People: Morrish Solicitors and Northern

Morrish Solicitors has grown its Leeds-based employment team remit and made a new senior appointment.

Damian Kelly joins the employment team to lead a new department carrying out professional conduct and regulatory work.

He has become the head of the new professional conduct and regulatory team.

Kelly is a senior solicitor with over 25 years’ experience working in employment law.

He has worked in-house at firms across the UK and operated his own niche law firm for 15 years, specialising in employment rights, professional conduct and regulatory law.

After graduating at Queen’s University, Belfast in Law, he continued his studies at Leeds Beckett University, before completing his legal studies at the College of Law in York.

He specialises in employment, regulatory, professional conduct as well as data protection law.

He has successfully acted in high profile cases for professional clients including sports personalities, police officers and police support staff, solicitors and barristers, journalists, doctors, dentists and directors in cases including UK regulatory bodies, leading UK PLC’s, non-UK companies and public sector organisations.

Kelly said: “Since training with the firm of the late Victor Zermansky in Leeds and operating as a solicitor since 1994, I have practised primarily in the Leeds and Yorkshire area but with a geographical reach across the UK and Ireland as well as further abroad.

“I am happy to bring my skills and abilities to a firm with the great heritage that exists in Morrish.

“I am looking forward to developing the professional conduct and regulatory work which is an important area of legal need and which has a substantial overlap with employment-related rights for trade unions and others.”

The expanded employment rights team will focus on developing and growing its services to union members and private clients to include professional conduct and regulatory work.

Kelly will lead on and develop this team’s remit for individuals who are potentially subject to the regulatory spotlight within their profession or business sector. These individuals can be employees but can also be self-employed.

Daniel Kindell, head of employment, said: “Damian is a driven, ambitious solicitor with a passion for protecting people’s rights.

“I feel very privileged to work with such a fantastic team of people. The employment team at Morrish has gone from strength-to-strength and I have no doubt it will continue to do so.”

David Sorensen, managing partner, added: “We welcome Damian to the growing team and we are happy to have such a senior, experienced and highly regarded solicitor join us to head up our new professional conduct and regulatory team, and to steer us to further growth in this important area of work.

“This complements our existing employment services which are all focused on helping individuals in the world of work.”

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Train operator, Northern, will be appointing Tricia Williams as its new managing director.

Williams, who is currently Northern’s chief operating officer, will take over from Nick Donovan when he steps down from his role in spring 2024.

Donovan joined Northern in March 2020 when the business moved into public ownership under DOHL and will have spent four years in charge of the UK’s second largest train operator.

Donovan said: “It is a huge privilege to have had the opportunity to lead Northern – a real highlight of my career – and now feels like the right time to hand over to someone else.

“We have a brilliant leadership team in place and I’m so pleased that our current chief operating officer will take over from me in the spring.

“Tricia is a fantastic leader and I know she’ll continue to transform this business, making a positive impact for the customers and communities we serve.”

Robin Gisby, chief executive of DOHL and chair of the Northern Trains Board said: “I want to thank Nick for the incredible work he’s done to rebuild trust in Northern and get things back on track.

“We asked him to come for two years – and he took very little persuasion to stay for two more. I’m pleased that we have a talented successor in Tricia Williams and the Board looks forward to giving her every support.”

Northern will shortly begin recruitment for a new chief operating officer to replace Williams.

She said: “After three great years as chief operating officer, it’s an absolute honour to be taking on the managing director role.

“Nick has set the standard – not only for driving this business forward but the standard for truly supportive and inclusive leadership.

“We know we still have big challenges ahead of us. Nick will leave us in a strong position, and the team and I are ready to continue the great work he has started.”