Hill Dickinson—Debra Cooper

Commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has bolstered its national banking team with the lateral hire of banking and finance partner Debra Cooper.

Debra joins from Shoosmiths where she was a banking partner specialising in real estate finance in addition to being co-head of the Manchester office. She brings more than 16 years’ experience to the team in the provision of advice to institutional lenders, debt funds, alternative lenders and borrowers on investment and development transactions and advises clients based across the UK, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

Debra also advises on acquisition finance transactions and general corporate lending.

Craig Scott, head of the firm’s Business Services group, said: 'We are delighted to welcome Debra to Hill Dickinson as we continue to build senior level capacity across our firm in response to client demand. Debra’s experience and the client portfolio she has built up over her career to date in the banking and real estate finance sector adds valuable capacity to our growing national Banking team. In terms of our workplace culture and growth ambitions, I know she’ll be a fantastic addition across all our offices.'

Richard Capper, head of banking and finance, added: 'We have worked regularly with Debra and her team for many years and know what a quality operator she is. We are really excited about her joining and supporting the work we are already doing with our bank panel and other lender and borrower clients in all of our offices. With four dedicated banking partners and a growing team now operating on a national basis from our offices in the North West, Leeds and London, we are really well equipped to deal with the full range of banking and finance transactions going on both locally and further afield at the moment. We are just finishing what has been a really strong year for the team having been involved in many high-profile deals both locally and nationally and hope, with Debra onboard, that next year will be even stronger.'

Debra Cooper said she was excited to be joining a firm that offered opportunities for her to grow her work with institutional lenders, debt funds, alternative lenders and borrowers all with the support of a leading national banking and real estate team. 

She said: 'Having worked on the other side of many transactions with Richard and his team over the past 10 years I am delighted to be joining such a well-established national team and working with them to build on the impressive current client and transaction base.'

Debra was previously a partner at Squire Patton Boggs and spent 10 years at Pinsent Masons where she trained. She is also chair of the northern board of the Investment Property Forum, a trustee of the We Love Manchester charity and a board member of the Northern LandAid Committee.

Debra was most recently named as winner of the Professional Services Leader award in The Business Desk Northern Leadership Awards on 30 March 2023.

She is the latest of more than a dozen senior lateral partner hires to join Hill Dickinson’s Business Services group in the last 15 months as the firm invests in its ambitious growth plans.