Ward Hadaway has appointed Matthew Morton as a partner in its commercial litigation team, bolstering its private client disputes capability across England. He will lead the development of the firm’s disputed wills, trusts and estates work in Yorkshire and the North West as part of wider national growth plans.
Morton brings more than 20 years’ experience, including 15 years specialising in contentious trusts and probate matters. He joins from Weightmans, where he was head of disputed wills, trusts and estates, and will focus on complex, high-value disputes involving private individuals, agricultural assets and intricate family structures.
He said: ‘I’ve joined Ward Hadaway to grow our dedicated disputed wills, trusts and estates offering’, adding that ‘there is a clear opportunity to build on the firm’s existing strengths’. He noted the work spans ‘a broad range of contentious issues… through to high-value matters involving agricultural land and significant property portfolios’.
Emma Digby, executive partner in Leeds and head of commercial litigation, said the appointment ‘strengthens our capability and adds further depth to our private client expertise’, while managing partner Steven Petrie added that attracting partners like Morton is ‘a central tenet of our growth strategy’.
