Charles Russell Speechlys has announced the appointment of two new partners to its expanding litigation and dispute resolution practice. Partner John Lewis joins the firm’s Dubai office and Alison Goldthorp joins within the restructuring and insolvency team in London on 6 February.
John is an experienced commercial litigation and arbitration practitioner within the UAE market. Since 2006, he has developed a specialist practice within the regulatory, audit, advisory and consulting sectors which focuses primarily on professional indemnity defence related instructions and commercial litigation and arbitration matters. His work encompasses a wide variety of disputes before civil law, common law and international arbitration tribunals within the Middle East, and he has been instructed on some of the most high-profile disputes within the region.
His local and international client base lean on his ability to seamlessly navigate them through the practical realities and nuances of the region as well as his commercial led approach gained from his on-the-ground experience. John also regularly sits as an arbitrator in arbitration proceedings.
With over 30 years’ experience, Alison (pictured) is a leader within the restructuring and insolvency profession. She is well versed on guiding her client base of corporates, directors, creditors, and financial institutions through both contentious and non-contentious matters relating to underperforming or distressed assets. The collaborative, cross practice nature of her work enables her to advise across various sectors, including real estate, employment, financial services, and litigation as well as draw on expertise from across the firm.
Alison displays an entrepreneurial mindset on behalf of directors, insolvency practitioners and creditors and looks to provide practical advice, where possible to avoid the need for formal insolvency procedures. Alison joins the Firm at an exciting time for CRI as we look to grow our global reputation across our international office footprint and the markets they serve.
Stewart Hey, partner and head of the litigation and dispute resolution practice, comments: 'We are pleased to welcome two more new joiners to our Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice in such quick succession. Alison and John’s timely arrival demonstrates our commitment to the growth and development of our practice at an international and local level. We are focused on building on the success of internationally renowned projects across key global markets.'
Patrick Gearon, partner and head of the Middle East practice, adds: 'Both John and Alison are highly experienced lawyers with market leading credentials and have an impressive client base. 2023 is an exciting year for Charles Russell Speechlys as we continue to focus on strengthening our existing presence in the legal market through high-calibre international recruits.'
