People: ABL Business; Blacks Solicitors; Irwin Mitchell; and more

ABL Business, a Bradford-based financial consultancy and accounting firm, has promoted Luke Rodgers to the position of associate director.

Rodgers started as an apprentice at the company nine years ago, then embarked on his AAT Accountancy Qualification.

As associate director, he will take on an even more pivotal role within the firm, contributing to strategic decision-making, leadership, and guiding the next generation of financial professionals.

Andy Redman, managing director, said: “I am extremely pleased to announce Luke’s promotion to associate director. His journey at ABL Business is an inspiring example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.

“Luke has been a valuable asset to our team for nearly a decade, and his promotion is a reflection of his commitment to both his own growth and our company’s success.

“We are confident that he will excel in his new role.”

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Blacks Solicitors has retained four newly qualified solicitors and offered four training contracts in its 2023 intake.

Three of the newly qualified solicitors have qualified into the Real Estate team; Conor Tobin, Victoria Adamson and Annie-May Dyson.

Adamson and Tobin were offered training contracts by the firm in 2021, while Dyson will be one of the first people at Blacks to complete her six-year apprenticeship, subject to the results of the SQE assessment.

Christina Donos has qualified into the Corporate team after being offered a training contract in 2021.

The intake into the Real Estate team follows the recent rebranding announcement of the firm’s specialist property offering and supports the continued growth of the team.

The four trainees who have been offered contracts are Sophie Whittaker and Chris Millen who are going into the Employment team, Emily Owston who will secure experience in the Wills & Probate team, and Crystal Pay who will work with the Leasehold Enfranchisement fee earners.

It takes the total number of trainees currently working at Blacks Solicitors to eight.

Tom Moyes, training partner, said: “We are always on the lookout for up and coming legal talent and having so many options available, from training contracts to apprenticeships, means that we can widen the net when it comes to attracting people to a career in the law.

“I want to offer my congratulations to Christina, Conor, Victoria and Annie-May in successfully qualifying, and I wish all our trainees success in the coming months as they work across different teams and in their future careers.”

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Law firm Irwin Mitchell has expanded its offering in the north with the appointment of specialist family law partner Anna Chenoweth at its Sheffield office.

Chenoweth, who originally trained with Irwin Mitchell, joins from Hughes Fowler Carruthers.

She advises on all aspects of family law arising from relationship breakdowns.

She has particular experience in dealing with cases involving complex financial structures and businesses, overseas assets and trusts and has considerable experience of working on cases involving international families and individuals.

Chenoweth said: “I’m happy to be joining Irwin Mitchell, the firm already has a strong family law presence in the North and a reputation for getting the best results whilst always keeping the client’s experience in mind.

“The strength and depth of experience in the team across all areas of law is invaluable for our clients and I can’t wait to get started.”

Ros Bever, national head of family law at the firm, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Anna back to Irwin Mitchell. We are continuing to invest in growing our family law team in the North and nationally and having Anna back on the team will be a real asset.

“She brings invaluable experience for our clients across all areas of family law and I look forward to working with her again.”

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Leeds-based architecture practice, Brewster Bye, has expanded its team with four new appointments across all levels.

Scott Morrison has joined as an architect. He has spent the past five years working for a Harrogate-based architecture practice, after graduating from Dundee University with a master’s degree in architecture in 2018.

During his career to date, he has worked on numerous projects in the commercial, retail and residential sectors.

Both Denisa Popeanga and Sam Tipping have joined as part 2 architectural assistants. The pair both graduated this summer with master’s degrees in architecture, with Popeanga studying at the University of Huddersfield and Tipping at Leeds Beckett University.

Max Townend has also joined Brewster Bye as a part 1 architectural assistant. He graduated this summer with a first-class BA (hons) in architecture from The University of Huddersfield.

Mark Henderson, a director from Brewster Bye, said: “These four appointments will strengthen our team and everyone has hit the ground running, working on a variety of residential projects.

“These range from city centre apartment developments to refurbishment projects on behalf of private developers, as well as affordable housing projects and large-scale specialist housing developments for people in later life.

“Scott is a skilled ARB and RIBA registered architect with extensive experience gained working through RIBA stages 3 to 6 and he’s immediately adding value to our clients.

“In addition, we’re excited to welcome Sam, Denise and Max to the team, who all have promising careers ahead of them.

“It’s also a coup to be continuing our relationship with The University of Huddersfield.

“Denisa and Max are our sixth and seventh recruits in the last six years who have joined after graduating from Huddersfield, which speaks volumes about the standard of training and education that the university offers.”