People: Mills & Reeve; Shakespeare Martineau; Fortel Group
Claire Crawford joins Mills & Reeve to grow the Regulatory Public and Commercial Disputes (RPCD) team’s reputation in the Midlands
She joins the firm from Capsticks where she led the corporate commercial division team in Birmingham. She has extensive experience acting for and advising both contracting authorities and economic operators in all aspects of contentious procurement matters.
She has previously acted for GP Partnerships and independent medical, care and housing sector clients. She currently acts for a broad range of NHS Trusts and ICB clients, professional regulators and emergency service providers. She has also advised private sector clients in the energy, education and industry and manufacturing sectors.
Crawford is committed to developing a nationally recognised full-service procurement practice at Mills & Reeve, with a focus on government and healthcare sectors. Her appointment will improve the cross-selling opportunities between contentious and non-contentious procurement work at the firm.
She said: “I look forward to working with the existing RPCD partners in Birmingham to grow our reputation in and around the area for contentious projects more generally. This is a great opportunity for me to work closely with the sector leads to identify our key prospects. I also hope to grow the practice even further by developing an internal network of junior lawyers interested in supporting the team on contentious procurement work.”
Jayne Hussey, head of Birmingham office at Mills & Reeve said: “Claire is bringing to the team a varied and impressive background and knowledge that we believe will enhance the RPCD team. An exciting addition to the Mills & Reeve team that continues to grow and develop the strong workforce that we have built and continue to build here in Birmingham.”
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Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed new partner Natalie Owen to launch and lead its social housing securitisation team.
Owen is a trusted adviser to a range of not-for-profit and for-profit registered providers, advising them on complex large-scale residential portfolio funding and acquisition projects to maximise their assets.
With 18 years’ post-qualified experience,she has joined the firm from Trowers & Hamlins, where she headed up its Birmingham real estate finance security team.
She said: “I am thrilled to have joined Shakespeare Martineau at such an exciting time. The firm has an excellent reputation for its work in the social housing sector, and is growing and evolving to ensure it offers something different from competitors in this space.
“I am looking forward to building and growing the securitisation team to bolster Shakespeare Martineau’s existing social housing team with finance security expertise, so we can deliver a full-service offering to registered providers – giving them a credible alternative to the usual suspects.”
She will primarily be based at the firm’s Birmingham office hub but will be working with clients nationally.
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Fortel Group, a supplier of labour to the construction industry, has appointed Tim Hunt as its new head of compliance.
Hunt will be responsible for all things compliance including legislation, policies and procedures at Walsall-based Fortel.
“We are delighted to welcome Tim to the Fortel team,” says Sat Nijjer, CEO of Fortel. “He is joining us at a time when we believe we are in a very strong position, but his extensive experience and proven track record will be instrumental in ensuring we remain at the forefront of industry standards. With Tim’s appointment, we are confident in further strengthening our market position and driving our commitment to excellence, ethics, and compliance forward.”
Hunt said: “I am excited to work closely with the team and contribute my expertise to keep Fortel at the forefront of compliance and ethical business practices.”
