People: Wake Smith Solicitors; Lupton Fawcett; Rollits; and more

Sheffield’s Wake Smith Solicitors has welcomed seven new additions to its teams.

The solicitors has recruited across the board in its private client, litigation, employment, clinical negligence departments as well as taking on two trainees and essential support staff.

The firm is also actively recruiting into company commercial, commercial property and clinical negligence teams.

Private client associate solicitor Annie Wright brings more than 15 years experience of working in a busy Sheffield solicitors to Wake Smith.

Employment solicitor Robyn Jackson joins from a Nottingham solicitors to build on a wealth of experience gained before, and during, her training contract.

Newly qualified litigation solicitor Sophie Kerry brings her experience of working in paralegal roles since 2017 and joins following completion of her training contract.

Trainee solicitor Joseph Creasor spent over three years as a legal advisor at a Sheffield lawyers and joins Wake Smith with his first seat in the commercial property team.

And trainee solicitor Jessica Haynes is nearly two months into her training contract starting in the firm’s conveyancing team.

New appointments on the support side include private client department secretary Helen Broadhead who has more than 25 years’ experience as a legal secretary and has worked in private client teams since 2005.

Elizabeth Carnall also joins as a float legal secretary bringing nearly 20 years in the role, providing integral and flexible secretarial support to the busy departments.

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Lawyer Kelly Gilbert has become an associate member of the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).

Senior solicitor Kelly works in the dispute resolution team at Lupton Fawcett, advising clients involved in personal and commercial disputes.

She has completed a two-year course to become an associate member of ACTAPS which provides a forum for lawyers who specialise in disputes regarding wills, trusts and probate.

Gilbert specialises in several areas of dispute resolution including contentious probate, Inheritance Tax claims and partnership and shareholder disputes.

She said: “I’m thrilled to have become an associate member of ACTAPS which will enable me to share experience and knowledge with other dispute resolution specialists, thereby providing up-to-date, high-quality advice to clients.”

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A York law firm has reinforced the confidence of clients in its will and probate team with all five specialist solicitors now appointed to the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Emma Fawke, who qualified as a solicitor in 2011, has become a full member of STEP after successfully passing her exams and is now a qualified Trusts and Estates Practitioner (TEP) with Rollits LLP, which has offices in Hull and York.

As a specialist in wills, estate planning, lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection matters in addition to probate and administration of estates Fawke is also a member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), which she achieved in 2019.

SFE is a national association of independent lawyers who specialise in legal services for older and vulnerable people.

She said: “The whole private capital team of five lawyers across our two offices now have STEP membership, which is a kite mark for what we do. It indicates the knowledge and experience we all have in dealing with private client matters.”

John Lane, head of Rollits Private Capital Department, said: “We are all extremely proud of Emma’s achievement. She has worked very hard to complete her exams alongside her day-to-day work and in the midst of a pandemic and that hard work has paid off. We congratulate her on her STEP qualification.”

The department’s work includes raising awareness of the importance of having a will, and that process is supported every year by the Make a Will Fortnight.

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Avantis Hotels has appointed Parry Rathod as area manager to oversee both Hampton by Hilton properties in the city centre of York, the new built 143-bedroom hotel on Piccadilly and its 121-bedroom sister hotel on Toft Green.

Both Hampton by Hilton hotels have seen a surge in domestic bookings and are gearing up to welcome back international travellers as restrictions ease.

Rathod is set to use his significant service-focused expertise to further enhance the customer experience.

He was previously director of operations at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel and Spa, where he played a key role in the refurbishment and rebranding of the hotel into a DoubleTree by Hilton brand.

He has worked with Hilton since 2005, racking up operational management experience at its hotels in York, Newport, Blackpool and Northampton.

Rathod said: “I’m delighted to join Avantis Hotels at this very exciting period, with the newly-opened Hampton by Hilton Piccadilly adding to Hilton’s footprint in this dynamic city of York.

“I am looking forward to taking a successful journey together with the owners and team members.”

He said he also plans to draw on his coaching and mentoring experience to help increase colleagues’ job satisfaction and career progression

“I believe it is important to pass the knowledge and experiences to the next group of hoteliers,” he added.

“Hospitality is going through a skills shortage and I see it as a key part of my role to help develop and nurture team members who can go on to lead hotel teams in the future.”

Ravi Majithia, Avantis director, said: “We are thrilled that someone with Parry’s calibre, knowledge and experience is heading up our York team.

“Lockdown and the pent-up demand has led to price increases across the leisure sector and that means greater expectations from customers.

“At the same time, the leisure industry has been hit hard by the combination of Covid and Brexit, making it harder to find and retain the quality of staff that we require.

“We’re confident Parry’s motivational leadership style will encourage employees to follow him in forging a long-term career with Hilton.

“Having been with Hilton for over 16 years he’s a great example of what the brand has to offer in terms of training at all levels.”

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