Thomas Guise says nǐ hǎo to new recruit

THOMAS Guise has grown its Chinese client team with the addition of new recruit Hannah Chen.
 
The firm’s Birmingham-based Chinese client team now features four members of staff including director Wayne Thomas and solicitor Nancy Hai. Ms Chen will work alongside the pairing, together with paralegal Marco Lau.
 
Ms Chen is helping to actively grow the firm’s links with the local and national British Chinese community as well as addressing clients’ needs from mainland China.
 
Part of this focus sees Thomas Guise becoming the only local law firm with a presence on Chinese networking websites Weibo and Wechat.  Between them, these two networking sites connect more than one billion people across the globe. Wechat runs the largest instant messaging service in the world.
 
Thomas said: “Our growing Chinese client team is purposely based in our Birmingham office in the heart of the region’s business and Chinese community. While we act for clients all over the country and in mainland China as well, it’s very important for us to focus and grow our Birmingham office where we can easily meet with clients and also get to other parts of the country quickly and efficiently.”

Thomas Guise has four offices in the region: Worcester, Studley, Malvern and Birmingham.

Lanyon Bowdler boosts agricultural offering with new appointment

LANYON Bowdler has been reappointed to the National Farmers’ Union legal panel.

The law firm, which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Staffordshire, participated in a six-month review by the NFU and was praised for its strength of expertise in agricultural matters.

The announcement means the firm has retained its place on the NFU legal panel for the third time, which places it amongst the leading agricultural law firms across the UK.

Lanyon Bowdler has one of the largest agricultural teams in the region, made up of 13 partners and 26 other solicitors across eight legal departments.

Brian Evans, head of the agricultural team, said: “We are delighted be named on the NFU legal panel for a third term.

“The six-month review was extremely thorough and looked at our legal services, fee structures and commitment to the NFU, alongside feedback from union members and staff, so we are very pleased to have been appointed.”

Evans led the review, supported by agricultural relationship manager Susan Shanahan.

Commercial director appointment for Higgs & Sons’ partner

HIGGS & Sons has announced that corporate partner Adrian Cutler has been appointed as commercial director at one of its key clients, RS Fleet Installations.

The appointment follows the completion of Beech Tree Private Equity’s multi-million pound investment into the group earlier this year.

Cutler (pictured) has worked alongside the group’s managing director Lea Hodson for a number of years, both as non-executive and as lawyer.

“Adrian’s appointment to the board of RS Fleet is testament to the client philosophy we adopt as a firm, which is to work as an extension of our clients’ management team and to be valued as a key strategic partner,” said Nick Taylor, head of the corporate team at Higgs & Sons.

“We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the business as we continue to work with Adrian in his new role, both as commercial director of RS and as an ongoing consultant to Higgs.  I am also delighted that Adrian has agreed to chair our new client board, to which he will bring a unique insight.”