Double appointment strengthens Wright Hassall

WARWICKSHIRE law firm Wright Hassall has strengthened its corporate team with two new appointments.

Michael Hiscock has joined the firm as a Senior Associate in construction along with Christopher Jones, who joins as an Associate in the banking and finance division of the Leamington solicitors.

Hiscock has a wealth of experience having spent 15 years in Nottingham working with two large law firms in the city. Jones arrives at Wright Hassall with seven years’ experience with a ‘magic circle’ law firm in London and two years’ experience with a major Birmingham law firm.

Hiscock said: “I am joining at a time when the construction sector is showing signs of increased confidence following tough economic times and I am looking forward to developing the positive business opportunities on offer.”

He has worked on construction projects for care homes, doctor’s centres and GPs surgeries and acted as legal representative in the development of both Nottingham and Loughborough University.

Jones is experienced in the corporate finance sector having acted for banks, private equity houses and corporates.

HS2 prompts Beswicks to strengthen planning service

STOKE-ON-TRENT based Beswicks Legal has strengthened its Planning and Environmental service with the creation of a new team.

The team will include an advisory service for landowners and companies affected by the development of the proposed HS2 rail link.

Iain Johnston, pictured, who has an extensive track record in areas including HS2 and nationally significant planning law, will head the team.

Johnston, who has been appointed as a Partner, returns to Stoke-on-Trent following senior roles at practices in Manchester and Birmingham.

“I am returning to North Staffordshire at a time when HS2 is set to come to the fore with the announcement of the fixed route for Phase Two towards the end of 2014,” he said.

“It is a growing area of work for lawyers with compulsory purchase expertise and I have been responsible for setting up HS2 advisory services in my previous roles as a partner in legal practices in Birmingham and Manchester.”

“Once the route through Staffordshire and Cheshire is fixed and safeguarded, landowners will ultimately be able to serve blight notices on Government and take advantage of the compensation packages available. This will cut short the Compulsory Purchase process and help landowners to achieve a faster resolution,” he added.

Graham Neyt, managing partner at Beswicks Legal said: “Iain is a well-known and highly respected name in planning law and it is pleasing to have secured his services.”

Retirement prompts changes at Lodders

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON lawyer Frances Lees has retired from the legal team at Lodders Solicitors after almost 30 years.

She steps down as Head of Residential Property to be succeeded by Paul Reed, who is joining Lodders from Shakespeares’ Solihull office.

However, Ms Lees (pictured right) will retain her association with the firm by taking up a new part-time role focusing on internal management issues.

Reed (pictured left) has a broad range of property experience, having started his career in residential property, moved into residential development, where he specialised in setting-up conveyancing schemes on residential development sites for house-builder clients, and then expanded into securitisation work on commercial properties.

He trained and qualified as a solicitor at Shakespeares in 1997, before joining Davies and Partners based in Gloucester in 1999. Moving to work at the Solihull office in 2001, he was made a partner in 2003, having successfully built and managed a plot sales team. He went to Wood Glaister as a partner in July 2007 and the firm merged with Shakespeares in 2011.

The other members of the residential team: Alison Wacey, Karen Bridges, Lisa Podmore and Dorothy O’Brian remain unchanged.

Senior partner David Lodder said: “Frances has been a major part of the success of the firm and I am so pleased that she will continue in a new role. She will be a hard act to follow but we are very confident that Paul, a very experienced operator, will hit the ground running.”