People on the Move: Leigh Day; Morecrofts; CFG Law; Harrison Drury; Appleyard Lees
Solicitors Lauren Lougheed, Linda Wong and Steven Dickens have been promoted to partners in law firm Leigh Day’s Manchester office.
The promotion of Lauren, Linda and Steven brings the total number of partners in the firm’s Manchester office to nine.
Lauren and Linda both work in the employment team, predominantly on multi-claimant equal pay cases against supermarkets.
Lauren joined Leigh Day in 2014 and leads the Asda equal pay team.
Linda joined the firm in 2015 and leads the Sainsbury’s equal pay team. They have grown these cases from small groups of claimants when they began the claims against Asda in 2015, to now representing tens of thousands of clients in two of the biggest equal pay cases in the UK.
Leigh Day represents more than 40,000 shop floor staff in total from the big five supermarkets – Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op.
The shop floor workers argue in their legal case that they should be paid equally to their colleagues in the supermarket’s distribution centres for their work of equal value.
Steven joined Leigh Day in 2017 and has acted for victims of asbestos exposure since 2006. He works in the personal injury department and represents people who have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace and have developed asbestos-related lung conditions such as diffuse pleural thickening, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma.
He is regularly instructed by sufferers in the Greater Manchester and Liverpool area, but also works for individuals across the country.
Leigh Day’s Manchester office opened in 2014 and is led by personal injury partner Andrew Bradley. The office handles a range of clinical negligence, personal injury, asbestos disease, travel and employment claims.
When the office first opened there were less than 10 members of staff, but this number has since increased to more than 110.
Andrew Bradley, the head of law firm Leigh Day’s Manchester office, said: “Leigh Day’s Manchester office has grown steadily since it opened in 2014 and these promotions help to ensure that we will continue to provide a range of high quality legal services to clients in the North West, services we continue to provide throughout the current health crisis.
“Lauren and Linda and their equal pay claims teams are fighting for fair pay for the thousands of supermarket staff on the frontline in these troubled times, whilst Steve’s work alongside the regional asbestos victim support groups secures treatment and compensation for those who continue to be affected by asbestos-related illnesses.”
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Morecrofts Solicitors has added another solicitor to its award-winning private client team following the qualification of Kate McEvoy.
McEvoy will be based primarily at the firm’s office in Crosby, specialising in Court of Protection and Wills and Probate matters, after completing a two-year training contract at Morecrofts.
Paralegal Rebecca Lacey has also qualified as a legal executive and will continue to work in the family law team at the firm’s Allerton Road office, while fellow paralegal Katie Nguyen has recently passed the latest module of her legal executive qualification.
Meanwhile, Eleanor Cockrell, an associate solicitor in the family care team , has successfully been re-accredited in Children Law by The Law Society, which provides a recognised quality standard for practitioners representing children in legal proceedings, and allows professionals such as guardians to identify qualified practitioners when representation of a child is required.
Kate McEvoy, working from home
Managing partner, Alison Lobb, said: “Morecrofts has a long tradition of providing pathways for women in the law and this commitment is reflected across all parts of the firm.
“Kate has been a member of the Morecrofts family for almost three years and we are so proud to have supported her development to date. We have no doubt she will continue to develop into an excellent solicitor and a valued member of our award-winning private client team.
“Rebecca and Katie can be incredibly proud of their achievements and Eleanor’s re-accreditation means we have seven team members on the Children Law Panel, more than any other firm in the region and further recognition of our status as Merseyside’s leading family law firm.”
Morecrofts’ private client team won the national Law Society Excellence Award, while the family team hold the Family Team of the Year Award from The Liverpool Law Society.
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Manchester-based serious injury business CFG Law has announced the promotion of one of its solicitors to senior associate and two more of its legal team to associate.
The trio were all promoted after completing their interviews via video and conference calls.
The Cheadle and Manchester-based firm’s entire workforce has already been working remotely for a fortnight in line with current government guidance on coronavirus.
Natasha Ulph, a specialist in brain and spinal injury and chronic pain, becomes a senior associate after 11 years with CFG Law. This is her latest promotion at the firm she joined in 2008 as a paralegal and then trainee solicitor, before being made an associate in 2014.
Natasha Ulph
Catastrophic injury expert Sarah Ouko becomes an associate, just over three years after joining CFG as a solicitor, and she is joined in the new associate ranks by costs solicitor Callum Hugo, who joined the business in July 2018.
All three have begun their new roles at CFG, which opened its second office in Manchester in August last year and was named the PI Team of the Year for the second year running at the recent Manchester Legal Awards.
Sarah Ouko
Richard Clark, CEO of CFG Law, said: “Promotion to associate and senior associate is a huge step in the career of anyone working in a legal business and we were determined that the current situation wouldn’t stop anyone here taking that step.
“Natasha, Callum and Sarah have all made very significant contributions to our business in recent years and thoroughly deserve their promotions.
“So we adapted the interview process as we’ve adapted our entire business, completed it remotely and we’re now looking forward to seeing them develop even further in the next stage of their careers with us.”
He added: “It was great to ring each of them and tell them they’d been successful. Calling them at home from my home was a fairly unique experience, but one we’ve all had to get used to in the past fortnight.
Callum Hugo
“We’ve invested significantly in the IT capability of our business to enable agile working for everyone so, when the Government told us to work at home, thankfully we were prepared.”
CFG has also announced that two of its team, Ryan Rogers and Amiena Mia, both of whom joined as paralegals last year, have begun legal training contracts, with two more paralegals at the specialist serious business, Lucy Herdan and Rachel Wilson, due to start their training contracts in September.
The firm has recruited more than 30 people in the past 12 months to meet increases in new business, as well as opening its second office in Spring Gardens in Manchester city centre, adding to its first office in Cheadle.
As well as the Manchester Legal Awards win in 2019 and 2020, it was also named as the winner of the Law Society’s Legal Excellence Award for Client Service Excellence in October and was awarded the Spinal Injuries Association’s Torch Trophy for its work with the charity last July.
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North West law firm Harrison Drury has promoted seven of its team, recognising those who have contributed to the firm’s vision and values.
Six of its solicitors have been promoted to the role of associate solicitor. They are Matthew Astley, Hayley Bamber, Laura Brereton, Rhian Hawkins, Rebecca Patience and George Wilson.
Meanwhile, Kate Hackett has been promoted from the role of operations administrator to senior executive assistant.
John Chesworth, executive chairman of Harrison Drury, said: “We often talk about attracting people who fit with the culture of our business and who will contribute positively towards it by upholding our values.
John Chesworth
“These promotions are in recognition of each member’s commitment to this culture. Among their many other achievements in the last 12-months, they have demonstrated that they live and breathe our vision and values.
“What’s also pleasing about these promotions is that Matthew, Laura, Rhian and Rebecca all joined us as trainee solicitors and have been able to build great careers with us.”
Matthew specialises in employment and regulatory law and commercial litigation. He has also developed a strong interest in sports law and is the founding head of the firm’s sports sector team.
Hayley joined the firm in 2018 and specialises in all aspects of property litigation. Laura is part of Harrison Drury’s home and family team, advising clients on wills, inheritance and trusts.
Rhian joined Harrison Drury in 2013 as paralegal and has worked her way up to play a key role as part of the commercial property team.
Rebecca qualified as a family solicitor in 2017 and advises clients on divorce proceedings, matrimonial finances and making arrangements for children following separation.
George joined Harrison Drury in 2019. He is based at the firm’s Lancaster office and is part of the commercial property team.
As part of the operations team, Kate gets involved in a wide range of business projects and operational matters. She also plays a leading role in the firm’s community values team, coordinating and overseeing CSR activity.
Harrison Drury has offices in Preston, Clitheroe, Garstang, Lancaster and Kendal.
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International property law firm Appleyard Lees says, to reflect his progression and commitment to the firm, Howard Read has been internally promoted from senior associate to partner.
He is based at the firm’s Manchester office, although, like the rest of the nation, he is currently working from home.
Howard, who is a Chartered Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney, worked extensively both in industry on new products and in the academic sector before joining the patent profession.
Mr Read, who is based in Manchester and is very active in Cambridge, joined Appleyard Lees in February 2014 and is particularly interested in inventions based on artificial intelligence, as well as those in material science.
Howard Read
He has a great record of bringing new clients and new work into the firm. He is also particularly keen on developments in case law and is regularly involved in opposition work.
He said: “In 2014, I said that joining Appleyard Lees was exactly the right decision – and this sentiment has only since strengthened. Beyond expertise from IP law to science and engineering, Appleyard Lees profoundly understands the goals and challenges of our clients.
“I am deeply honoured to join this trusted partnership. Together, we will continue to grow enduring relationships with our clients – supporting them through their challenges to achieve their goals.”
Dick Waddington, managing partner, said: “Howard has risen very quickly through the ranks at Appleyard Lees. He has a proven ability to work across disparate fields of technology, whilst maintaining an excellent grasp of the technicalities involved.
“Howard’s contribution to business development is excellent and provides a template for those wanting to follow him. His approachable character allows for great teamwork with colleagues across the firm.”
