People: JMW; CG Professional; McLarens; P4 Planning; FIG; Stephensons; Haines Watts
Law firm JMW Solicitors has made 43 promotions across all levels, departments and offices, including a record seven promotions to equity level which take effect this month.
The seven record promotions to full equity partner are all heads of department at JMW.
The Equity promotions in Manchester are Elspeth Kinder & Michael Chapman in Family Law, Steve Morris in Commercial litigation and Thomas Pearson in Real Estate Commercial along with Beverley Jones in Family Law (Liverpool), Lee Adams, Head of London, and Anita Rai in Employment (London).
There have been seven promotions to fixed share equity partner for Alison Parry in Commercial Litigation and Contentious Probate, Joe Cobb in Wills, Trusts and Probate, Lee McGovern, Head of the Client Services Team, Paul Burton in Real Estate Commercial, Richard Parkinson, Head of Commercial and Stephen Taylor Heath, Head of Sport who are all based in JMW’s Manchester office.
There have also been a further four promotions to partner for Amy Shaffron in Business Crime & Regulation and Golly Etemad in Real Estate Residential both based in the London office and Jenny Arnold in Family Law and Rebecca Young in Media Law who both based in the Manchester office. There were a further nine promotions from associate to senior associate and 17 promotions from solicitor to associate across both the Manchester and London offices.
Senior partner Joy Kingsley said: “For our continued growth it is very important we retain our talented people by rewarding them for their considerable contributions and this is shown in the 43 promotions made across the firm this year, which represents seven per cent of our employees.”
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Chorley law firm CG Professional has announced the appointment of Paul Hayhurst who joins as senior associate in commercial litigation.
The appointment is the latest CG has made in the past year to bolster an already well-established team to assist with an increased growth in demand.
Paul Hayhurst
Paul said: “It was a unique opportunity to come and work with CG. They’re a growing and dynamic team and their vision and ethos is so refreshing. They have an impressive client list and I’m keen to begin working with the team.”
CG has managed a growth in demand for its services during the pandemic with numerous key appointments in the past 12 months.
Managing partner, Stacey Turner, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Paul to the CG family.
“We’ve seen growth in demand for our services during this pandemic, but it was important to us that we strengthened our team with the right people to service this demand.
“We pride ourselves on offering the level of service usually restricted to big city law firms, and for that we need the right calibre of staff.
“Paul has 17 years of experience under his belt and has shown he can take a practical and commercial approach to resolving disputes, which is what we and our clients expect.”
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Global insurance services provider McLarens has announced the appointment of Philip Barmby as managing director of newly-launched Manchester-based business Brawdia, an independent building and construction consultancy, offering insurance-related surveying services across the UK & Ireland.
Brawdia will provide a strategic adjacency to McLarens’ core business, operating as a standalone, but wholly owned entity, supporting insurers, brokers, and their commercial and high net worth customers.
Philip Barmby will spearhead and further build a team of chartered surveyors with in-depth insurance market expertise.
A chartered surveyor with more than 25 years’ experience, Barmby joins from Savills where, as director-building and project consultancy, he led its insurance reinstatement division.
Brawdia will provide a wide range of building consultancy services, including reinstatement tender and project management, construction cost analysis, contract administration, subsidence damage investigation and resolution, technical due diligence, defect analysis, dilapidation surveys and expert witness work.
Philip Barmby
Steven Wallace, managing director UK & Ireland, McLarens, said: “This marks a hugely positive step in McLarens’ evolution – a distinct proposition from our core loss adjusting business, but one that’s very much aligned to our focus on complex, commercial and niche markets.
“Philip has a great reputation and brings a wealth of expertise across both pre- and post-loss insurance-related surveying services. The team will, no doubt, provide the same culture, service quality and technical expertise that has become synonymous with our values and I am delighted to add Brawdia to the McLarens family.”
Philip Barmby said: “Within a claims context, surveying work requires a broad building and construction skill set, as well as considerable knowledge and insight of the different aspects of an insured loss – whether knowing your way around a ‘value at risk’ cost assessment, understanding the nuances of business continuity or managing multiple stakeholder interests.
“Brawdia will offer the industry an essential blend of technical skill, pragmatism and experience. This is a hugely exciting venture and one which I am thrilled to lead and develop.”
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P4 Planning has announced the promotion of Alexandra Gavin to planner at the Manchester-based consultancy.
Ally joined P4 as assistant planner in August 2020, adding to the growing team who have continued to operate at full strength throughout the COVID pandemic.
Her commitment and hard work during this period has not only been recognised with her recent RTPI chartership, following her successful APC submission, but also through her promotion to planner at a time when the company is making plans for a return to the office, with new premises in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Associate, Rhian Thomas, said: “Ally has truly been a valued member of the team since she joined in August 2020. She has proactively contributed to the team through her dedication and can-do attitude.
Alexandra Gavin
“The commitment shown by Ally during the past eight months has helped P4 navigate a challenging period with minimal disruption for our clients. Her promotion is well deserved and reflects her achievements within the P4 team. As her manager I look forward to seeing and supporting her continued professional growth.”
Ally is part of the wider team which works to drive forward pragmatic and hard working solutions for its clients which include Peel L&P, Mileway and the University of Liverpool.
P4 Planning is also a finalist in this year’s RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence, the only North West company to be shortlisted for Small Planning Consultancy of the year.
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Glossop-based integrated marketing agency, FIG, has made two key staff appointments.
The specialist technology, manufacturing and industrial marketing agency has welcomed Sophie Noakes as senior account manager, and Liz Waterhouse as PR and content manager.
Sophie Noakes
Sophie is highly experienced in B2B marketing, having worked for Sonova – an international manufacturer of hearing care solutions – for five years.
Liz brings a wealth of PR experience and ran her own agency, Avencia PR, for 19 years before joining FIG in February.
Despite a difficult climate, FIG has recently brought two new clients on board. The agency is now supporting the full marketing strategy for Armacell UK – a supplier of technical insulation solutions – and has just won a PR contract for a new client in the technology sector.
The firm, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary, has also just been shortlisted for B2B Campaign of the Year in the PRmoment Awards 2021 for an integrated campaign it created for Middlewich-based SRL Traffic Systems – a manufacturer and supplier of mobile intelligent transport systems.
Liz Waterhouse
FIG’s innovative ‘Game Changers’ campaign maximised coverage and engagement across a number of channels and helped SRL to increase revenue growth by 36% in 2020-2021.
Helen Duncan, FIG’s managing director, said: “I’m delighted that the work the FIG team has achieved for SRL has been recognised. It’s a challenging time for businesses and marketing has never been more important. SRL are a fantastic business and we’re proud to work alongside them.”
She added: “In a period when many firms are facing an uncertain future, we couldn’t be more proud to have won two new accounts and to be up for a top industry award. We have a genuine passion for our clients and achieving results for them though our creativity, so this is a terrific way to kick off the celebrations in our 25th year.”
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National law firm, Stephensons, has made a trio of partner promotions across its family and crime departments.
Children law specialists, Jackie Price and Tim Galbraith from the Wigan office, and criminal litigation solicitor, Duncan Philips from the Manchester office, have all been made partners in the latest round of promotions at the firm.
From left: Jackie Price, Duncan Philips, Tim Galbraith
Jackie Price joined Stephensons in 1993 as an office junior and has worked her way up to partner status. A Resolution and Children Panel-accredited family lawyer, over the course of her career Jackie has earned a strong reputation for achieving superb outcomes for her clients.
Tim Galbraith specialises in complex care proceedings. With more than 15 years’ experience in dealing with family law matters, Tim has been a member of the Law Society’s Children’s Panel since 2010 and was recently recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in the influential Legal 500 rankings.
Duncan Philips qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and has worked exclusively in criminal litigation. Duncan represents clients at the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court and police station, often dealing with cases from beginning to end. Duncan was also recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Legal 500 rankings.
The promotions take the total number of partners at Stephensons to 39, with 56% of partners being female.
Andrew Welch, managing partner at Stephensons, said: “It is always wonderful to recognise the achievement and dedication of our team and I am particularly delighted to see all three of these hugely talented solicitors promoted to partner after seeing their legal careers begin and flourish here at Stephensons. I wish all three partners continued success.”
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Haines Watts has continued to invest their Manchester team, with 10 new appointments in the last 12 months, as the accountancy firm looks to respond to the growing needs of its business owner client base in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The new team members join across a range from a range of different routes, bringing total headcount up to 33.
Speaking on the last 12 months, Managing Director, David Fort said: “We’ve seen business owners completely transform the way they work in the last year. This said, we’re still very much in the midst of the pandemic and owner managers are still facing challenges ahead.”
“By bringing new people on board, we’re more than ready to help support business owners through the recovery phase and beyond.”
