People on the Move: Brabners; Venner Shipley; Cowgills; MgMaStudio; Slater Heelis

Independent legal practice Brabners has strengthened its specialist charity practice with the appointment of partner Robert Nieri in its Manchester office.

Robert has more than 14 years’ experience in charity law and specialises in governance, commercial agreements, risk management, fundraising and dispute resolution. He joins from Freeths, where he was national head of charities.

A Legal 500-recommended lawyer, Robert supports a broad range of charity and not-for-profit clients across the UK.

This has included advising organisations such as the RSPB, Blue Cross, the British Psychological Society and the Woodland Trust.

Stephen Claus, head of charity at Brabners, said: “Charities are facing a period of unprecedented change.

“From GDPR to the new rules around automatic disqualification, there are a myriad of challenges facing the sector and we’re seeing increased demand as organisations look to navigate these choppy waters.

“To ensure we continue to provide the highest quality service and have the capacity to meet this demand it’s vital that we invest in our team.

“Robert is a specialist with a skill-set that is rare to find in the North West. His expertise will add significant strength to our practice and enable us to consolidate our service in Manchester.

“This puts us in an even stronger position to support the needs of charities in the North West and further afield.”

Robert added: “Brabners’ charity team is the only practice in the North West with experts specialising full-time in charity law.

“The team is regarded as one of the best in its field, with a broad client base and national focus. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running and working closely with Stephen and the team as we continue to support the needs of our charity clients across the UK.”

Brabners is independently recognised as the leading charities and not-for-profit practice in the North West.

The team provides a full suite of services and supports clients including the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation, Shaw Trust, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), National Football Museum, North West Air Ambulance and Autism Initiatives.

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Venner Shipley has appointed Paul Misselbrook as a partner to head up its Manchester office.

As a dual-qualified patent and trademark attorney and a qualified IP litigator, Paul brings broad experience of IP protection and advice to the existing Manchester team.

Paul Misselbrook

His appointment allows the team to provide specialist advice across the whole IP spectrum from patents to trademarks, and in all technical fields, from biotechnology through to manufacturing and software.

Managing partner, Jan Walaski, said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to head up our Manchester office.

“His background and experience is a great fit for us to strengthen and grow our support to clients across the Northern Powerhouse cities.”

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Cowgills has appointed Nilesh Modhvadia as audit director in its rapidly growing audit and advisory team based in Bolton.

Nilesh, 31, joins from ASE Global, prior to which he was employed by Baker Tilly (now RSM) and will assume a senior role in the 30-strong audit team led by partner Stuart Stead.

Stuart Stead and Nilesh Modhvadia

The firm, which provides audit, tax, business advisory and accountancy services to SME clients across the North West from its bases in Bolton and Manchester, has experienced rapid growth and is expanding its teams across the board.

Commenting on Nilesh’s appointment, Stuart Stead said: “Nilesh joins Cowgills at a time of unprecedented growth for the company and will be instrumental in developing our audit function.

“He has a strong track record of supporting businesses nationally and his experience in providing audit services and strategic advice to clients is second to none. He’s a great addition to the team.”

Nilesh is making a return to his home town of Bolton where he studied at Bolton School sixth form followed by graduating from the University of Salford.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining Cowgills at such an exciting time and working with many of the superb local businesses they support.

“The company has a strong reputation in the North West with clear plans for growth and development and it’s great to be part of the team.”

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Architecture and design practice MgMaStudio has added two new architectural assistants to its growing team.

Eleni Roka joins the Liverpool-based practice having graduated from the University of Manchester, while Harry Jones has arrived following graduation from Liverpool John Moores University.

From left: Mathew Giles, Harry Jones and Eleni Roka

The appointments follow a period of sustained growth for MgMaStudio, which has been instructed on several new projects during the past 12 months on behalf of clients including The National Trust, Bruntwood, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and The RARE Trust.

Project commissions in the North West and beyond now average £2m in construction value, more than doubling from a year ago, leading to an increase in turnover of 45%.

Mathew Giles, a director at MgMaStudio, said: “Our continued growth has given us the opportunity to support clients on a range of larger and more complex schemes across the country.

“To deliver upon the increasing scope and scale of our portfolio while continuing to provide our established levels of client service, we were keen to strengthen the team in key areas.

“We are always keen to attract the best young talent and we have an excellent track record of giving graduates clear pathways into paid roles.

“Harry and Eleni both certainly fit that mould and we are confident that they will bring further energy and creativity to our contemporary design-led approach.”

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Sale and Trafford-based law firm, Slater Heelis has expanded its employment law team following a record increase in the number of cases.

Lucy Flynn and Samantha Tanney join the team at the firm’s Sale office as it further increases its expertise and service offering.

Lucy joins from Blackhouse Jones Solicitors and has specialised in employment law for more than 10 years, advising individuals and corporate entities on contentious employment and HR-related issues.

Samantha joins from national trade union firm, Thompsons where she specialised in representing claimants and individuals in the health sector.

Lucy Flynn, left, and Samantha Tanney

Lucy and Samantha’s arrival brings the employment team to five fee earners servicing regional and national clients in both the public and private sector.

Tracey Guest, partner and head of the employment team, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming not one, but two extremely talented new solicitors to our rapidly-expanding team in Sale.

“Both Samantha and Lucy are skilled solicitors and have a fantastic reputation within the legal industry. They will greatly complement our client offering.”

Slater Heelis is a full-service firm offering a range of legal services including company commercial, employment, personal injury, residential and commercial property and family law, employing almost 150 people across Manchester city centre, Sale and Timperley.

The firm acts for clients across the UK and internationally.