People: Andrew Jackson Solicitors; Lupton Fawcett; OakNorth; and more

Regional law firm, Andrew Jackson Solicitors, has welcomed Kerri Beaumont as an associate, marking further growth for its family law practice.

With many years’ family law experience, Beaumont’s experience covers all legal aspects concerning relationship breakdown, including financial disputes, child arrangements and divorce.

She also has significant experience in advising on disputes between cohabiting couples arising from separation, and on cases in which there are domestic violence issues. Should any matters progress to court, she can draw on her strong advocacy skills.

Richard Hoare, partner and head of private client services at Andrew Jackson, said: “Our family team takes great pride in working hard to achieve the best result for each of our clients – something which is really important to Kerri.

“We are supporting people at an incredibly distressing time in their lives and by growing our team, we can ensure that we can continue to offer our clients the best possible service.

“We warmly welcome Kerri, who is already using her technical skills in specialist areas of family law to support our clients and strengthen further our reputation.”

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Yorkshire law firm Lupton Fawcett has expanded its employment team with the appointment of two new solicitors.

After joining as paralegals and completing their training with the firm, Caitlin Humble and Niamh Lewis have recently qualified and are now both solicitors working across all aspects of employment law.

Andy Gilchrist, head of employment, said: “We are happy to welcome Caitlin and Niamh. Their intelligence and enthusiasm has meant that they have hit the ground running, and are already valued members of the team.

“As the team has gone from strength-to-strength, we have been able to expand, and Caitlin and Niamh have increased our team to nine – four in Leeds, three in Sheffield, and two in York.”

The employment team represents some of the region’s top businesses, including plcs, owner managed businesses, charities and independent schools, and has particular strengths in education, manufacturing, construction and leisure.

It advises both employers and employees on a range of employment and HR-related matters, including discrimination issues, redundancies, and settlement agreements. It is also be involved in corporate support and tribunal work.

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OakNorth has hired a new debt finance director based out of its Leeds office, to help strengthen its lending to SMEs across Yorkshire and the North West.

Stephen Dinsmore has joined as an associate director of Debt Finance. He previously worked as a debt advisory manager at Armstrong Watson Corporate Finance.

Dinsmore has spent more than 15 years working in the banking and finance industry, including roles at HSBC and RBS Invoice Finance supporting SMEs with their finance requirements across the North of England.

Ben Barbanel, head of debt finance at OakNorth, said: “We’re happy to have Stephen join our Debt Finance team, which is focused on supporting growth businesses across Yorkshire and the North East of England.

“Both regions are integral parts of OakNorth’s growth strategy, that has seen us lend around £350m to businesses based in these locations since our launch in September 2015.

“We want to be targeting strong entrepreneurs, and profitable businesses with strong and experienced management teams that have been through multiple cycles.

“We continue to see a huge opportunity in North and South Yorkshire, as well as the North East from businesses keen to pursue their growth ambitions, and because most incumbent banks and alternative lenders have been retrenching from lending, this has only been compounded.

“We therefore see it as an opportunity to step up to the plate and support businesses in the regions at a time when others may be unwilling or unable to.”

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Wetherby-based Claritas Solutions has appointed a new head of sales, Ben Moorhouse, to secure continued future sustainable growth. 

The business, which has more than 25 years experience in IT, is responsible for designing and delivering solutions from small office applications to large nationwide, Government projects.

It has recruited 11 new staff over the past year. The total number of employees at the IT company now stands at 67. 

Moorhouse, said: “I’m thrilled to join Claritas Solutions, an owner-managed business with a fantastic unique offering born from deep technical understanding and a strong focus on customer service. 

“It’s an interesting time for businesses dealing with the changing world of IT. After meeting the leadership team at Claritas, I knew they were well-placed to take advantage of the changing market, and I thought I could help with that to make a real difference. 

“After spending the last four years working for businesses based in London, I can’t deny that it was very appealing to be able to come to the office every day and work closely with people.

“I think of myself as a people person and get energy from being around others so I’m really looking forward to being based in Wetherby.”