Coffin Mew—Tim Watkins & Derek Walsh

Coffin Mew has announced the appointment of two partners in the Thame Valley region, Tim Watkins and Derek Walsh.

Tim Watkins (pictured, right) has joined the firm’s corporate team from Hadef & Partners in Dubai, and has 15 years of experience handling cross border deals and commercial projects in the United Arab Emirates, including assisting with the establishment of the national airline of Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways.

Tim commented: ‘With Coffin Mew recently announcing turnover growth exceeding 30%, I am delighted to be joining at what is clearly an important time. I hope my extensive corporate experience, combined with my strong understanding of the commercial realities within which large international firms must operate, will support Coffin Mew’s ambition to become a £20m firm by 2020. I am also very pleased to return to the UK after working overseas for so long.’

Derek Walsh (centre) has moved to Coffin Mew from his former position of partner at Thrings, in order to head up the firm’s agricultural and rural business practice. He is highly experienced in representing farmers and rural businesses of issues including regulatory investigations, trading standards, and contract and property disputes.

Derek stated: ‘I am very excited to be tasked with developing Coffin Mew’s agricultural and rural practice. Agriculture and food production is currently high on the British agenda, and with the inevitable changes ahead, farming and rural businesses will require sound legal and commercial advice. Having worked in the sector for over 12 years, I am looking forward to providing that advice to clients across the Thames Valley and the Southern regions.’

Miles Brown (right), Coffin Mew’s CEO, added: ‘We are excited to see what Tim and Derek will bring in terms of knowledge, expertise and contacts. Their appointments are part of a wider strategy to increase our investment, deliver growth plans for the firm and broaden our service offer to privately owned and managed businesses. I warmly welcome Tim and Derek to the Coffin Mew family and wish them every success going forward.’