office.

A respected agent in Manchester for more than 20 years, Andrew is also the chair of the Office Agents Society for the North West and joins LSH from TSG Property Consultants, which he set up in 2011.

His previous roles have included senior positions at both Jones Lang LaSalle and DTZ, where he worked with clients including Bruntwood, Muse Developments, Hermes and Appsense, among others.

Taking a newly created position in Lambert Smith Hampton’s office agency team, he will drive acquisition and disposal activity across the North West, with a particular focus on the Manchester city centre market.

Gayle Taylor, head of North West operations at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Manchester’s office market remains very active and we’re keen to increase our market share of agency instructions.

“As such it’s a real coup for us to appoint someone as well-known and respected as Andrew. We’re confident that his significant industry insight, expertise, and connections will enable LSH to capitalise on more of the opportunities available.”

Andrew Gardiner said: “Lambert Smith Hampton has a long-standing and stellar reputation in office agency and I’m keen to bring my experience and contacts to bear on the role. The Manchester market is ripe for further growth.”