People: Slater Heelis; gunnercooke; SMD; & more

MANCHESTER and Cheshire-based law firm Slater Heelis has appointed Nicky Collins as corporate and commercial partner.

Before joining Slater Heelis Collins spent nearly ten years with George Davies Solicitors and was at Browne Jacobson for three years.

Nicky has extensive experience in advising on mergers, acquisitions, disposals and commercial arrangements particularly in the education and healthcare sectors. She joins Katharine Mellor, Simon Wallwork and Sunil Mohindra as a senior player in the Slater Heelis corporate team.

Chris Bishop, managing partner at Slater Heelis, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Nicky to the team. With more than twenty years’ experience and an impressive number of referrals and recommendations, I know Nicky will be a valuable member of the corporate team.”
 
Collins added: “I’m delighted to be joining Slater Heelis at such an exciting time for the corporate and commercial team.”

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SENIOR banking and finance lawyer Richard Papworth joins leading challenger law firm gunnercooke.

HIGHLY experienced banking and finance lawyerr Richard Papworth is joining challenger law firm gunnercooke’s banking and finance team as a senior ambassador to support the significant expansion of its banking relationships.

He will be predominantly focusing on client development and relationships management.

While at Addleshaw Goddard, Papworth held client relationship partner for some very large cross firm client relationships. He is also very well-known and highly regarded for his work in social housing finance.

He has previously been ranked by Legal 500 and Chambers directories as the leading Social Housing Finance Lawyer acting for funders in the UK and also as a highly rated UK banking and dinance and real estate finance lawyer.

In 2015 he retired from Addleshaw Goddard, where he was for many years head of banking and finance nationally and divisional nanaging partner.

He has decided to join gunnercooke based on his existing relationships with the banking team and the draw of offering legal services in a different way.

Papworth said: “I have been keenly following gunnercooke’s expansion and decided that the opportunity to work alongside the banking team, a number of whom I have worked with previously and have great respect for, was too good to pass up on.

“Throughout my career I’ve focused on strong client relationships and it’s fantastic to join a model that has this same core value. I am genuinely excited by the prospect.”

Anna Beaumont, gunnercook chief executive, said: “We are delighted to welcome Richard to our team. He highlights what gunnercooke is all about – a senior trusted advisor with a passion for client service. The fact that we have been able to attract him is testament to the growing strength of both our firm-wide and banking brand. Our banking practice has more than doubled in size over the last 12 months, and we believe it to be one of the strongest offerings in the UK market.”

Papworth will be based from gunnercooke’s offices across Manchester and London.

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PRESTON-based textiles firm SMD Group has boosted its senior management team with the appointment of David Steele as senior key account manager.
 
In his new role, Steele will be responsible for managing the company’s iLiv Contract Fabrics portfolio across the UK.
   
iLiv Contract Fabrics supplies fire retardant fabric and wallcoverings to commercial environments including the hospitality, leisure and care home sectors. Its focus is to push boundaries in design and materials, while meeting all relevant British Standards.
 
Steele joins the growing fabrics firm from Bancroft Soft Furnishings, where he spent eight years as national sales manager responsible for driving growth for both the domestic and contract sides of the business throughout the country.
 
Jason Kenworthy, managing director at SMD Group, said: “David shares the same enthusiasm, values and ambition as we do, which makes him a perfect match.  

“With 14 years’ experience working in this field, his knowledge is invaluable and will help support us as we look to increase our market presence within the contract sector.”
 
Steele said: “SMD Group is a brand I’ve been familiar with for many years and it has always been seen as a leader, particularly in the care home sector market. I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an important time as we make significant changes to enhance our offer for the hotel sector too.”

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PARALEGALS Emma Jones and Arman Hemani join the team Manchester-based law firm Freeman Fisher while Daniel Rodgerson has been promoted to associate.
 
Jones joins from Berwin Leighton Paisner and will assist partner Krista Powell head of the firm’s real estate department.
 
Hemani has arrived from Addleshaw Goddard and will work alongside Freeman Fisher’s head of corporate and commercial Gary Black.
 
Rodgerson has been promoted to associate in the corporate and commercial department, having joined the firm in April 2015.
 
Freeman Fisher Partner, Gary Black said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Arman and Emma, and to congratulate Daniel on his promotion.
 
“The past 12 months have been our busiest to date, having secured a record number of clients, and I am particularly keen to bring in junior fee earners who I am sure will play a big part in our future growth.”