People: Blacks Solicitors; Parklane Plowden Chambers; Bolser; and more

Blacks Solicitors continues to achieve its growth plans with the expansion of the Family Law team.

The Leeds-based law firm has recently appointed a new senior associate solicitor and secured the qualification of a trainee solicitor as part of the firm’s September 2022 intake.

It brings the total number of team members in the Family Law team to seven, including an apprentice and secretary.

Andrew Foulds has joined the team as a senior associate solicitor to meet the increased demand for Family Law services.

He will support the team in matters relating to divorce, financial settlement, private children proceedings, and nuptial agreements, as well as acting for non-married couples.

Foulds has over seven years’ experience, having qualified as a solicitor in the Family Law team at AWB Charlesworth Solicitors in 2015.

He said: “Blacks Solicitors is well known for its range of services and specialisms that are available to clients, and it was an obvious next step for me to join the firm.

“The Family team advises individuals through a range of significant life experiences, and I really enjoy supporting new and existing clients through what can be particularly challenging times.”

Jack Dodd joined Blacks Solicitors as a paralegal in the Commercial Property team before becoming a trainee solicitor in 2020 and qualifying into the Family Law team this year.

Prior to joining Blacks, he completed an undergraduate degree in English and European Law at The University of Leeds and Vrije Universeteit Amsterdam, and undertook a Masters in Law, Business & Management.

Ann Robinson, head of Family Law, added: “As a team we have seen a significant increase in the number of clients looking for Family Law advice.

“The expansion of the team with Jack’s qualification and Andrew’s appointment has enabled us to meet this demand and service a growing number of clients.”

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Parklane Plowden Chambers says three new barristers have accepted offers of tenancy after successfully completing their pupillages.

Bharat Jangra and Sophie Watson have joined chambers as tenants having initially been called in 2021 and will sit within the set’s civil law practice areas. Also called in 2021, Andrew Mohamdee has become a member of Parklane Plowden’s family practice.

Jangra becomes a tenant after completing his specialist civil law pupillage at Parklane Plowden under the supervision of barristers Gemma Lieberman and Tim Wilkinson.

Sophie Watson, a specialist civil law practitioner with a particular focus on employment, inquests and personal injury, began her pupillage last October. She was supervised by barristers Leila Benyounes, Colin Richmond and Andrew Sugarman.

Parklane Plowden’s clinical negligence and personal injury practice director, John Hammond, said: “Bharat and Sophie are both highly talented.

“Their respective pupillages have enabled them to gain exposure to an array of civil law matters, and this experience will benefit both our clients and the set.”

Specialising in family finance and private children work, Mohamdee started his pupillage last October under the supervision of barristers Farzana Tai and Lucy Sowden.

Commenting on Mohamdee’s tenancy, Parklane Plowden’s senior practice director to the family team, Mark Williams, said: “Andrew is a highly knowledgeable practitioner in family law, so we are very pleased he has accepted the offer of tenancy.

“He will further strengthen the expertise Parklane Plowden offers clients across the North Eastern Circuit and beyond.”

Parklane Plowden is home to 124 members operating from its Leeds and Newcastle premises. The set was formed in 2007 following the merger of Parklane Chambers in Leeds and Plowden Chambers in Newcastle.

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Leeds-based digital agency Bolser has made another six new appointments to support the delivery of its strategic growth plan.

Operating nationally and internationally, the agency’s clients include Microsoft, Flutter, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Madrona Venture Group, AIG Life and Budweiser Brewing Group.

Hannah Lunn has joined as an account manager from video production company and photography studio Powerhouse, where she was client services manager.

Becki Short and Isabel Feather have been recruited into their first career roles after university as account executive and account intern respectively.

In addition, the agency has strengthened its web development and design team. Jacob Towie has been hired as a digital designer, whilst Imad Kazi has taken the position of junior developer having previously work at online electrical retailer Ebuyer.

Following a successful training apprenticeship, Ben Palmer has joined Bolser as a junior UAT tester.

Agency founder and managing director, Ashley Bolser, said: “To meet the ambitions of our strategic growth plan, it is essential we have people with the right attitude and skillsets in place.

“Bolser has experienced strong growth since the start of this year. These new appointments are testament to that and with a strong pipeline of retained work and new business we expect growth to continue.

“We are also committed to training and developing people in the early stages of their careers, providing the opportunity to work on multi-national clients. This will be the case with Hannah, Becki, Isabel, Jacob, Imad and Ben, so I am pleased to welcome them all.”

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Following a year of record growth, digital development partner xDesign has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of Malcolm Seagrave to chief growth officer (CGO), and Neil Lockwood to chief client officer (CCO).

They both join the company from competitor AND Digital, will be key in supporting the company’s ambitious growth plans – including the expansion of its workforce to 550 people and reaching a revenue run rate in excess of £40m by mid-2023.

Founder and CEO, Euan Andrews, said: “Neil and Malcolm join at a really important time in our evolution.

“Not only do we want to make 2023 our fifth consecutive year of growth despite current economic headwinds. We also want to do this in a way that preserves the award-winning culture we’ve built – our latest Great Place to Work ranking provides huge validation for the people-first approach we’ve committed to.

“Both our new hires have a proven track record of fostering solid client relationships. Neil will be looking to focus his efforts on developing our existing client relationships and regional growth, while Malcolm will be looking to grow a new client base.”

Seagrave, based out of the company’s Leeds office with Lockwood, will support xDesign’s new partners and customers to scale their businesses; evolve their in-house digital capabilities, and deliver impactful digital products that ensure the long-term success of their businesses.

Seagrave said: “It’s a truly exhilarating time to be joining xDesign. Not only has the company seen explosive growth in the last two years – taking significant market share in the regions it operates in – it’s managed to do this while remaining fiercely people-focused. This was a really motivating factor in my decision to join the company’s senior team.”

Lockwood’s remit will be to support xDesign in developing more meaningful relationships with clients; futureproofing the company’s talent pipeline, and looking for regional expansion opportunities in the UK and Europe.

He said: “Despite current economic uncertainty, there’s a palpable buoyancy in the global tech sector currently – something I recently experienced as a delegate at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon.

“It’ll be my role to forge much more meaningful relationships with clients, to help them see the huge opportunities that tech can unlock when it comes to growth.

“What’s more, I’ll be ensuring xDesign has what it needs in place – particularly when it comes to digital talent – to play a much bigger regional presence, not only here in the UK, but also in markets like Europe.”

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