Networking appointments for Higgs & Sons and Mills & Reeve solicitors

A SOLICITOR with Higgs & Sons has been elected Vice President of a Birmingham networking group.

Adam Maguire, 28, is one of three newly appointed Vice Presidents of Future Faces, a group developed by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce to help businesses support and develop staff who are committed to developing their careers.

Maguire, who qualified in 2013 after having trained with Higgs, said: “I am honoured to have been elected Vice President of Future Faces.

“There is a wealth of aspiring talent in our region and this will be a great opportunity to help contribute towards the growth and success of our future business community.

“Higgs & Sons has supported me over the last 12 months in my role on the Executive Committee of Future Faces, for which I am most grateful, and I am very much looking forward to the next few years which promise to be very exciting.”

Philip Barnsley, head of Family at Higgs & Sons, said: “We have been happy support Adam in his role within Future Faces, and delighted for him on his appointment as Vice President.

“By investing in such organisations, the benefits to us as a business are numerous.  It helps to develop confident employees with a variety of essential skills, increases our business network and brand recognition and helps to boost our reputation within the business community.”

Maguire specialises in private matrimonial and family law and advises clients on all aspects of relationship breakdown including divorce and cohabitation disputes. He is also a practising member of Resolution, an organisation committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes.

He is joined as vice president by solicitor Victoria Lineton, of Mills & Reeve in Birmingham.

Ms Lineton, left, who works in the firm’s commercial disputes team, will also share the role with Chris Pine, of NEC Group. The trio will support the body’s president, Karen Kaur, of Deutsche Bank.

During her two-year term in office, Ms Lineton plans to assist the executive committee in increasing its 110 members, particularly in underrepresented sectors such as technology and manufacturing.

She said: “We also have plans for some interesting events, such as an HS2 panel discussion and a number of social gatherings which encourage young professionals from a wide range of businesses to come together and think about how they can develop, make vital connections and learn from each other.”

Future Faces is a networking and peer support group for ambitious individuals who are in the early stages of their career. Its members come from a wide variety of sectors who are seeking to share experiences, learn from business leaders and work with their peer groups to develop new skills, knowledge and best practice in order to become the business leaders of the future.

New consultant for BCL Legal

BIRMINGHAM-based legal recruitment firm BCL Legal has strengthened its own team with the appointment of a new consultant.

The agency, which also has offices in London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Reading, has recruited Joanne McKernan, left, who in her new role, will be focusing on the placement of lawyers, company secretaries and compliance professionals into businesses across the Midlands and the South West of England.

A Law and French graduate from Cardiff University, Ms McKernan joined Thales as a legal and commercial graduate in 2003 and subsequently trained in-house as a solicitor at Thales’ UK headquarters. In 2005, she joined BAE Systems as counsel in its military air business and provided legal support to different areas of the organisation.

Mark Levine, head of the in-house team at BCL Legal, said: “Joanne has significant experience of working as an in-house lawyer and is therefore well placed to understand our clients’ requirements and to give candidates a unique insight into the in-house world. Her joining is a great addition to the team.”

New Associate for Aaron & Partners

SHROPSHIRE law firm Aaron & Partners has boosted its offering to business owners and private clients with the appointment of Lynda Richards as an Associate in the Wills, Trusts & Tax team in Shrewsbury.
 
Ms Richards, who joins from a leading national firm, specialises in advising business owners, landowners and high net worth individuals on succession and inheritance tax planning.
 
As a keen equestrian, she also advises on non-contentious equine related matters, such as loan and livery agreements.  
 
The appointment of the Wills, Trusts & Tax specialist forms part of the firm’s ongoing expansion programme, which has seen it recruit specialist lawyers for both its Shrewsbury and Chester offices.
 
Team leader Clive Pointon said: “Lynda’s skills and expertise bring just the right touch to our Shrewsbury client base and I look forward to helping Lynda grow the team as we continue to increase our offering in Shropshire.”