Appointments: Bond Dickinson, Berwins, Close Brothers Motor Finance

REAL estate partner Julia Field is joining the team at Bond Dickinson’s Leeds office.

Ms Field is a residential development lawyer, and has been recruited to boost the department which has been growing ever since the firm opened in Leeds in 2012.

Prior to her appointment, Ms Field was an associate solicitor at Shulmans, before which she worked at Eversheds, acting for national housebuilders, commercial developers and the public sector.

The announcement follows the recent appointment of corporate partners Robert Phillips, based in Newcastle and Simon Pilling, based in Leeds.

Mark Owen, head of the Leeds office and a partner at Bond Dickinson said: “We are delighted to welcome Julia to the firm. She is another excellent addition to our national housebuilding and residential development team as well as further strengthening our offering in Leeds.”

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THE commercial property team at Berwins has welcomed a new recruit.

Hayley Maxwell joins Sophie Barton, Jennifer Kirkhope and Richard Wheeldon, a former partner at Addleshaw Goddard who joined the firm last year.

Ms Maxwell joined the firm’s residential property team as a legal assistant in 2013 and gained experience in the commercial property department during her training contract.

Berwins, which has offices in Leeds and Harrogate, said its commercial department had seen an uplift in transactional activity over the past 12 months.

Senior partner, Paul Berwin said: “The commercial property sector reflects the strength of the economy and Yorkshire has definitely started to feel the benefit of regional investment and growth.

“Hayley is a bright lawyer who has developed a real interest in commercial property law during her time with us and she will be a huge asset to the team as demand for commercial space grows.”

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A NEW sales manager has joined Close Brothers Motor Finance in York.

Ryan Bellinger will take on the ro, having joined the business in 2012 as an underwriter in the dealer support unit, before joining the sales team.

He started there as an account manager in Manchester, before moving to the Hull and East Yorkshire.

James Broadhead, CEO of Close Brothers Motor Finance, said, “Our northern sales teams are going from strength to strength thanks to the efforts of our dedicated, hard-working people. Ryan has made a real difference to our network of dealers in the Hull and East Yorkshire region and his ambition and drive will be of great value to our largest branch in York.”

Ciara Raison, head of Sales North at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said “This is a great success story which demonstrates the importance of the investment we make in our people.

“Ryan’s ambition and dedication to his development has been fostered and encouraged over the past few years and his appointment as Sales Manager for our largest branch shows the mutual success available for both Ryan and the Close Brothers Motor Finance dealers he will support.”