People: Rollits, Walker Morris, Gordons, Sheffield Chamber

Experienced accountant Clare Stones, who has held senior positions with firms across the region, has joined leading law firm Rollits as trust administrator to the private capital team based at its York office.

Stones attended Joseph Rowntree Secondary School in York and then embarked on her career in accountancy, completing her Association of Accounting Technicians studies with YH Training and then her Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualification at Kaplan in Leeds.

After gaining a degree in applied accounting at Oxford Brookes University she worked as client manager at Garbutt & Elliott, provided accountancy support to her own clients on a self-employed basis, and more recently worked as group client director at Delve Accounting Group.

Her role at Rollits is to provide day-to-day trust administration services and prepare annual accounts and tax returns for income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

Away from work she is an active supporter of charities. She spent 10 years as treasurer of the Special Care Baby Unit at York Hospital and she runs to raise money for various causes, with plans
to complete Ultra-Marathon later this year.

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Leading law firm, Walker Morris, announced 25 new internal promotions this May, including 4 partners, 3 directors and an additional 18 senior associates.

The new appointments have been made across multiple practice areas in the firm. The newly appointed partners include Lewis Couth in the Real Estate Litigation team, Laura Lister in the Finance team, Michael O’Halloran in the Corporate team, and Charlotte Smith in the Employment team.

This year marks the first cohort of Partners who have progressed through Walker Morris’ Forge programme, an initiative designed to equip future and existing partners with the skills, mindset, and knowledge necessary to excel in their roles as a partner and drive the firm to success. The programme is built around 3 main pillars to make the path to partnership more transparent. These pillars include understanding the ever-changing legal landscape, growing the business, and leading its people.

This announcement follows the recent appointment of 3 major lateral hires, with partners Lee Gordon, Simon Ingham and Nick Stubbs joining the firm in April to strengthen the Infrastructure & Energy, Commercial Dispute Resolution, and Commercial & Technology teams.

Speaking on the new appointments, new managing partner, Jeanette Burgess, said: “I would like to congratulate all our colleagues this year for their hard work and dedication. These promotions are very well deserved and reinforce our commitment to continued investment in our people, as we focus on implementing our 3-year strategy to attract and retain the top talent.

We have embedded an award-winning sustainable career offering, giving our people not only a great place to work, but access to high-calibre work and the opportunity to shape their professional development. The success of our firm is a testament to our people, and I look forward to seeing them all continue to flourish as they build their careers here at Walker Morris.”

New partners are Lewis Couth, real estate litigation; Laura Lister, finance; Michael O’Halloran, corporate; and Charlotte Smith,  employment.

New directors are Asia Munir, real estate litigation; Sam Parkinson,  construction; and Kathryn Vickers, commercial dispute resolution.

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Law firm Gordons is celebrating the latest graduates of its pioneering multi-award-winning law apprenticeship scheme.

Tegan Knappy and Kendall Philipson, who joined Gordons as apprentices in September 2018, have both now qualified as chartered legal executives.

Tegan and Kendall have completed the Gordons Law Apprenticeship, which was the first of its kind in the UK legal sector when it was launched in 2011 to enable greater social mobility within the profession.

The five-year long programme admits bright and determined 18-year-old A-level school leaver entrants each September. Since it began, 36 young people have been apprentices at the firm and have gone on to pursue careers in the law.

Gordons’ apprenticeship scheme was the brainchild of senior partner, Paul Ayre, who said: “We are proud to be known as the law firm that launched the first apprenticeship of its kind in the UK legal sector.

“However, we are even more proud to have identified 36 bright and ambitious young people and provided them with the opportunity to gain access to a career in the profession.

“Tegan and Kendall are young lawyers with tremendous potential and now enter the next stage of their careers. As a firm that celebrates meritocracy and supports people with the right attitude and ability to succeed, Gordons will continue to develop them.”

Following their graduation, Tegan is specialising in employment law whilst Kendall is working within the firm’s commercial property team.

Tegan said: “Though it is challenging, Gordons’ apprenticeship scheme is accessible to any candidate with the right attitude and drive to succeed. The scheme allows individuals the opportunity to gain invaluable practical experience whilst also gaining a qualification free from any university debts, so it’s a win-win.”

As apprentices, both trained to become qualified lawyers through a combination of hands-on experience and academic study whilst Gordons paid their salary and course fees.

Kendall added: “I didn’t want to go to university so the apprenticeship scheme was the right route for me. Everyone at Gordons has been very supportive throughout my apprenticeship, with colleagues helping me through revision and course work as well as mentoring me at work.”

Gordons was the first law firm featured in the UK’s top 30 higher apprenticeship employers and in the top 100 employers for school and college leavers

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Sheffield Chamber of Commerce welcomes three new non-executive directors (NEDs) to its board this month.

Together with the existing members, the new NEDs will be responsible for propelling the strategic objectives of the chamber forward – ensuring its vision and mission are always front and centre.

Amy Grey, chief finance officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, is one of the three new faces. She joins the board with over 20 years of strategic finance experience – 10 at executive team level – and has held a raft of senior positions across both regional and multi-national companies.

The chamber also welcomes Dr Sam Chapman, senior vice president of Innovation and co-founder at The Floow, who specialises in transport, new technologies, new markets and research projects. He was also elected as the first ever ‘digital cutler’, during his tenure as a freeman and council member of The Company of Cutlers, back in 2015.

Erica Thompson, general counsel at Pricecheck Toiletries, concludes the trio and offers a wealth of legal experience, specifically in the regulatory compliance arena, gained from working within multiple businesses and industries from around the Sheffield region over the past 10 years.

Louisa Harrison-Walker, chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s a very exciting time for our city, and our new colleagues will further strengthen the collective knowledge and experience of our existing board.

“With their impressive professional backgrounds spanning many corners of the business landscape — legal, finance and digital — each of the new NEDs brings with them fresh perspectives, skills, and decision-making capabilities.

“As well as making Sheffield the best place to start, grow and run a successful and sustainable business, the Chamber is passionate about working together and leading the way in making that happen. The new appointments are crucial in helping to achieve this.”