People: Sydney Mitchell; Weightmans; Entec Si

Sydney Mitchell a law firm based in Birmingham and Solihull has announced a new partner as part of four senior promotions.

The new promotions include Mitra Mann to partner, Melissa Southall to senior associate, and Jayne Gregg and Charlotte Jones to associates.

Mitra Mann joined Sydney Mitchell in 2023, bringing with her experience as a specialist private client litigator in contentious probate and court of protection disputes.

She deals with cases involving will disputes, claims for reasonable financial provisions from an estate, professional negligence, restoring a vulnerable person’s estate and a range of court protection applications.

Melissa Southall, senior associate, joined Sydney Mitchell in 2019 and is an experienced solicitor who provides personal immigration advice to clients on spouse visas, applications for children, asylum, and European applications for citizenship.

Jayne Gregg, associate, of FCILEx, has experience in all areas of family law and is a member of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers committed to a non-confrontational approach to dealing with divorce and separation issues.

Charlotte Jones, associate solicitor in the private client team is diligent in her advice to clients on a wide variety of private client matters including wills, lasting powers of attorney, probate, estate administration and Court of Protection areas.

Karen Moores, senior partner at Sydney Mitchell LLP, said: “I would like to congratulate all of them and to thank them for their efforts and look forward to their ongoing contributions to the future of the firm.”

National law firm, Weightmans, has announced some new hires at its Birmingham office, strengthening its Midlands position.

Abdul Zaheed returns to the firm, to take up a new role as a partner in the real estate department.

Previously a principal associate at the firm, Zaheed has over 20 years of real estate experience, advising a wide range of clients from individuals to large corporates, developers, landowners, public/private bodies and educational institutions.

At Weightmans, Zaheed is tasked with growing the real estate team within the office, with interviews already in progress.

Abdul Zaheed

Sarah Perry will also be joining as a new consultant in the commercial dispute resolution team. Formerly managing partner at Wright Hassall LLP, and the current chair of the advisory board for the Centre for the New Midlands, Perry’s new objective is to raise the profile of Weightmans across the Midlands region.

Abdul Zaheed, partner, said: “I am delighted to be back at Weightmans. It’s always been a company that sits proudly on my CV, so it’s great to return. From the culture and the way it treats its employees, to the expertise on display and a client-first approach, it is a fantastic firm to be part of, with real ambitions for future growth, both regionally and nationally. I’m looking forward to playing my role in making this happen.”

Perry said: “In 2023 Weightmans demonstrated its commitment to the Midlands region with the significant investment it made in the new Birmingham office. It is my mission to capitalise on this and consolidate our regional standing. I want us to be the law firm of choice, both from a client and employee perspective. We care about the Midlands and its people and want to contribute and be part of its future success.”

Birmingham-based change consultancy, Entec Si, has announced the promotion of three employees.  

With almost a decade of experience at Entec Si Devesh Punjani has been announced as the firm’s newest senior consultant.

As a senior consultant, Punjani will be instrumental in developing strategic guidance for the business and helping to foster junior talent.   

Devesh Punjani, Amar Assi and Eilis Garton-Marrows

Fellow Entec Si veteran, Amar Assi, has also received extra responsibilities. During her eight years spent at Entec Si, Amar’s team leadership and relationship-building skills have made her instrumental in the delivery of over 44 projects.

Eilis Garton-Marrows will also be accompanying Amar and Devesh in receiving further responsibilities within a new role. In the next step in her consultancy journey, following almost five years within Entec Si, she will be focused on helping to support the delivery of a suite of projects, generating change for good and delivering impactful transformation projects.   

 Eman Al-Hillawi, CEO of Entec Si said: “As a business that prides itself on putting people at the heart of all our projects, it’s important that we practice what we preach. Eilis, Devesh and Amar are integral to Entec Si’s strategic vision. It’s always a moment of pride to reward our loyal and hard-working employees and facilitate the growth of our people in line with the growth of the business.”  

 Devesh Punjani, senior consultant at Entec Si said: “My time with Entec Si has been invaluable to me as a professional and I’m looking forward to passing on the knowledge I have accumulated. Empowering clients and colleagues is the core ethos of our business culture and I’m grateful to be able to be able to help lead the charge.”