People: Warwickshire Law Society; mfg Solicitors; Harris Lamb; and more

One of Warwickshire’s leading corporate lawyers has been appointed as the new president of a major regional trade body.

Robert Lee, who is corporate partner at Leamington Spa-based Wright Hassall, takes over from Andrew Nyamayaro as president of the Warwickshire Law Society.

Lee is one of the region’s most respected corporate lawyers, who has worked at Wright Hassall since 1995 and has been a member of the Law Society for more than 30 years.

During his two-year presidency, he has pledged to support the county’s lawyers and provide a voice on sector challenges and hopes to establish the Law Society as the ‘go-to portal’ for public access to justice, whilst increasing its presence through in-person events.

Leamington-based Young People First – which provides support to some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people living in Warwickshire and Coventry – has also been chosen as his official charity.

He said: “I’m really excited to be taking on this new role.

“Andrew has done a great job guiding the society out of Covid and re-establishing it in the region, developing strong links with Coventry University and the University of Warwick as well as the legal team at Coventry City Council.

“As we come out of a post-Covid world, my key focus is to increase our online visibility, reignite in-person events, and establish the Law Society as the go-to portal for public access to justice.

“Access to justice is something that is close to my heart and has been championed at Wright Hassall for some time now through our free legal clinic which is held at our offices on the third Wednesday of each month.

“We have 35 members at the Law Society and represent approximately 750 legal professionals, so I am looking forward to working together to provide a voice for our region.

“This is also a great opportunity to raise as much money as possible for Young People First – a fantastic local charity in Leamington which I know well through current links with Wright Hassall.”

Established in 1914, the Warwickshire Law Society is more than 100 years old and represents and promotes more than 750 solicitors, trainee solicitors and legal executives in Coventry and Warwickshire.

It provides support and represents its members on a regional and national basis, provides training courses and updates to legislation, and helps the general public find legal support.

Lee is a partner in the corporate team at Wright Hassall and acts for a range of clients from large privately-owned global companies to entrepreneurial ventures, specialising in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and turnarounds.

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A Midlands law firm has announced the appointment of new department head for its agriculture and rural affairs division.

mfg Solicitors, which has offices across Worcestershire, Shropshire and Birmingham, has appointed partner Alex Phillips who will now lead the 13-strong team which specialises in advising farmers, estate owners and landowners around sales, renewables, estate management matters and a host of services for rural businesses.

She replaces senior partner and the firm’s vice chairman Iain Morrison who has led the nationally-respected department for ten years. Morrison, also a key architect in the department’s formation over 20 years ago, will continue to support rural and farming clients across the country.

Morrison said: “Alex has an exceptional reputation amongst her clients, but also in the wider agriculture and rural business community.

“Being appointed to lead the department underlines the commitment she has showcased over the past decade across the firm, but it also highlights her success as a talented and in-demand lawyer who understands complex rural legislation inside out.”

Phillips added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me and more than anything, I want to carry on Iain’s unbelievable legacy and continue the hard work he has put in as head of the department for so many years.

“I want to be a really hands on divisional head and work closely with the team to ensure we are taking care of our clients, solving problems together and promoting our expertise.

“More than ever, we are concentrating on getting in front of our clients as much as we can and providing legal advice which is clear and consistent, especially at a time when farming is going through the biggest change in a generation.”

Phillips originally joined the firm in September 2010 as a paralegal in its family department. Qualifying in 2013, one year later she was named Young Solicitor of the Year by the Worcestershire Law Society.

In 2017 she was appointed as one of the youngest ever presidents of the society and remains an active member of the group which promotes and supports lawyers across the county.

She became a senior associate in 2020, and a partner one year later in 2021.

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Property consultancy Harris Lamb has strengthened its commercial agency team with the appointment of graduate surveyor Ben Grinnell.

Grinnell, who graduated from Birmingham City University last summer, joins the business having spent the past few months gaining on-the-ground experience working with RCA Regeneration. He also brings construction site management experience gained working on both residential and commercial developments.

His goal over the coming years is to work toward his APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) with the support of the business’ in-house trainer and his colleagues.

Charles D’Auncey, head of Harris Lamb’s agency team, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben to the business. We’ve had a very positive start to the year, and the  Agency team is extremely busy working on acquisitions and disposals throughout the office and industrial sectors, so Ben has hit the ground running alongside his colleagues and is already proving an asset to the department.”

Grinnell added: “I was attracted to Harris Lamb not just because of the excellent reputation the business has and the diverse range of projects it is involved in, but because it is particularly well known for its structured APC guidance. Becoming a RICS-qualified Chartered Surveyor is my next career goal, and I am confident that I’ll be given the business’ full support in achieving that.

“Already I’m being introduced to key instructions and schemes within the region, and am finding no two days are the same when it comes to meeting clients’ needs.”

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Specialist civil engineering products provider Wrekin has appointed a new sales director.

Ricky Hasprey will be responsible for the strategic management of UK sales to help sustain and grow new and existing opportunities for the manufacturer.

He said: “I am presented with a very exciting opportunity at Wrekin and join at a time of impressive growth and diversification of its product portfolio. The iron, steel and geosynthetics offerings are all excelling and the business is investing heavily to help sustain and continue its growth journey, which I am looking forward to being part of.

“I will be working closely with merchant partners, who I already have long established relationships with, and customers to ensure a smooth sales experience and to offer added value at every stage.”

Wrekin’s long history of work in the highways, housing and utilities sectors is complemented by ongoing commercial projects, which Hasprey will be growing as a priority.

Simon Turner, commercial director at Wrekin, said: “We’re pleased to have Ricky join us and bring his proven track record with him. From the market leading sales teams he has created, to the established relationships he has formed with key players in the industry, it’s clear that Ricky has a passion for not only his profession but for the engineering industry. We all look forward to seeing what Ricky achieves with us and how he can nurture the sales team at Wrekin.”