Ward Hadaway has welcomed 14 new trainee solicitors as part of its 2025 intake, further demonstrating its focus on developing the next generation of lawyers. The new recruits have joined the firm’s offices across Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as in Teesside for the first time following the firm’s merger with The Endeavour Partnership.
Caroline Jones, head of emerging talent at the firm, said the trainee programme ‘continues to be one of the most important ways we invest in the firm’s future’. She added that the 2025 group ‘represents a diverse mix of skills and backgrounds’ and that the firm is ‘especially pleased to welcome our first Teesside-based trainees since The Endeavour Partnership merger’.
The new intake underlines Ward Hadaway’s growth and long-term investment in talent. Following the merger, the Teesside office has been incorporated into the firm’s established emerging talent programme, with plans to extend trainee opportunities to Birmingham in 2027 and 2028. Managing partner Steven Petrie said: ‘Nurturing emerging talent is central to the way we grow as a firm. Trainees bring fresh ideas, energy and ambition and help us stay connected to the changing expectations of clients and the profession.’
Among the new joiners are Daisy Agar, Lia Murray-Smith, Ted Jemison, Kanyinsola Lawal and Orlaigh Mullen in Newcastle; Somer Pearson, Georgia Cowley and Iona Healy in Teesside; Callum Worts, Alexandra Wood-Tonks, Katharina Looi Kiesel and Hanzala Syed in Leeds; and Abby Chan and Georgia Buchanan in Manchester.
Teesside trainee Iona Healy said: ‘It’s a really exciting time to be joining Ward Hadaway. The chance to start my legal career in Teesside, while being part of a national firm, is a fantastic opportunity.’
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