Professionals: JM Glendinning, Business Partnership Corporate, Blacks Solicitors

LEEDS insurance brokers JM Glendinning have launched a professional risks division following the appointment of Professional Indemnity insurance specialist, Jake Fox.

Mr Fox joins JM Glendinning from Willis, and was part of the management team that grew Prime Professions. Having been based in London initially he then launched and grew their Leeds office in 2011, before the firm was acquired by Willis in 2013.

Mr Fox is planning to grow the division into a £10 million premium income business employing a team of specialists over the next five years:

He said: “For most law firms, professional indemnity is the third largest expense after staff and premises, and our experience shows that law firms prefer to put this in the hands of specialists. We’re here to make sure businesses receive the best advice and have the right cover in place to support their future growth and success.”

Nick Houghton, JM Glendinning managing director said: “We place great emphasis on hand picking brilliant people and building businesses around them. In the professional services sector, people buy people, which is why it’s so important to us to find the right people and empower them to drive the business forward. Jake is the perfect fit for our team and we are delighted that he has chosen to develop this division with us.”

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BUSINESS brokers Business Partnership, who have an office in Sheffield, have expanded into the corporate market.

Business Partnership Corporate has been launched to meet the requirements of small to medium sized companies and businesses up to a turnover of £5 million.

Regional partner Greg Towers, who covers South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire from the Sheffield office, said: “This is a natural step as the company has enjoyed considerable growth over the past two years.

“Our regional partners across the UK have an in-depth knowledge of the marketplace and are passionate about securing the best possible outcomes for buyers and sellers alike. We can also provide 24/7 feedback via an online client engagement area.

“From our experience, the range of people both buying and selling businesses is incredibly varied. They include young entrepreneurs leaving college or university full of great ideas, people who want to become their own boss after taking redundancy and older people with shrinking pension pots who would like to pass something on to their children.”

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LEEDS firm Blacks Solicitors is supporting the University of Leeds and its LLB Law Students with a mock interview scheme.

The university teams up with a local law firm each year and the students are invited to their offices to experience a 30-45 minute one-to-one interview with 15 minutes of feedback.

First launched in 2012, the mock interview scheme gives undergraduate students an opportunity to practise their technique and develop their confidence, ahead of any important training contract interviews.

Paul Wragg, director for Employability at the University of Leeds, said: “We were delighted to team up with Blacks Solicitors this year to offer our law students this invaluable interview experience. Feedback from attendees has been highly positive, reinforcing our belief that this is a very beneficial exercise. We would like to thank Blacks for sharing their time and expertise. “

Paul Kelly, partner in the Employment team at Blacks Solicitors, who oversaw the process said: “It was a pleasure to support the University of Leeds with this scheme, and we are delighted with the students’ feedback. We hope that a few of these promising students will consider applying to Blacks for training in the coming months.”