Firm News

We’re celebrating 13 more promotions!

As part of our growth strategy, we’ve made an impressive 13 internal promotions across our regional offices, following our senior leadership restructure earlier this year.

Our people are what make us great, so recognising and rewarding talent allows us to continue giving our clients the best service possible.

West Midlands

The Birmingham office has seen six promotions across a range of teams and specialisms.

In the litigation and dispute resolution team, Michael Young and Chris Williams have been promoted to legal director. Further promotions to legal director include Kerry Russell, an intellectual property expert, and Afreen Cole, a member of the real estate finance team.

Associate promotions include Gurjit Singh, a residential development specialist, and Matthew Jones, who supports the commercial property team.

The family team also has reason to celebrate, with Helen Bowns stepping up to the role of head of family. With 20 years of experience in the field, she will be supporting Anne Tromans, who became head of wealth during the firm’s restructure in March. Prem Ahark, who is also part of the family team, has been appointed to legal director.

Michael Young

Legal Director

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Afreen Cole

Legal Director

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Matthew Jones

Associate

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Helen Bowns

Partner & Head of Family Law

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Jo Deffley, our West Midlands regional head, said: “Unlocking the potential of our people is fundamental to our growth, promoting and recognising our internal talent is hugely important to us.

“I’m really proud to see so many rising stars within our teams and thrilled to see that they are receiving well deserved recognition and reward for their hard work.

“Every region, business and individual has taken a hit during lockdown, whether that be financially or emotionally, and it’s at times like these that it’s even more important we celebrate success.”

East Midlands

Our Leicester and Nottingham offices have welcomed five promotions across a number of areas.

In Leicester, Sarah Brack, a wills, court of protection and trusts specialist, is now legal director in the private client team, while in the clinical negligence team, part of Lime Solicitors, James Anderson and Michelle Harper have become associates. Elsewhere in the Leicester office, Sachin Parmar and Lizzie Beresford, part of Marrons Planning, have taken on the roles of principal planners.

Two new additions and one promotion are also being celebrated in the employment team, with Jesse Tataobuzogwu joining the Leicester office as a solicitor specialising in employment matters, alongside Oscar Ciaurro who recently completed his traineeship with the firm, qualifying as a solicitor.

Over in Nottingham, Shelley Litchfield, an expert in commercial and healthcare contracts, joins as an associate, while Claire Stretton joins the corporate team as an associate, and Eleanor Savage supports the commercial property team as a solicitor.

Our head of East Midlands, Duncan James, said: “It’s great to see so many people rising through the ranks. Promoting from within is absolutely crucial to our growth strategy - we want to retain the best talent and every person promoted has demonstrated that not only are they hard-working and committed to fantastic service for our clients, but they also uphold our company values, being authentic, collaborative and brave.

“Congratulations to all.”

South

In London and Milton Keynes, we’re celebrating two promotions.

Sneha Nainwal, from our London office, is now a legal director within the litigation and dispute resolution team. Her dual-qualified status enables Sneha to practice law in India, giving her particular expertise in cross-border commercial disputes and financial litigation services.

Our private client team in Milton Keynes also has a new legal director in the shape of Matt Parr, specialising in supporting lottery winners and assisting members of the LGBT community with private and family legal matters.

Sneha Nainwal

Partner & Head of India Desk

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Kavita Patel, our South regional head, said: “We have our sights set firmly on growth and investing in our people is such an important part of our strategy.

“Not only do we want to attract top talent, we want to retain it too by rewarding hard work, and helping people play to their strengths by putting the right people in the right roles and giving them the tools, flexibility and empowerment to succeed.

“It’s great to see both Sneha and Matt receiving the recognition they deserve – congratulations to them and all of our other rising stars in the firm who have been promoted.”

Positive, passionate people

We’re always keen to hear from talented people who share our ambition, so get in touch if you would like to join us on our journey.

From inspirational SHMA Talks to informative webinars, we have lots of educational and entertaining content for life and business. Visit SHMA® ON DEMAND.

Our free legal helpline offers bespoke guidance on a range of subjects, from employment and general business matters through to director’s responsibilities, insolvency, restructuring, funding and disputes. We also have a team of experts on hand for any queries on family and private matters too. Available from 10am-12pm Monday to Friday, call 0800 689 4064.