People: Law firm appoints litigation specialist; Senior hire for construction consultancy; and more

Irwin Mitchell has announced the appointment of a new senior associate to support the post-lockdown growth of the firm’s wills, trusts and estates disputes team in the West Midlands.

Based in the Birmingham office, Hayley-Jo Lockley joins the team with a brief to focus on trust and estate litigation. The first few years of her career were in general litigation, before moving to specialise in contentious trust and probate work six years ago.

Lockley developed her specialism in contentious trust and probate while at Sydney Mitchell and is currently part way through the ACTAPS accreditation. Prior to Irwin Mitchell, she was working as a lecturer and tutor, teaching aspiring barristers and solicitors in civil litigation, and assisted Silverback Commercial Law Services as a consultant.

Originally called to the bar in 2009 and having cross-qualified as a solicitor in 2015, she boasts considerable litigation experience in both commercial and civil litigation before specialising in probate, will disputes and trust of land claims.

Lockley said: “I’m passionate about helping clients achieve a swift and successful resolution to their problems, so it’s a pleasure to be joining a firm that puts client needs at the heart of all we do.

“Irwin Mitchell has built a firm reputation in the region and further afield for its litigation work and I’m looking forward to playing my part in seeing this success continues in the future and as we all return to a more normal world after what has been a challenging time for so many people.”

Paula Myers, director of legal services for private client at Irwin Mitchell, said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to welcome Hayley-Jo on board as part of the team in Birmingham. She is one of several new senior hires who are joining us over the coming months, as we look to expand our support for our clients and communities in the West Midlands region and further afield.

“Now the economy is opening back up, we are taking many steps to ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our clients and build upon our existing litigation work and Hayley-Jo and her experience will be a boost for the team as we implement the next stage of our growth plans.”
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Construction consultancy Feasibility has strengthened its team with the appointment of Kevin McHale as a senior quantity surveyor.

He brings a wealth of QS, project management and cost consultancy experience in the commercial, hospitality and technology sectors, including civil projects and a refurbishment programme for Whitbread’s Premier Inn portfolio.

Feasibility director Seb Rose said: “We welcome Kevin to the team and he’s already taken the reigns on schemes for clients including SEGRO and Chancerygate. The company has fortunately remained busy during the pandemic and Kevin’s talents are a real benefit as we continue to grow, with more good news coming soon.”

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FBC Manby Bowdler has made a trio of promotions.

From the Wolverhampton office Sharaz Khan and Elisabeth Glover have both received promotions.

Khan, a specialist in Personal Injury law has been promoted to associate and Glover moves up to senior associate.

Sara Simson, from the firm’s Redditch office, has also been promoted to partner this month after first joining FBC Manby Bowdler in 2019.

Neil Lloyd, managing director at FBC Manby Bowdler said: “We’ve made seven new senior appointments this September, including these three in the Midlands, promoting from within the firm in recognition of the valuable contributions our people make to our business. They are assets to our firm and our clients and they are being rightly rewarded with the opportunity to progress and develop in their careers with us.”

Other promotions announced this September include Liz Harrison-Clark, Emma Smith and Mark Turner who have all been promoted to associate.

Carina Kervin, in Shrewsbury, has been promoted to partner.