People: Gateley; Preston Baker; and more

Legal and professional services provider, Gateley, has made eight new promotions at its Leeds office, with four employees promoted to senior associate and four to associate.

Those promoted to senior associate are Martin Barnes from the construction team, Cheryl Midgley from the residential development team, Rakshinda Nazir from the corporate dispute resolution team and Kulsam Mulla who conducts complex international recovery work.

Promoted to associate are Helen Gregory and Olga Parczewska who are both from the residential development team, Anna Fort-Winn from the construction team and Georgia Cowan from the employment team.

Andrew Johnson, partner and head of the Leeds office, said: “Well done to all those who have been promoted in Leeds.

“These promotions are testament to the hard work and dedication all of them have shown in delivering results that delight our clients.

“I am excited to see the continued development of our emerging talent as they take the next step in their careers with Gateley.”

A total of 61 promotions were announced across Gateley. Six new partners and one Of Counsel, two technical directors, one land consultant, one principal surveyor, nine legal directors, 16 senior associates and 25 new associates are also included in the latest promotions list.

In addition to Leeds, the promotions span Gateley’s offices in Birmingham, Belfast, Dubai, Guildford, London, Manchester, Reading and Nottingham.

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Property expert Carol Walker-Gunn has joined Yorkshire company, Preston Baker.

She will be helping people in the Harrogate and North Leeds area with all of their home move requirements.

She said: “I love what I do and I am pleased to join a company so aligned with my passion for delivering the very best moving experience.

“I pride myself on offering a bespoke, personal service, helping home movers with their early search for a new home, through to handing over the keys to their dream home.

“It’s so rewarding helping home movers through the buying and selling process and looking after everything for them so they can concentrate on their lives.”

Walker-Gunn, who lives in Harewood with her family, has over 28 years’ experience in property sales.

She is looking forward to her role as a Preston Baker Associate covering Harrogate and villages in the North Leeds area, including Harewood, North Rigton, Huby, Thorner and Scarcroft. 

She said: “I have so much valuable experience of buying and selling and I am thrilled to help my clients sell and buy within the sought-after areas of Harrogate and North Leeds.”

Walker-Gunn started her career with Taylor Wimpey plc and was most recently sales director for a private developer.

She added: “Preston Baker is such a forward-thinking, innovative company and I am just so pleased to be part of the team.

“It is a changing housing market and it pays to use an estate agent that will work hard for you, and I will do that.”

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Jane Ingleby, partner in Clarion’s family team, has become one of only a handful of fully qualified children arbitrators in Yorkshire.

As a children arbitrator, approved by the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators, she is now able to be appointed to help resolve disputes between parents regarding child custody and access arrangements.

As an alternative form of dispute resolution, child arbitration is designed to be a faster, less expensive and a less adversarial alternative to court proceedings.

With over 25 years’ experience across all aspects of family law, Ingleby joined Clarion in 2016, becoming a partner two years ago.

She has a strong track record in complex private law children’s proceedings, surrogacy, cohabitation and finance cases.

As well as being highly experienced and skilled legal professionals, children arbitrators undergo specialist child and family arbitration training which Ingleby completed in earlier this year.

She said: “Given the pressure the courts are currently under, it’s more important than ever that families can access an alternative, less adversarial form of dispute resolution.

“In children cases, which are often emotionally charged, the less formal setting of sitting in a normal room with an experienced and objective children arbitrator hearing your case, is a lot less intimidating and stressful.

“I am really pleased to be able to use my long track record in complex children’s proceedings to move into this role which can only be undertaken by lawyers with the experience to really understand the impact of their decisions on the entire family.

“I particularly like the fact that the process results in a final determination which is then passed to court for final review before becoming an enforceable order.”