People: 43 Clicks North; Switalskis; Morrish Solicitors; and more

A Hull-based performance marketing agency has completed a boardroom reshuffle as it works to strengthen its platform for growth.

Mike Ellis, managing director of 43 Clicks North since he set up the business in 2017, has handed the role to Steve Baker, who steps up from the job of performance marketing director.

Ellis will take on the title of founder and will focus on the commercial side of the business to treble growth over the next four years.

The pair first worked together at Epiphany Search in Leeds, reuniting four years ago when Ellis recruited Baker as operations manager of the growing business.

Ellis said: “We had a really strong year last year and recorded our best ever profits – up about 10 per cent year-on-year.

“But at the same time we were thinking about how much better the business could be if each of us concentrated on the things we do best, and we couldn’t see any good reason to delay that any longer.

“The start of the year has been challenging because the economy is still struggling and it will be like that for some time yet, but the pipeline is looking good.

“We had a bit of a rebuild in 2024 and that’s given us the room to be able to invest in 2025 and hopefully look forward to the rewards from that in 2026.

“We have bolstered the Paid Media and SEO teams, and we are looking to bolster the client management team.

“We are putting a lot of building blocks in place, particularly in sales and marketing, which is the main reason I am moving across to that side of the business, but what I can’t do is focus on the commercial side of the business while running the day-to-day.”

Baker is a University of Lincoln graduate, who attended the Hull campus in the early 2000s.

He said: “It’s been difficult in the market generally but all the work we have done over the last 18 months has made sure we are on the right track and we do not need to feel restricted in our ambitions.

“When the economy and the market isn’t where we want it to be, a lot of businesses batten down the hatches and don’t try to grow their way out of the downturn.

“We’re doing the opposite. We are investing internally and creating new roles because we have a good, stable structure in the business to enable that to happen.”

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Switalskis has expanded its family team with the appointment of specialist solicitor, Juliet Walker to lead the department’s growth in York and Ryedale.

With over 25 years of family law experience, Walker adds strength in handling complex financial matters and private children cases.

She has built a strong reputation for handling intricate financial disputes, including high-net-worth divorces, asset division, and cases involving family businesses and trusts.

She has extensive experience in international family law, often handling cross-border financial settlements and private children matters.

Working with farmers and landowners, her experience in complex family legal issues helps ensure generational assets and estates are protected in family proceedings.

Walker said: “I’m pleased to join Switalskis as it embarks on further growth in this important area of law.

“While we grow our team’s presence in York and Ryedale, my priority continues to be helping clients navigate what can be a highly emotional and challenging time in their lives.”

Clare Peckett, director and head of the family law team, says: “Juliet’s a highly respected solicitor with an excellent track record in family law.

“Her experience in complex financial cases and private children matters is a great asset to our team and clients.

“She combines a calm and empathetic presence with a robust approach, ensuring the best possible outcomes for her clients. I am pleased she’s part of our team and confident she will be a tremendous champion for our growth.”

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Tom Morrish, senior partner at Leeds-based Morrish Solicitors, will retire from the firm at the end of March 2025.

He qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and initially worked in personal injury litigation, before switching specialisms.

He has led the firm’s wills and estates team for the last 20 years and has been senior partner for six years.

Tom is based at the firm’s branch in Yeadon, where he has been involved in numerous community events and initiatives over the years.

The firm which takes his family name was initially founded in 1882 and has been privately owned from its base in Leeds ever since.

The practice first took the name in 1919 after Eric Morrish, whose legal studies had been interrupted by the First World War, joined forces with sole practitioner Harold James, forming HB James & Morrish.

Tom’s uncle John joined the firm in the late 1940s, and his father Richard joined the firm in the late 1950s.

The Morrish name became a fixture on the high street in Yeadon in the 1980s, when its office there opened full-time.

Since then it has become known for its work in trade union law, with 34 union and associations clients nationally.

Morrish Solicitors — as it became known in 2009 — now has a staff of almost 70 working from four offices in West Yorkshire.

Tom is regional director for the Yorkshire region of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers.

Outside of his legal career, he works with young people and is group scout leader of the 14th Airedale Scout Group, as well as being a keen cyclist and skier. He also enjoys building dry-stone walls.

David Sorensen, managing partner, said: “We’d like to thank Tom for all the years of hard work and dedication he has put into the firm.

“Morrish Solicitors has changed immeasurably since he joined, and Tom’s commitment over 30 years has been essential to the successes we have achieved.

“The partners, the whole team, and I wish Tom all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

Tom Morrish said: “It’s been a privilege to work at Morrish Solicitors during such a successful period in its history.

“I’ve endeavoured to maintain the high standards set by my forebears and, with the current partners and staff, am delighted that the firm is in a strong position for the future. I leave the firm in good hands.”

Partner Emma Garfitt will take over as head of the wills and estates team, as well as managing the branch in Yeadon, from April 2025.

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Leeds and Newcastle-based Parklane Plowden Chambers has welcomed a children’s law silk to its 38-strong family team as part of its strategy of continued expansion.

Simon Bickler KC, who was called to the bar 1988 and took silk in 2011, joins from Leeds-based St Pauls Chambers where he was previously head of chambers.

Appointed as a deputy high court judge sitting in family law in 2019, his practice encompasses all aspects of children’s law including abduction, private and public law.

His specialisms include child arrangement disputes, serious and non-accidental injuries and child fatalities, sexual abuse allegations alongside fabricated and induced illness and child relocation proceedings.

Bickler said: “I’m pleased to join Parklane Plowden’s family team which has a long-established reputation for its progressive outlook and expertise in both private and public law proceedings.

“The set has seen significant growth and I look forward to working with like-minded colleagues who support a broad range of clients in proceedings and are committed to delivering positive outcomes.”

Senior practice director, Stephen Render, added: “Simon is a highly experienced, renowned silk whose additional judicial role makes him a valuable asset to our expanding family team.

“He has handled a range of complex cases which means he is well positioned to support clients during proceedings which are often accompanied by high-levels of emotion.”