People on the Move: Beyond Corporate Law; Cushman & Wakefield; Bermans; Napthens; RMS

Jim Truscott and Angeliki Kotsidou

Manchester’s Beyond Corporate Law has once again expanded its team with the appointment of Angeliki Kotsidou, who joins the corporate team in the role of assistant solicitor.

This exciting addition heralds a new edge to the forward-thinking law firm.

Angeliki, who joins from McHale & Co, brings to the firm a wealth of experience and knowledge acting for clients in the real estate, construction, corporate and commercial sectors, a background which enables her to transition effectively to the firm and represent the firm’s values. Her competency lies in her industrious and innovative nature, said the firm.

Angeliki studied foreign languages and was awarded a Masters in Interpreting and Translating from the University of Bradford, before attending BPP Law School and subsequently joining Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a paralegal.

She said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be part of such a dynamic law firm. I fully identify with the firm’s client-focused approach and I am eager to work with such a diverse range of entrepreneurial clients.”

Jim Truscott, who leads the corporate team, said: “Over the past two years we have worked extremely hard to build the right corporate team, making no secret of our strategic decision to disrupt the legal market.

“We are confident that we have managed to create an inspiring environment that attracts very enthusiastic, competent and client-focused individuals who believe in our business model and culture, and integrate easily into our growing team, thus ensuring our entrepreneurial client base receives a genuinely joined-up service. Angeliki is a strong fit for the team having a good presence and human perspective.

“We’re very pleased to welcome her to the firm, as we continue our drive to deliver a genuinely modern service that goes above and beyond that which is expected in the legal sector. The strength and mindset of our team confirms an exciting future for us and that of our clients.”

Real estate partner James Flynn added: “It’s great to have a corporate lawyer who has a wealth of experience acting in the real estate sector. Angeliki has a thorough understanding of our clients’ needs and will therefore act as a link between the real estate and corporate teams, ensuring our clients receive seamless service every time.”

::

Forty four graduates and seven apprentices have taken the first steps of their real estate careers with Cushman & Wakefield, including four in the firm’s Manchester office.

The graduates will spend the next two years working towards a professional qualification through the RICS, CIBSE and RTPI.

The apprentices have a structured five-year programme, including studying part-time for a BSc undergraduate degree, and will also work towards their APC in their final two years.

From left: Will Waters, Nathan Murray, Hattie Power, Joseph Walsh

Graduates Will Waters, Nathan Murray, Hattie Power and Joe Walsh have joined Cushman & Wakefield’s Manchester office, based at No.1 Marsden Street.

Caroline Baker, head of Cushman & Wakefield’s Manchester office, said: “I’m pleased to welcome another talented and enthusiastic intake of graduates to our Manchester office this year.

“All our graduates and apprentices are given opportunities to prove themselves from the start, which is a key factor in our APC success rate. Will, Nathan, Hattie and Joe will follow in the footsteps of last year’s new starts who have quickly established themselves as valued members of the Manchester team.”

::

North West law firm Bermans, which has offices in Manchester and Liverpool, has recently appointed two new recruits in the employment and property departments in line with plans to build on its presence in these areas in Manchester.

Stephen Chalcraft, the first of the recent new recruits, joined the firm as a partner in the property department.

He has more than 20 years of experience dealing with a wide range of commercial property matters, with specific expertise in complex commercial development and regeneration projects.

Stephen was chair of pro-manchester’s regeneration and property group for more than 12 years and is now a member of the Greater Manchester Chamber’s property and regeneration steering committee.

From left: Stephen Chalcraft, Phil Farrelly and Rob Maddocks

One of his areas of focus will be the education sector, in particular to exploit his existing links and expertise in the areas of estate management, construction, property, partnering and outsourcing/commercial contracts.

Another focus area will be the housing sector, specifically housing associations and development work for private housebuilders.

The second of the new recruits, senior associate Rob Maddocks, has previously worked for industry-recognised legal providers, including an employment law boutique firm in Manchester.

Rob has acted for a wide range of clients ranging from OMB’s to large national and international companies, however he has a particular focus on owner-managed SME’s.

He is a regular contributor to national publications and has had articles appearing in People Management and The Telegraph.

As well as working with clients, Rob will also be focusing on developing the firms recently-launched employment law website, Praesidium.

As well as this, Rob will be rolling out the firm’s training packages which are designed to assist SME’s and HR individuals on broader subjects such as discrimination, recruitment and disciplinary issues, and more specialist areas such as whistleblowing and sub-conscious bias.

Phil Farrelly, partner at Bermans, said: “We are delighted to welcome both Rob and Stephen to Bermans and are confident that their experience and know-how will bring many benefits for our client base and the firm.

“We are always on the lookout for like-minded lawyers who share our culture and are looking for a different working environment. We believe our hard work in recent years has given us a strong platform for the future.”

::

Regional law firm Napthens has strengthened its insolvency team with an experienced new recruit.

Natasha Hitchin has joined the firm as a senior associate solicitor in the business recovery team. She will work alongside Grahame Love, who joined the firm as partner and head of business recovery last year.

Based in Preston, the business recovery team offers expert advice across the region to insolvency practitioners and companies on a full range of insolvency matters.

Natasha Hitchen and Grahame Love

Having qualified in 1999, Natasha passed the Insolvency Practitioners Association’s Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI) in 2000. She joins Napthens having gained extensive experience providing insolvency advice for insolvency practitioners, companies and major financial institutions while working within the business recovery teams of two UK Top 30 law firms in Manchester.

Grahame Love said: “Business recovery is a target area for Napthens. We provide specialist advice not typically found outside the main legal centres, to insolvency practitioners, lenders and companies, both regionally and nationally.

“With many years’ experience in corporate recovery transactions, Natasha will be an invaluable support to both insolvency practitioner clients and corporate clients who find themselves involved with business rescue scenarios. We believe Napthens has the pre-eminent Lancashire-based business recovery team and shall be targeting further growth in the near future.”

::

Altrincham creative communications agency RMS has appointed PR industry heavyweight Neil Watts as account director.

Watts has previously worked in senior roles at leading London agencies, looking after clients including Unilever, Capital One, MBNA, Nokia, Orange, William Hill and Norwich Union. In recent months he was in the PR & media team at intu Trafford Centre.

Managing director Mike Kirwan said: “Neil is a welcome addition to our B2B and professional services team, which has seen a significant spike in demand this year. As well as having vast experience delivering successful campaigns, he has an impressive track record for managing, mentoring and growing teams.”

Watts added: “I’m very excited about finding my ‘work home’ in the North West.

Neil Watts

“Although RMS provides a wide range of marketing services, the agency has never lost sight of the value of media relations, which is something that really appealed to me.

“It’s my view that a well-considered piece of coverage can be the single most effective activity in a company’s marketing arsenal as it can be used in so many different ways. Far from being tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper, quality coverage is the gift that keeps on giving.”

He added: “RMS is a great agency. As well as producing consistently great work, everyone in the team has a refreshingly politics-free approach. I’m really looking forward to playing my part in the agency’s future.”

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close