header-logo header-logo

01 April 2026
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
printer mail-detail

Boodle Hatfield—Clare Pooley & Michael Duffy

Private wealth and real estate firm promotes two to partner and five to senior associate

Boodle Hatfield has announced its latest round of promotions, with Clare Pooley and Michael Duffy elevated to partner in the private client & tax team, alongside five promotions to senior associate effective 1 April 2026. The move reflects the firm’s continued investment in talent and leadership across its core practice areas.

Pooley advises high net worth individuals, families and family offices on wealth preservation, succession planning and governance, while Duffy focuses on complex domestic and offshore private client matters, including trust structuring and cross-border succession planning. Both promotions strengthen the firm’s private client & tax offering.

The senior associate promotions span multiple teams. In private client & tax, Alex Gamble and Jessica Woollard specialise in tax planning and trust disputes respectively, while Emilie Bladon and Rosie Larwood in litigation focus on commercial and art-related disputes. In the property team, Nick Salmon advises on commercial real estate transactions and portfolio management.

Senior partner Andrea Zavos said: ‘These well-deserved promotions reflect the strength and depth of talent across the firm,’ adding that those promoted ‘have each demonstrated excellent judgement, technical expertise, and a strong commitment to client service’.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Boodle Hatfield—Clare Pooley & Michael Duffy

Boodle Hatfield—Clare Pooley & Michael Duffy

Private wealth and real estate firmpromotes two to partner and five to senior associate

Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Regulatory team boosted by partner hire amid rising health and safety demand

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Legal director promoted to partner at specialist pensions firm

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
back-to-top-scroll