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11 June 2025
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
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Russell-Cooke—Matt Garrod & Janice Gardner

Firm strengthens leadership with election of senior partner and deputy senior partner

Russell-Cooke has elected Matt Garrod as senior partner and Janice Gardner as deputy senior partner, with both appointments taking effect from 1 July 2025. Garrod (pictured, left), previously deputy senior partner, has been a key figure on the firm’s board and specialises in high-value real estate transactions. ‘It is a great honour to be elected senior partner,’ he says.

Gardner (right), a long-serving partner in personal injury and medical negligence, has built a highly regarded team and contributed extensively to firm governance. ‘I am grateful to Russell-Cooke for this opportunity and delighted to join the leadership team,’ she says.

Managing partner James Carroll welcomes the appointments, stating: ‘Both are long-serving members of Russell-Cooke and will bring abundant experience and energy to their new roles.’

The leadership transition follows significant firm growth, with Garrod succeeding Jonathan Thornton, who steps down as senior partner but continues in a consultancy role.

FEATURES
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Joel Heap & Sam Pringle on how the Supreme Court ruling in Zedra provides clarity for corporate lawyers, minority shareholders & directors

Could a split model improve settlement outcomes in financial remedy cases, ask Rachel Frost-Smith & Lauren Guiler

Mike Somekh on the unintended effects of leasehold reform on resident‑controlled freeholds

Nick Smallwood weighs up the legal reality of social media bans: what would they mean for platforms, parents & regulators?

Nicholas Dobson examines the vindication of two officers who took action against the Police Federatio

AI has transformed the nature of cyber threats & also widened their audience: Jess Chan weighs up systems failures & erosion of trust
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, explores the growing complexity of drug misuse in family proceedings and why a clearer understanding of the main drug groups is essential for legal professionals

English law assumes human arbitrators, but AI decision-makers may have a role to play, writes Daniel Kessler

Helpful assistant or laden with unknown traps? Ruth Pratt considers recent thoughts on AI for lawyers
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Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Regulatory team boosted by partner hire amid rising health and safety demand

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Legal director promoted to partner at specialist pensions firm

Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree

Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree

Residential development capability expands with partner hire in Birmingham

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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
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