People on the Move: Land Law; Redrow; Quantuma; Thincats; Forbes Solicitors
North West commercial property law specialist Land Law has revealed that flexible working has become a critical factor in its ability to attract staff from larger rival firms.
The Altrincham firm has recruited two new staff from competitor firms in Manchester and Leeds.
Ruth Ormrod has joined from Walker Morris as partner and Emily Butterfield has moved from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner to take up the post of senior paralegal.
In addition, property litigator Siân Westby has been promoted to associate partner while Louise Belderbos becomes a partner. Existing partner Sarah Bonwick also joins the firm’s partnership management team.
Land Law’s founder and managing partner, Angus Whyte, has explained that the firm’s innovative approach to coping with an increasing caseload had been instrumental in building its appeal to potential recruits: “Like many other industries, the legal profession is having to come to address changes in personnel and society.
“For some years now, we’ve been adapting and refining our model, and exploring different ways of working in order to keep us competitive.
“One thing which we continually hear is that we’re far more progressive in terms of where, when and how we work.
“It’s something that we’re very much committed to and fully intend to pursue further as we look to the future and develop both our caseload and our geographical footprint.”
He added: “Being able to bring lawyers of the calibre of Ruth and Emily on board and retain colleagues with the kind of talent and experience which Siân, Louise and Sarah possess is an indication that we are, indeed, growing something extraordinary.”
Described as a “noteworthy individual” by the influential Legal 500 ranking, Ruth qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and returns to Land Law after spending eight years at Walker Morris specialising in commercial property ligitation.
Angus highlighted how, as well as strengthening the property litigation team and handling existing clients, her role will include developing the firm’s increasing presence in Yorkshire.
Emily Butterfield’s recruitment as senior paralegal was, he added, a nod to the experience which she had acquired in spells at two of the UK’s biggest commercial property firms.
Angus said that the twin appointments increased Land Law’s ranks to 45 staff, 25 of whom are fee earners.
They include Louise Belderbos, whose promotion to partner marks progress made since she joined the firm in July last year, and Sarah Bonwick, who advances to the top tier equity more than a decade after she was recruited from Pannone.
The personnel changes come months after Angus announced that the completion of a major project had propelled it into the ranks of the region’s most digitally-advanced businesses.
Mr Whyte outlined how a “substantial” six-figure investment and more than 12 months of development now allowed clients instant and secure access to important documents via their smartphones.
He said the technological advances were enabling Land Law to capitalise on its collective knowledge: “Between us we have more than 430 years’ of PQE experience and the means of putting that extensive capability at the disposal of clients both large and small as and when they need it.
“At a time when even a relatively document-heavy specialism like commercial property law needs to move ever more quickly, we believe that we’re perfectly placed to press forward.”
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Two new trainee area sales managers and two new sales consultants have started their new roles at housebuilder Redrow’s Lancashire division.
The sales team has welcomed Amy Bates and Jon Kane as trainee area sales managers, based at Redrow’s Buckshaw Village offices, near Chorley, while Will Angus and Louise Chave-Jones have become sales consultants at developments in Mosley Common and Burscough.
Amy, 25, from Liverpool, started her career with Redrow four years ago as a sales graduate after leaving Liverpool Hope University where she studied History and Politics. She became a sales co-ordinator four months later and, after working in this role for three-and-a-half years, she decided it was time for a new challenge.
She said: “When I first started at Redrow I always knew I wanted to progress so when I saw the role for a trainee area sales manager I knew I had to apply and it worked out very well.”
Amy, who had worked as an estate agent while at university, said it was the graduate scheme that made her apply for Redrow in the first place.
Jon, 33, from Wigan, had a slightly different career background prior to joining Redrow and was a self-employed DJ up until the age of 25.
He said: “After I stopped work as a DJ and also working at O2 as a sales consultant I realised I was very interested in the new homes industry and how it all works. I went from selling phones to selling homes and worked as a sales consultant for Redrow for just under six years before taking on the trainee area sales manager role.
“I loved dealing with life-changing chapters in people’s lives and I’m really proud to continue being a part of that.”
Jon Kane and Amy Bates
In their new trainee areas sales manager roles, both Amy and Jon are looking after a team of sales consultants, ensuring they have the tools and resources to achieve their sales targets and promoting the developments through new and existing marketing opportunities.
Will Angus, 31, previously worked in banking for nine years at Barclays. He said: “I knew about Redrow’s good reputation prior to joining, it was part of the reason I wanted to work for them. Not only are they a great company to work for but the homes that they build are top notch – it makes our jobs a bit easier when you sell a good product.”
Louise Chave-Jones has moved to Redrow after working in retail management for 13 years, most recently at Tesco. The 35-year-old mum-of-one decided she wanted to venture into the new homes industry after buying her own home five years ago: “When we were going through the process of seeing our own home being built it really excited me. I can look back on my own experiences when talking to clients. I’ve also just completed my first reservation so this has really motivated me, too.”
Lesley Myers, sales manager at Redrow Homes (Lancashire) said: “All four of our sales team have already made great progress in their new roles and settled into their teams really well. Redrow is 100% committed to training and promoting from within the business and Amy is a perfect example of this. I’m looking forward to seeing great accomplishments from them all.”
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Business advisory firm Quantuma has strengthened its restructuring team in Manchester with the appointment of Sarah Balsom as senior manager.
This, along with the appointment of graduate Stephanie Villain, has added to the firm’s restructuring offering in the North West, headed up by director Franklyn Ofonagoro.
Sarah joins Quantuma from Assetz Capital where she spent nearly three years as senior portfolio manager. In her role she was responsible for managing 80 loans across all levels of stress, including distressed businesses and high-value, high-risk borrowers. Prior to this, Sarah has held roles at RBS, EY and Openreach.
In her current role Sarah will be responsible for advising businesses at risk of distress and insolvency, capable of utilising a range of advisory services offered by Quantuma. This includes cashflow management, refinancing, debt advisory and restructuring.
Opened in March this year, headcount at Quantuma’s Manchester office has rapidly expanded, with a total of 12 now working from the firm’s base in WeWork, Number One Spinningfields.
Sarah Balsom
Headed by North West managing director Jeff Jones, the office now offers a full suite of business advisory services, covering corporate finance, forensic accounting, insolvency and restructuring.
Sarah said: “Joining Quantuma gives me the opportunity to build and shape an already successful business with a proven track record across the country.
“Having launched in Manchester earlier this year, the firm is already becoming known in the marketplace for its innovative approach to business advisory services and I am looking forward to using my previous experience to support companies in need of advice in the coming months.”
Jeff Jones, managing director – North West at Quantuma, said: “Sarah has demonstrated considerable skill in her ability to handle challenging and distressed businesses in her previous roles, making her an ideal fit for the role here.
“She will play a central part in supporting the turnaround of some of the region’s companies, working alongside our growing team of restructuring experts.”
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ThinCats, the fintech lender to mid-sized SMEs, has announced the appointment of David Parr as director for regional business development, covering the North West.
David brings an array of funding experience having joined from Barclays where he was director of specialist finance.
In this role he supported management teams at various stages of their journey, including venture debt/growth capital, private equity and M&A finance. Before Barclays, David worked at Lloyds Banking Group and Santander.
David will be responsible for supporting the North West region where he will work alongside the advisory community delivering M&A and complex funding solutions for growing businesses.
He said: “I am excited to be joining such a pioneering fintech at such an interesting time for the SME lending industry. Now, more than ever, it’s important that SMEs are given the opportunity to find funding from dynamic and sustainable partners that fully understand their business goals.
David Parr
“ThinCats’ network of regional business development directors is crucial to its in-depth understanding of SMEs and enables its success as a long-term funding partner.”
Chief development officer, Damon Walford, said: “We are delighted to have David joining the team as he brings a wealth of experience supporting the UK’s growing SMEs across a range of sectors.
“David will be working closely with local advisers in the North West to deliver bespoke funding solutions for medium-sized regional SMEs who are the backbone of our economy.”
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Forbes Solicitors has underlined its continued expansion and investment in the future by accepting nine new starters on its award-winning solicitor training programme.
The move takes the number of trainees across the North West-based firm to 18, one of the largest cohorts since the scheme was launched, and a sign of Forbes’s commitment to the development of its staff at all levels.
Pauline Rigby, partner and Forbes’s training principal, said: “We believe that, as a team, we succeed and grow together and that together, we are supported and inspired to be the difference.
“To have 18 people who want to thrive by working in a team where they live and breathe ideas and who are trusting us with their future career development in this way is fantastic.
“This is one of the largest cohorts we have ever had across the firm and shows our continued commitment to investing in the future of the firm.”
From left: Sabine Rodwell, Andrea James, Joanne Higham, Correy Fagan, Alice McKenna, Katie Lee, Ammarah Shamim, Charlene Hamilton, Mohammed Ismail
The nine new starters on the training programme are:
Andrea James is currently in the housing and regeneration team assisting with roles ranging from complex matters in land law to helping clients with injunctive relief and repossession proceedings.
Sabine Rodwell joined the firm in 2016 as a paralegal in the defendant insurance department where she has assisted on a variety of public and employers’ liability claims including large and complex losses.
Mohammed Ismail assists specialist solicitors with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, company restructures and disposals. His work involves conducting legal research, drafting various legal documents and assisting in the legal due diligence process relating to corporate transactions.
Katie Lee is starting work in the commercial department which specialises in a variety of commercial contracts, intellectual property, information technology and construction work.
Ammarah Shamim joined the corporate team, assisting various clients in relation to a range of corporate matters. She works alongside specialist solicitors in the department assisting with mergers and acquisitions.
Correy Fagan is a member of the family department. He assists in dealing with cases involving radicalisation, FGM, trafficking, forced marriage and cases with an international jurisdiction element, as well as cases involving the removal of children from the UK.
Charlene Hamilton works in the housing and regeneration (property) department acting for registered providers of social housing nationally and working on developmental matters, including site acquisitions and disposals, S106 agreements and home ownership matters.
Joanne Higham is based with the commercial property department. She predominately acts for commercial clients in respect of a wide range of property matters, but also has experience of liaising with local authorities on a wide range of licensing matters.
Alice McKenna assists the social services and abuse claims team, which specialises in defending claims against local authorities, particularly claims brought by victims of child sexual exploitation and grooming, and victims of ‘failures to remove.’
