Jonathan Wheeler—Bolt Burdon Kemp

Bolt Burdon Kemp has announced the appointment of Jonathan Wheeler as its new managing partner.

Jonathan is recognised as being among the profession's very top personal injury lawyers and brightest legal personalities. He is a Lawyer Hot 100 Alumnus (recognising his campaigning work for survivors of child abuse); a former APIL President; a founder member of the Law Society’s LGBT Committee—and a sometime script advisor (on legal plot lines) for a popular BBC soap.

Jonathan and the management team are planning some changes to bring clients even more into the centre of the firm's thinking. For example they are removing what is seen as an artificial boundary between the firm's personal injury and clinical negligence departments, instead grouping teams around different serious injury types such as 'adult brain injury', ‘child brain injury’ and 'spinal injury', to better reflect the way their clients identify with the injury they or their loved ones have sustained, and to ensure delivery of the highest standard of client care, specific to their clients’ needs.

Jonathan takes over the reins from Lynne Burdon, who has steered the firm to the success it enjoys today through extremely challenging times, as twists on the regulatory tourniquet around personal injury claims have come from several different directions.

Jonathan said: ‘As a partner, I have always seen my role as less about "ownership" and more about "custodianship"—responsible for looking after the BBK business and brand for future generations. Now as managing partner, I feel this all the more. I am lucky to have such an inspired team around me and look forward to working with senior colleagues to shape the firm for continuing success in the future.’

Lynne Burdon said: ‘When I first founded the firm with Roger Bolt in 1986, we had a vision for a law firm with a difference. We were passionate about righting injustice and helping improve the lives of our clients - and at the same time we wanted to create an amazing place to work where talented and professional lawyers could also have fun and follow their own dreams. Passing on the mantle to Jonathan, I'm proud of the firm we created; I have total confidence in Jonathan as the custodian of the firm's values going into the next generation; and I'm excited to see where he takes the firm next.’