Private client team at Higgs & Sons boosted new quintet

HIGGS & Sons has strengthened its private client team with the appointment of five new members of staff.

Head of department, and Higgs’ senior partner, Nick Moxon, said: “This is an exciting time for Higgs & Sons as we continue to build upon our enormous success of recent years and cement our position as regional experts in private client work.

“We are extremely proud of our team – which is one of the largest in the Midlands – and the appointments demonstrate a confident investment in this area of the firm.”

Andy Bridge has joined the firm as Estates & Trust Manager following 10 years in the field. Most recently he has specialised in the administration of estates with a focus on the management of client relationships. He has been a full member of the Society of Trust and Estates Practitioners (STEP) since 2008.

David Morgan, also an Estates and Trust Manager, comes to Higgs with 16 years of experience in the day to day administration of trusts and estates. He holds both the England & Wales and Scottish STEP diplomas and has a wide range of practical experience with complex estates and trusts including business and agricultural assets, foreign property, difficult family relationships and intestacies. He is currently specialising in estate administration.

Chris Sawyer, Trusts Manager, previously spent 30 years as an Assistant Manager within a trusts and estates department and is also a member of STEP.

Deborah Beal has joined Higgs & Sons as an Associate in the Wealth Preservation team. She prepares wills and lasting powers of attorney, advises on the creation, administration and winding up of trusts and has a particular interest in inheritance tax planning.  She was a founding member of the Wolverhampton Junior Lawyers Division.

Harman Bains is newly qualified, and deals with all aspects of private client work, with a particular emphasis on the preparation of wills and lasting powers of attorney.  He advises individuals and families on a broad range of wealth and succession planning matters, with a practical and friendly approach to often complex situations.

BFA appointment for Clarke Willmott

CLARKE Willmott has become one of fewer than 50 legal practices around the country to be admitted as an affiliate member of the British Franchise Association.

The appointment follows a rigorous examination procedure and recognises the firm’s experience and expertise in the sector.

The British Franchise Association (bfa) is the only voluntary self-regulatory body for the UK franchise industry, with a standards based approach to membership. Its aim is to promote ethical franchising practice in the UK and help the industry develop credibility, influence and favourable circumstance for growth.

Peter Swinburn, who heads up Clarke Willmott’s Retail and Leisure division, said: “This really is a quality benchmark for our clients.  It was important for us as a business to invest in achieving this status because the bfa’s endorsement is seen as the ‘gold standard’ in the industry.”

Education service enhanced at HCB

THE specialist education law team headed up by Andrew Barrowclough has joined Solihull-based HCB Solicitors and Chartered Accountants. The move follows the appointment of a corporate law team led by Paul Corren aimed at extending the international capability of the network in England and Wales.

Barrowclough’s team has extensive national experience in assisting clients on a number of complex education law issues and is able to assist parents of children, education professionals and university students on a variety of cases working closely with a number of specialist schools and colleges.

Mike Gahan (pictured), chief executive at HCB, said: “We are delighted the specialist education law team headed by Andrew Barrowclough is joining the HCB national network.  

“The new team specialises in all aspects of education law with a focus on disputes involving making sure that children with special educational needs such as dyslexia and dyspraxia get the educational they need.

“The addition of education law specialists to the HCB national network means that the firm can offer this additional service nationally.  We have gained a high calibre, highly experienced team.”