People: Mills & Reeve; Rollits; Brewster Bye; and more

National law firm, Mills & Reeve, has appointed Jasmine Fearnley to its Leeds Intellectual Property (IP) team.

She joins as a senior associate in a move to strengthen the firm’s national IP team and further develop its contentious patent practice in the regions.

Fearnley advises corporate clients on all aspects of IP strategy, and particularly IP dispute avoidance and resolution relating to trade marks, design rights, copyright and patents.

The firm’s Leeds IP team has grown rapidly in recent years, and now has six specialist lawyers advising high profile national and international clients.

Fearnley, who joins from Irwin Mitchell, will work alongside partners Alex Newman, who joined the firm last year, and Mark Pearce, who is the national head of IP at Mills & Reeve.

Newman said: “Jasmine joining us adds further strength to our rapidly growing patent litigation practice and broader IP offering.

“Our current contentious patent caseload is one of the highest outside London and, following significant investment, we are now one of the largest pure IP teams in a full service law firm in Yorkshire.

“Jasmine’s expertise and commercial approach will be a valuable addition to the team as we develop our regional and national IP practice.”

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Law firm Rollits LLP has appointed David Richardson as its new compliance officer.

A qualified solicitor, Richardson worked for a prominent Newcastle-based personal injury firm for almost 20 years, specialising in cases which included disputed liability, alleged fraud RTA and employer and public liability.

He moved into an IT development manager role in 2016 and became compliance officer of the firm’s medical agency in 2018, handling issues around Ministry of Justice guidelines, complaints, data protection matters and medical expert panel management.

At Rollits, he will work across the firm’s offices in Hull and York as a member of the Operations Team, which focuses on all operational matters including risk management.

He will take responsibility for monitoring the company’s compliance with regulations and internal policies to ensure they are up to date with the relevant laws and for educating partners and staff on compliance regulations and the impact of non-compliance.

Richardson is a graduate of the University of Northumbria, where he also completed his Legal Practice Course.

He said “I am pleased to join such a well regarded firm as Rollits.

“Compliance is the cornerstone of a reputable and sustainable legal practice and the creation of this new role highlights how seriously the firm takes it’s obligations to ensure legal and ethical standards are upheld and risks are identified and managed.”

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Leeds-based architecture practice, Brewster Bye, has appointed an architect who is originally from Spain, as it continues to grow following a string of new client wins and increased business from longstanding clients.

Alejandro Medina has worked in architecture for almost 10 years and his portfolio of projects includes everything from residential homes through to museums, hotels and spas, as well as public spaces and student accommodation.

His appointment follows the recent promotions of Andrew Chapman and Tim Chesnutt at the practice.

Brewster Bye currently employs a team of 21 in Headingley. Mark Henderson, director at Brewster Bye, said: “As well as promoting from within our team, we are always looking for talented architects who can bring something a little different to our offering.

“Alejandro’s portfolio or work is very impressive, having worked on interesting designs for museums, parks, city markets, and boulevards in Marbella, as well as education projects in Germany. We are fortunate to have him on our team.”

Medina said: “I have worked for clients in both the public and private sectors and enjoy providing clients with design guidance to create spaces that are as functional and attractive as possible.

“Since moving to the UK in 2019, and then working at Studio Map, I have gained valuable experience with the UK’s planning and building regulations and enjoyed working closely with engineers, suppliers, and consultants.

“I was keen to join Brewster Bye Architects as they have a wonderful range of clients and have designed many award-winning, and most importantly, really liveable and usable spaces over the years in Yorkshire and beyond.”

Alejandro is a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and is registered with the Architects Registration Board.

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Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) has appointed Chris Wright in the new role of head of health and leisure.

Wright, 48, from Chesterfield, joins the trust from Chesterfield Borough Council where he worked as a sport and leisure manager, and he brings a lifetime of leisure experience with him.

He said: “I’m thrilled to be joining DCLT. This is a really forward-thinking trust and they manage some great facilities.

“A number of the venues they manage have recently been refurbished, including Rossington Leisure Centre and Askern Leisure Centre so it is a fantastic time to join and see the difference that these community venues can make.

“I’ve spent my entire working life in sport and leisure, I was a competitive swimmer and as such spent much of my waking day in and around leisure centres.

“It was a natural progression for me to take a lifeguarding course to earn money while I was at college and then university studying Sport and Leisure.

Wright worked for Chesterfield local authority for the past nine years, with the past 18 months as a sport and leisure manager.

He took part in a 350-mile road cycling challenge last year raising more than £2,000 for charity. This year he will be back in the water taking part in the one-mile Great North Swim in Windermere, to raise money for Ashgate Hospice.

Chris Hone, chief operating officer at DCLT, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Chris to DCLT. He not only brings a great deal of experience with him but also has huge amounts of passion for sport, health and fitness.

“We are looking forward to working with Chris to implement new initiatives and access to activities across our portfolio of venues.”