People: Law firm raids rival for two partners; Palatine hires three & more

LAW firm Myerson has hired two new partners, Bik-ki Irving and Helen Thompson from Cheshire-based SAS Daniels.

Irving was previously a partner and head of wealth planning at SAS Daniels and joins Altrincham-based Myerson in its private wills, trusts and probate team. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is also a member of Solicitors for the Elderly. She specialises on advising in relation to tax-efficient wills and other inheritance tax planning matters.

Thompson will lead the firm’s contentious probate team. She is a member of the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and brings extensive experience of pursuing and settling will and inheritance disputes.

The arrival of Bik-ki and Helen adds further strength to the existing Myerson Private team led by the experienced Amanda Freeman. The team now consists of eight partners and nine solicitors.

Freeman said: “We are delighted that Bik-ki and Helen have joined us. They are both very well respected lawyers in the Manchester/Cheshire legal community and bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the Myerson Private team.”

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PALATINE Private Equity has made three new hires to the team in its home city as it looks to ramp-up activity.

Respected BDO corporate financier Kieran Lawton has joined as an investment director. Lawton, a was a director in the firm’s leisure and hospitality M&A team. He has more than 10 years’ of corporate finance experience, working on mid-market deals across a number of industry sectors including Palatine’s investments in Air Energi, Gusto and The Alchemist.

Tom Wildig has been appointed as investment manager. Tom has four years’ experience in corporate finance, having held previous positions at Deloitte as an assistant director in the firm’s corporate finance team, and BDO as corporate finance executive.

The third new hire is James Painter, who has joined as an investment executive from KPMG’s corporate finance team. During his time there, James worked on a range of domestic and international deals including company disposals and private equity transactions.

Palatine Private Equity, which has offices in Manchester, Birmingham and London, typically invests between £10m and £30m into entrepreneurial businesses. The firm closed its third Fund at £220m last year and is now looking to make more investments across the UK.

Managing partner Gary Tipper said: “We have experienced significant growth over the last couple of years having completed 12 new deals and completed five successful exits. In addition we raised our third fund in June 2015 as well as opening an office in Birmingham in December 2015.

“To ensure we continue to grow our business successfully it’s essential we bring in good people and in recruiting Kieran, Tom and James that is what we are doing. They are all excellent additions to the team who will make our business stronger and even more successful.”

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ROSANNA Cohen has joined planning and regeneration consultancy Nexus Planning as a planner in its Manchester office.

Cohen joins Nexus from NHS Property Services, prior to which she was part of the planning team at White Peak Planning in Didsbury, Manchester.

She has a wide  ange of experience, with initial Nexus projects including working with the team on the practice’s recent commission from ATLAS to assist in the delivery of large scale planning applications and housing zone projects as well as the submission of planning applications in Rochdale, Oldham and Ellesmere Port for Countryside Properties.

Rosanna’s appointment marks the latest step in the sustained growth of the business both in Manchester and its offices in London and Weybridge.

Executive director and Manchester office head Peter Tooher, said: “Our Manchester team continues to grow steadily and 2016 has started well with a number of instructions from existing and new clients.

“It’s an exciting time in property in Manchester as the Northern Powerhouse agenda gathers pace, and it is important to have the right people in place to work with our clients to capitalise on the opportunities. Rosanna is a talented planner and is already making a significant contribution to the team.”