People: Double partner hire at Fieldfisher; Slater and Gordon; Recruiter’s apprenticeship & more

LAW firm Fieldfisher, which merged with Manchester-based Heatons in 2014, has appointed two new technology-focused partners in an bid to to embrace the region’s burgeoning tech scene.

The firm has Rob Sheldon and Sam Jardine have both now started at the firm, having joined from DWF and Watson Burton respectively and is also recruiting for an associate to further expand its Manchester team

Sheldon was previously the location head of DWF’s commercial & IP team in Manchester, with Jardine leading the commercial and technology team at Newcastle firm Watson Burton.

Sheldon said: “The Fieldfisher brand is synonymous with leading edge technology, outsourcing and privacy advice and I am delighted to be involved from the outset in bringing Fieldfisher’s expertise in those areas to Manchester and the North West.  The ability to draw on the firm’s unrivalled technology and outsourcing expertise in its London, European and Silicon Valley offices makes this both an incredibly exciting and unique opportunity”.

Rob Shooter, heads of Fieldfisher’s technology, outsourcing and privacy group, added: “Both Rob and Sam will make excellent additions to the team and help ensure the group remains as a leader in the field.”

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THE interim UK head of general law at Slater and Gordon, the Australian consumer law firm, has announced his retirement.

Neil Kinsella will be succeeded by the firm’s operations manager,  Siri Siriwardene. Ken Fowlie remains UK managing director.

Kinsella was chief executive of Russell Jones & Walker when the firm was bought by Slater & Gordon in 2012. He oversaw the acquisition of a number of regional law firms including Pannone and Fentons.

He qualified in 1983 at Manchester-based Pannone, and worked closely with former senior partner Rodger Pannone and acted in a number of high profile legal cases with him during his career, representing victims of disasters, notably Manchester Air Crash, North Sea Chinook Helicopter Crash and the Piper Alpha Disaster.

Slater and Gordon’s managing director Andrew Grech said: “After working on a succession plan with Neil Kinsella for the last few years he has now decided it is time to retire from the Slater and Gordon business. During his time with the firm, he has steered Slater and Gordon into a new era of working, embracing technological advances to ensure that clients receive outstanding service in ways which suit them best.”

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MANCHESTER-based communications agency, One, has expanded with the appointment of Anna Maguire as account director, and Sophie Waterman as senior account executive.

Maguire joins from Gyro: Manchester where she worked on household names including Blackberry and Marshalls. Waterman joins from SLG, having worked with health provider, Nuffield Health, and plastic pipe manufacturer, Polypipe.

Wayne Silver, managing director of One, adds: “This double appointment comes following a period of significant growth for the agency, thanks to a surge of new client wins and a number exciting new projects with our existing clients.”

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CHESHIRE technical recruiter Perpetual Partnerships has an apprenticeship programme designed to help young people build careers in the recruitment industry.

The scheme will be delivered as a joint venture with apprenticeship training provider Total People and will offer hands-on experience, mentoring and theoretical training.

The first apprentice to join the programme is 18 year-old Molly Riley from Northwich.

Garry Rogerson, managing director of Perpertual, which specialises in the engineering, manufacturing, architecture and surveying industries, said: “This is a momentous leap for our industry, which has never before had an official apprenticeship scheme with recognised standards.

“We want to make recruitment a career of choice for talented young people by offering them a professional qualification and clear and credible career path.”

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JOLLY Good Vehicle Leasing has appointed Mike Baeten as leasing manager.

Baeten, who has previously worled for bluechip companies Sky and O2, will be responsible for managing customer accounts and acquiring new business.

He joins from the Corporate Food Company where he was in a sales role. He will be based at the group’s head office in Wrexham.

Baeten said: “Joining the Jolly Group will give me a new challenge and the chance to use my sales and customer service experience.  I hope to take Jolly Good Vehicle Leasing to a new level by gaining new business and maintaining our database by ways of effective relationship building. My aim is to create brand awareness of the business and secure clients a great leasing deal.”