People: Hudgell Solicitors; Harrowells Solicitors; Haseltine Lake Kempner; and more
Experienced catastrophic injury specialist, David Sears, has joined Hull and Manchester-based Hudgell Solicitors.
Having served Wakefield-based Minster Law for nearly 11 years, Sears had a caseload including many claims valued between £5m-£10m, representing people who had, predominantly, suffered brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, brachial plexus injuries, amputations or other life-changing orthopaedic injuries.
He said: “Hudgells’ work and its dedication to doing the right thing by its clients in recent years has been exceptional and has not gone unnoticed within the industry, and by people who need legal expertise in times of need.
“The firm has established a great reputation on the back of the work it has done for the victims of the Post Office scandal, for those who lost loved ones and were seriously injured at the Manchester Arena bombing, and in other cases such as representing the families of the victims of Stephen Port.
“The firm’s commitment to client care has shone through in all of these cases, so when the opportunity came to join Hudgells it was one I felt I had to take, as it is a firm on the up.”
Sears has almost 20 years’ of claims experience and a track-record of representing catastrophically injured clients, and successfully resolving their claims.
He says it is an area of work that requires not just expert legal knowledge, but also a great deal of understanding and empathy for people who are facing difficult and challenging times, possibly for the rest of their lives.
He added: “Hudgells already has a great team of serious injury lawyers, and they do some fantastic work in terms of both the compensation they secure and the rehabilitation programmes they establish to help people towards the best possible recovery.
“The aim now is to grow this area of work and ensure more people who suffer catastrophic injuries benefit from the expertise and dedication Hudgells are able to offer, and I am looking forward to being a part of that.”
Rachel Di Clemente, chief executive of Hudgell Solicitors, added: “I was privileged enough to work directly with David many years ago when I joined Minster Law to run their catastrophic injury team.
“It soon became clear that David was an incredibly talented lawyer alongside providing incredible support to his clients.
“He is a lawyer I would definitely want to look after any of my friends and family if they were unfortunate enough to need legal support following a serious injury.
“He will be a hugely valuable asset to our serious injury team and, equally importantly, I know that he holds the same values that are integral to being part of our team at Hudgells.”
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Harrowells Solicitors has confirmed that Matthew Hayward and Matt Rowley have been appointed as directors.
They will be contributing to the leadership, commerciality and strategic direction of the business and bringing additional energy to the future growth and development of the firm.
Hayward, head of commercial property, joined Harrowells in 2014 and has extensive expertise in all aspects of commercial property.
This includes acquisitions and disposals, acting for property developers, and advising on leasehold issues for both landlords and tenants.
Rowley, head of commercial, joined the business as a trainee solicitor 12 years ago.
Acting for national and international clients across a wide range of sectors, he is experienced in corporate matters including mergers, acquisitions and disposals and shareholder, LLP and partnership agreements as well as advice on day-to-day commercial issues, such as terms and conditions, distribution agreements and franchises.
Both Hayward and Rowley have worked with managing director Robert Onyett prior to taking up their directorship roles to manage this transition.
Onyett said: “Harrowells has a strong tradition of offering excellent career progression from within the business.
“We’re pleased to be able to recognise Matt and Matthew’s hard work with these appointments. Their achievement is well deserved and will bring great benefits to the business over the coming years.”
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Haseltine Lake Kempner (HLK) has welcomed Catherine Coombes, who joins as a partner in the Chemistry and Life Sciences (CLS) team.
Coombes will be based in the firm’s Leeds office.
She has spent 20 years in private practice protecting client’s technology across life sciences and is well known for providing strategic and commercially focused IP advice.
Her experience of working with clients in many specialist fields, such as large-scale pharmaceuticals, gene editing, food ingredients, plant biotechnology, sequencing, and drug delivery, bolsters the strength of the CLS team across these evolving areas of IP.
A CRISPR specialist – a technology which research scientists use to selectively modify the DNA of living organisms – she has worked on some of the earliest CRISPR patents exploiting its role in bacterial immunity and has been at the forefront of this technology ever since.
The appointment of Coombes signifies further growth of HLK’s expert CLS team, following the promotion of Michael Ford in its Glasgow office to partner earlier this year.
Graham Lambert, CEO, said: “I’m excited to have Catherine join our firm. She brings with her a wealth of experience in the life sciences and healthcare space, and we look forward to working with her to continue to enhance and develop our client offering.
“It is also an excellent opportunity to expand our team in Leeds and to show our commitment to supporting our clients wherever they may be located.”
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New Care has strengthened its management team at Adel Manor, in Leeds, with a trio of senior appointments; Marsha Tuffin as home manager, Keegan Hutchinson as deputy manager and Matthew Bee as head of care.
As home manager, Tuffin is tasked with overseeing the day-to-day running of the care home, which is located on Otley Road.
She has over 30 years’ experience in the health sector, starting work in residential care at 18-years-old.
She said: “Caring for the residents with dignity and respect is paramount to me at Adel Manor so I will lead through example, with the ultimate aim of all residents having a voice and living a fulfilling life.
“I hope Adel Manor will become the care home of choice, renowned for providing excellent person-centred care.”
Supporting her is Hutchinson, who as deputy manager will fulfil staff training, complete audits, monitor quality and effectiveness of procedures, as well as maintain relationships with stakeholders, residents and their families.
Having worked in hospitals, community pharmacies, commissioning and mental health settings in the past, he is committed to learning more at Adel Manor, including the completion of his NVQ Level 5 in leadership and management.
He said: “In my previous role I saw the amazing work the team at Adel Manor are doing and how the management team really appreciated and valued their staff.
“The ethos and values of New Care are demonstrated throughout Adel Manor, so being a part of that team now is very important to me.”
Joining Adel Manor as head of care is Bee, who is responsible and accountable for the management of all care in the home, ensuring the timely provision and providing effective supervision, assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation.
He started his care career as a care assistant wanting to improve the quality of life for those he cared for.
He said: “I only started working in the care sector in 2021 but instantly knew this was the career for me.
“I struggled to find an organisation with the same passion for the delivery of outstanding person-centred care, until I heard about Adel Manor.
“I want to excel in providing excellent care and New Care shares this very vision. They are invested in their team and the residents are very much at the centre of the business.”
Dawn Collett, commissioning director at New Care, added: “I am thrilled to welcome Marsha, Keegan and Matthew to New Care and am confident the trio will lead Adel Manor in an exceptional way with a professional and hands on approach.”
