Shakespeare Martineau announces 36 promotions

We are delighted to announce 36 promotions across a variety of teams and locations, effective 1 November 2025.

Anita Rasaratnam, an affordable housing lawyer, has been promoted to partner, while new legal directors include commercial services lawyer Daniel Kelly, construction lawyer Adam Watson, private client specialist Paul McMaster, real estate finance expert Mohamed Patel, residential conveyancer Amit Patel, and contentious probate lawyer Tamsin Walker.

In response to feedback from our people, we introduced a new senior associate role to bridge the gap between associate and legal director. The role aligns with a recognised career milestone across the legal sector, offering a clearer pathway for lawyers to continue building their technical expertise, commercial insight and client relationship skills.

Across the firm, 24 people have been promoted to senior associate, including commercial property and development specialists Anita Chaudhary and Raj Vaiyata, commercial services lawyer Charlotte Cassells, corporate solicitors Deeya Ray and Charley McEvoy, family expert Rob Norris, and infrastructure lawyer Sarah Evans.

In the dispute resolution team, Anton Letten, Victoria Kirkpatrick and Natalie Thorpe have been promoted, along with Lubna Laheria and Emma Noble in employment, Jonathan Hill and Louise McDonald in healthcare, and Sundeep Bilkhu in real estate disputes.

Land specialists Joe Davies and Jubad Hussain, private client lawyer Lauren Crowhurst, residential conveyancer Gail Williams, and real estate finance solicitor Fatema Miah have also stepped up to senior associate, alongside Lynne Addison and Christopher Williams from the firm’s managed legal services team, and debt and asset recovery specialists Harpreet Sandhu and Grace Strawford.

Five people have been promoted to associate: legal planning expert Jack Randall-Barsby, land lawyer Ashley Bhandari, real estate finance specialist Ian Cole, agriculture solicitor Esme Barker and private client lawyer Sophie Raybould.

Victoria Tester, managing director, said: “Our people are the foundation of our success, and these promotions reflect their talent, dedication and impact across the firm.

“Introducing the senior associate role demonstrates our commitment to providing clear career pathways and ongoing professional development at every stage.”

“We are proud to recognise the achievements of so many colleagues across multiple teams, and these well-earned promotions reinforce our culture of supporting, nurturing and empowering our people to deliver outstanding service to clients.”