Will, Trust and Estates Dispute team boosted at Irwin Mitchell

IRWIN MITCHELL’S Will, Trust and Estate Disputes team has been bolstered with a new appointment at its Birmingham office.
 
The Irwin Mitchell team is the largest team outside London specialising in helping people and organisations with problems relating to contesting a will or trust.

Doug Houghton, has joined the firm’s Birmingham office as an Associate Solicitor from Higgs & Sons. He is a dispute resolution expert specialising in a wide range of trust and probate disputes.  He is also a full member of the Association of Contested Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).  He will be working with partner Gavin Faber, who joined the team last year.
 
Partner and head of Irwin Mitchell’s Will, Trust and Estates Dispute team Paula Myers said: “Doug is an experienced lawyer within this specialist field of law and his appointment enables us to grow our national Will, Trust and Estate Disputes offering.”
 

Electronics specialist promoted at Marks & Clerk

MARKS & CLERK, the UK’s largest firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, has promoted electronics patent specialist, Dr Stephen Blake, to partner in its Birmingham office. He joins from the firm’s Oxford office.

Dr Blake is a Chartered and European Patent Attorney working across the fields of telecommunications, software, electronic engineering and mechanical engineering. He specialises in obtaining European and UK patent protection for clients and advising on intellectual property portfolio management. His clients include large multinational corporations, SMEs and universities, in the West Midlands, nationally and internationally, particularly in the United States.

Prior to entering the patent profession, he spent six years in the Royal Air Force as an Avionics Engineer and has also completed a PhD at the University of Nottingham.

Amongst other responsibilities, he will manage the office’s marketing function.

Robin Oxley, Managing Partner of Marks & Clerk’s Birmingham office, said: “Stephen is a highly skilled Patent Attorney who has already made significant contributions to the firm, in particular through his involvement in the firm’s training programme for new joiners and the excellent rapport that he is able to build with his clients to provide them with sound, useful and commercially focused advice.”

Dr Blake said: “I am delighted to join the partnership here at Marks & Clerk. As a firm, we recognise that both universities and private companies in Birmingham and the West Midlands have first class research and development facilities. Ensuring that these organisations have the right protection for their intellectual property is a vital part of our service.”

Real Estate team boosted at Pinsent Masons

PINSENT MASONS has recruited seven solicitors into its Birmingham real estate team.
The new members have been recruited both externally and from within the company.

They include Owen Humphries, who joins the Development team as Senior Associate from Gateley, Amy Jones, who joins the Development team as solicitor, also from Gateley, Ruth Bourton joins the Investment team as Associate from Shoosmiths, Craig Downhill joins the Property Dispute Resolution team as Senior Associate from Shoosmiths, Pierre Smith joins the Property Dispute Resolution team as Paralegal from DAC Beachcroft and Hannah Gohar joins the Energy and Infrastructure team as Solicitor from PwC Legal.

After having successfully completed her training contract with the firm, Holly Smith has joined the Investment team as Solicitor.

Tom Johnson, partner and head of the Birmingham property team at Pinsent Masons, said: “Birmingham is now rightly recognised nationally and internationally for the economic renaissance the city is enjoying, thanks to the increasing levels of inward investment and the top quality developments that make this a great location for businesses and investors – there is a real buzz around town.

“Our strategy for some time has entailed focusing on the growth of our real estate team in Birmingham in anticipation of this upturn in activity and our new colleagues will help us to provide significant strength and depth across the markets in which we operate.”