
Russell-Cooke has announced the promotion of two senior associates to partner with effect from 1 July 2025. The newly appointed partners are Pauline Lam in the firm’s property litigation team and Lara Murrell in the property law and conveyancing team.
Pauline Lam (left) advises developers, institutions, businesses, charities, management companies and high net worth individuals on property dispute resolution and avoidance. She leads the firm’s practice on the emerging area of cladding and building defects remediation and issues relating to the Building Safety Act 2022. She also advises on right to light, overage, restrictive covenant, easement, trespass, nuisance and boundary issues. Her expertise in landlord and tenant work spans across issues such as service charge disputes, breaches of covenants, dilapidations, termination and forfeiture.
Lara Murrell (right) is in the firm’s property law and conveyancing team. She brings extensive expertise across the full spectrum of residential property matters, including acquisitions, disposals, refinancing, and the grant and extension of leases outside the scope of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. Her client base is equally diverse, encompassing high-net-worth individuals, first-time buyers, seasoned investors, and corporate entities.
The promotions bring the percentage of female partners at the firm to 48%.
James Carroll, managing partner, said: 'We are very proud to welcome Pauline and Lara to the partnership. They have both demonstrated enormous dedication to the firm and possess formidable legal expertise which they bring to bear in service of our clients. Our property offering is an important area of practice for us – one which Pauline and Lara have contributed to greatly, and which we further bolster today with their promotions to partner.
'As a firm we continue to lead the way on gender parity in the legal industry with a near 50/50 balance in male and female partners, which underscores our commitment to supporting everyone in the firm to achieve their fullest potential.
'We congratulate Pauline and Lara on reaching this significant and well-deserved career milestone.'
These latest promotions bring the total number of partners at the firm to 67.