header-logo header-logo

01 December 2020
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
printer mail-detail

Womble Bond Dickinson—multiple promotions

Host of promotions across UK offices
Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has confirmed a number of senior promotions across its UK offices, including seven new partners and four legal directors, in addition to 20 promotions to the role of associate.
 
Jonathan Blair (pictured), WBD’s UK managing partner, said: ‘Congratulations to all of our new partners, legal directors and associates, who have all made fantastic contributions to our business. Their hard work, commitment to the firm and first rate legal expertise deserves to be recognised and celebrated.’
 
‘The career development opportunities of our people continues to be a high priority and these promotions signify an important investment in the future of our firm.’
 
The promotions bring the total number of UK partners at WBD to 132. The new partners include Bristol-based Jo Martin—an employment lawyer advising on issues including discrimination, whistle-blowing, redundancy, parental rights, corporate transactions and employee terminations—and Tom Caplen, a banking specialist who advises financial institutions and real estate clients on a broad range of finance transactions.
 
Further promotions include Leeds-based Vicky McCombe and Sam Dixon. Vicky works in WBD's construction and engineering team, advising developers, local authorities, retailers and manufacturers on transactional construction work. Sam works in the restructuring and insolvency team, and has particular experience in the education, healthcare and technology sectors. 
 
In Plymouth, the firm has promoted Stephen Panton in the commercial disputes team. Stephen acts for public and private sector clients on all aspects of health and safety, environmental and consumer protection law, as well as handling investigations involving financial crime.
 
Finally, two new partners have been appointed in the private client team: Richard Pike who is based in Edinburgh, and Will Bonas in Newcastle. Richard is a dispute resolution private client lawyer, focusing on trusts and inheritance disputes. Will is a corporate and commercial lawyer who advising business and rural estates owners, high net worth individuals and family investment companies. 
 
The new legal directors include Southampton-based Carly Holt and Stephen Baker. Carly works in the corporate team and handles corporate finance transactions. Stephen is part of the developers and investors team and advises on real estate requirements.
 
Newcastle-based Sarah Daun in the commercial team has also been promoted to legal director. With a particular focus on the manufacturing and chemicals sector, Sarah advises her clients in relation to all aspects of the supply chain. Another newly promoted legal director is Bristol-based Janice Cowley in the private client team. Janice specialises in residential conveyancing, commercial property and agricultural property transactions.
 
The 20 new associates include: 
 
Corporate and commercial:
 
  • Beth Kalischer
  • Harry Rose
  • Amy Galloway
  • Tim Barber
  • David Ridley 
  • Esther Masisi
  • George Matthew
Dispute resolution: 
 
  • Michael Wharton
  • Thomas McCall
  • Elisha Langridge 
  • Anna Martin 
  • Andrew Carr 
  • Helen Coxon
  • Beth Caygill
Real estate: 
 
  • Sarah Dinshaw
  • Sam Pearson 
  • Naomi Spencer
  • Elizabeth Cooke-Smith
  • Stephanie Mallery
Private client: 
 
  • Sally Cooper

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Laytons ETL—Maximilian Kraitt

Laytons ETL—Maximilian Kraitt

Commercial firm strengthens real estate disputes team with associate hire

Switalskis—three appointments

Switalskis—three appointments

Firm appoints three directors to board

Browne Jacobson—seven promotions

Browne Jacobson—seven promotions

Six promoted to partner and one to legal director across UK and Ireland offices

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
back-to-top-scroll