New faces at Shakespeares

MIDLANDS law firm Shakespeares has welcomed four new faces to its Stratford-upon-Avon office. Its Warwickshire base, formerly Needham and James but rebranded following a merger last year, has expanded it corporate, commercial and employment law teams. Employment law partner Simon Gilmour has transferred across from the firm’s Birmingham office where he headed up the employment team. He will be working alongside Andrew Smith, corporate law partner, who has been based in Stratford since joining the practice in 2009. Other new faces include Ellie Walsh, an associate in the employment law team, who has also moved across from Birmingham. She is joined by Nelum Rani, an associate in the firm’s commercial litigation team, and Toby Harper, solicitor in the corporate law team.

Partner joins Martineau

MARTINEAU has strengthened its employment team in Birmingham with the arrival of new partner Karen Macpherson from DLA Piper. Her previous experience also includes training at magic circle firm Linklaters before taking up an in-house role as the sole employment adviser for IBM.

Law Society appoints Challinors associate

CLAIRE Butterfield of Midlands law firm Challinors has been appointed to The Law Society’s accredited children’s panel. Her appointment brings the number of employees at Challinors to have been awarded a place on the panel to five. A Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (FILEX), she is an associate in the firm’s 32-strong Midlands-wide family team, operating across its network of offices.