NEWS

NEWS

BLACKFORDS LLP Relocates to the Heart of Woking

With an office based in Surrey for nearly 25 years, Blackfords LLP has become an integral part of the local legal landscape. The firm announced earlier this year that they have relocated to Gloucester Chambers office located in the heart of Woking. The new fully refurbished office is adjacent to the main public area, offering unparalleled convenience for clients, featuring modern amenities including wheelchair access to ensure inclusivity.

The firm’s journey began with just two solicitors at Francis Lovett and evolved following a merger with Robert Blackford & Co in 2007 to form what is now Blackfords LLP, a leading national law firm with offices in Woking, London, Croydon and Cardiff.

Over the years, the Woking office has expanded significantly, growing to a team of 20 dedicated professionals, establishing an award winning family law team from the ground up and securing Top Tier rankings in the Legal 500, as well as recognition in Chambers and Partners and inclusion in The Times Top 250 “Best Law Firms”.

Trevor Francis, Managing Partner at Blackfords LLP, shared his thoughts on the relocation: “Our new office places us in the very centre of Woking, providing a contemporary, accessible space that aligns with our commitment to client service and growth. It also positions us perfectly to continue expanding our Professional Discipline practice across Surrey, Sussex and the Thames Valley, making it more convenient to access us, especially for those clients who previously had to travel to Central London.”

For more information about the services of Blackfords LLP or to schedule a visit to the new office, please contact the firm on 03330 150150 or email: woking@blackfords.com

New Address: Blackfords LLP, Gloucester Chambers, Jubilee Square, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6GA.

Blackfords LLP is one of the top Criminal Defence law firms in the UK delivering a full range of services, from serious crime, regulatory work to family law with offices in London, Croydon and Cardiff. More info here: https://blackfords.com ■

Exciting Promotions at Meadows & Co Announced for 2025

“ At Meadows & Co, we are fortunate to work with an exceptional team, and we are immensely grateful for the hard work and dedication shown by every individual over the course of 2024. As we begin 2025, I am thrilled to share some exciting news regarding internal promotions, which will take effect from January 1st, 2025," announced Piers Meadows, Managing Partner.

Alastair Hargreaves – Promoted to Partner

Alastair has consistently demonstrated outstanding technical expertise and efficient advice, earning high praise from both clients and colleagues alike. His dedication to providing exceptional service has been invaluable to our firm. We are thrilled to welcome Alastair as our newest partner and wish him all the very best in this exciting new role.

Hannah Bourke – Promoted to Senior Associate

Hannah has proven herself as a key member of our private client team over the past year. She combines a strong work ethic with compassionate, client-focused advice, particularly when working with clients in vulnerable positions.

Hannah’s promotion is a true reflection of her hard work, and we are excited to see her continue to grow and thrive in her new role.

We are delighted to see talented individuals like Alastair and Hannah progress within our firm, and we look forward to their continued success.

To find out more about Meadows & Co, please visit: https://www.meadowsryan.co.uk/ ■

Charles Russell Speechlys: Providing Practical Support for the Local Community

Charles Russell Speechlys is proud to support the Surrey-based community, not only through grants via the Charles Russell Speechlys Foundation but also by encouraging employees to volunteer and offer practical support to charities and organisations needing additional resources.

Recent projects have included 8 volunteers from the Guildford office helping to build a UPVC greenhouse at Emmaus SLC Caterham for a project to teach new and transferable skills to help people out of

homelessness, and 10 volunteers supporting Buglife at The Mount, Guildford. The Buglife project involved volunteers removing woody scrub and unwanted saplings to prevent them from disturbing the chalk grassland - an internationally rare and uniquely biodiverse habitat. The volunteers’ work will help safeguard the site for wildlife and future generations.

Sally Ashford, Partner and Head of the Guildford office at Charles Russell Speechlys said, “As a leading law firm and employer in the region, we believe we have a responsibility to our local community. All employees are given up to 21 hours of volunteering time annually to volunteer for a project of their choice. Very often, they choose to support charities we have got to know through our Foundation, such as Emmaus and Buglife. Our volunteering programme is a fantastic way of forging strong relationships with local charities and community groups. Above all, employees find it very rewarding to spend their time making a real difference to our community.”

Samantha Eynon, Trainee Solicitor at Charles Russell Speechlys said: 'I really enjoyed volunteering at Emmaus Caterham and would encourage everybody to join volunteering opportunities where they can. It was great to meet the Emmaus volunteers and hear how Emmaus has supported so many people who have experienced homelessness.”

George Harrison, Solicitor Apprentice at Charles Russell Speechlys added “I decided to volunteer for Buglife because I wanted to support conservation efforts in my local community and it’s a great opportunity to work with like-minded people.” ■

Pearson Hards Growth Continues into 2025

New Malden based solicitors Pearson Hards are continuing with their ongoing significant recruitment drive in 2025, having recruited 17% new staff for newly created positions within the firm since early 2024. These new positions have seen an increase to the family team, the commercial property, dispute resolution and residential conveyancing teams.

Tanuja Sellahewa, who is a hugely experienced commercial real estate specialist, has come on board as a partner to strengthen the already busy team and she will be taking over as head of the department, when Donald Morris retires in April this year. Tanuja’s appointment is part of the firm’s continuing growth strategy and the first appointment at partner level since 2018.

Also joining the firm very recently was Chloe Langdon, an experienced family law specialist who has come on board to support the exceptionally busy family team. She will be assisting the team and partner Emma Rothstein, who is a recognised family law expert, particularly in complex, high value divorces. Robyn MacKay joined the family team early in 2024 to help assist the whole family team, and since joining she has been mentored by Emma and has been building up her own finances and private children work matters.

In July of 2024, Isaac Leigh-Howarth joined the dispute resolution team to work alongside and under the guidance of Managing Partner Claire Darby. Annaya Khan joined the exceptionally busy residential conveyancing team in a new role that has been created early 2025.

The firm have also very recently recruited another residential conveyancer and assistant and they are also currently actively recruiting a head of private client, to manage the busy private client team.

Emma Rothstein, Co-Managing Partner said:

“We were delighted to have had a very successful 2024. Following the firm’s re-brand, we have had a very strong start to this year, and we are excited to George Harrison, Solicitor Apprentice at Charles Russell Speechlys added “I decided to volunteer for Buglife because I wanted to support conservation efforts in my local community and it’s a great opportunity to work with like-minded people.” ■

Stevens & Bolton Strengthens Commercial Litigation Practice with New Partner Hire

UK independent law firm Stevens & Bolton LLP has announced the appointment of Sophie Ashcroft as a Partner in its commercial litigation practice.

Previously a dispute resolution partner at Browne Jacobson, Sophie specialises in technology disputes and brings a wealth of experience in resolving disputes that arise from complex IT projects, digital transformation, outsourcing, and managed services. As part of her practice, she advises a number of national and international businesses, operating across the technology, entertainment, telecoms, and financial services sectors.

Sophie’s work also extends to resolving various shareholder and board disputes, and she has extensive experience in bringing and defending claims for all types of relief, including claims for loss of profits, wasted expenditure, declaratory relief, injunctions, and judicial review.

Commenting on the firm’s latest hire, James Waddell, Managing Partner, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sophie to our commercial litigation practice. We are looking forward to building upon the firm’s successes in achieving double-digit growth in revenue and PEP last year, and the expertise and network Sophie brings will add significant value to our client offering.”

Sarah Murray, Head of Commercial Litigation, said “Sophie is a fantastic addition to our litigation team, building on our existing capabilities for technology and IT disputes, and corporate advisory work. Sophie’s arrival bolsters the group’s excellent reputation, and we are all excited to be working with her going forward.”

Commenting on her appointment, Sophie Ashcroft, Partner, added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Stevens & Bolton at such an exciting time. I have no doubt the firm will continue on its upward trajectory from 2024 and am looking forward to playing a role in its continued growth.”

Sophie’s arrival at Stevens & Bolton follows the appointment of John Forde as a Partner in its corporate tax practice in December and marks a strong period of growth for the firm.■

Taylor Rose Parent AIIC Group named among the Fastest Growing in Europe for Third-Year Running

AIIC Group (“AIIC”), the legal group behind leading independent law firm Taylor Rose, has been listed in the prestigious FT 1000 list of Europe’s fastestgrowing companies by the Financial Times (“FT”) for the third consecutive year.

It is one of only two UK companies in the Legal & Accounting Services sector to have made the list this year, joining other notable UK companies, including Anthesis Group, Moneybox and PensionBee in the rankings.

The FT1000 ranking is ordered by compound annual growth rate (CAGR), this year covering between 2020 and 2023. AIIC recorded a CAGR of 45 per cent over this period, with reported annual revenues of £83.6m in the year ended 30th September 2023.

AIIC is one of only 22 UK companies to have appeared in the rankings in all of the past three years. Of the 1,000 companies appearing on the list, AIIC had the 68th highest revenues in 2023, demonstrating its record of maintaining significant growth as it scales in size. Just 7 per cent of the list had revenues of over 90m euros in 2023.

The company’s growth has continued this year, recording revenues of £97.3m (+16%) in the financial year ending 30th September 2024.

The group attributes this consistent success to the fast growth of its consultancy division, enabled by ongoing investment in IT and other central services and infrastructure that enable lawyers to carry out their work

efficiently and productively, whether in an office-based environment or remotely. This has aided the recruitment and retention of solicitors.

The group now has over 1,200 consultant lawyers and around 600 employees.

The group’s largest firm is Taylor Rose. Primarily focused on consumer law, it operates in sectors including property, including conveyancing; private client; family; and criminal law. AIIC’s other companies are FDR Law, a consultancy-based conveyancing firm; KingsleyWood, a consultant-based corporate law firm; and the prop-tech platform SlothMove.

Adrian Jaggard, CEO of the AIIC Group, said: “It’s great for everyone in the business to get external recognition for the hard work they have put in, and our success has been and will continue to be a real team effort. We have focused heavily on providing the back-office infrastructure and support that allows our lawyers to do what they do best, and that has really helped our ability to attract and retain great legal talent.

“There is still an awful lot of room to grow. We’re doubling down on investing in technology to help our teams provide a great quality of service in our dominant markets, such as conveyancing, so that clients want to come back to us for a wide range of complementary legal services. We know it will take hard work, but we’re confident in the strength of our strategy, our culture and our team.” ■

TWM Solicitors Announces Key Promotions in Private Client Team

Leading regional law firm TWM Solicitors is delighted to announce the promotions of Laura Walkley to Head of Private Client and Duncan Mitchell-Innes to Deputy Head of Private Client. This follows the recent departure of Caroline Foulger, who previously led the department.

Laura Walkley, who joined TWM Solicitors in 2010, has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in private client matters, including Wills, probate, trusts, and estate planning. She is widely respected for her client-focused approach and innovative problem-solving skills.

Duncan Mitchell-Innes, a trusted member of the TWM team since 2010, has been instrumental in delivering high-quality private client services. As Deputy Head of Private Client, Duncan will work closely with Laura to continue providing the excellent service that clients have come to expect from the firm.

Jamie Berry, Managing Partner at TWM Solicitors, commented: "We are delighted to announce Laura Walkley as our new Head of Private Client and Duncan Mitchell-Innes as Deputy Head of Private Client. Both Laura and Duncan have shown outstanding dedication, skill, and leadership during their time with TWM. Their promotions are a testament to their hard work and commitment to our clients. I have every confidence they will continue to drive the department forward, building on the strong foundations established by Caroline Foulger and Allison Crossman."

The Private Client team at TWM Solicitors remains committed to delivering personalised, practical legal advice to individuals and families across the region. The team is ranked in the Chambers (UK) High Net Worth Guide and in the Legal 500, two of the most authoritative legal directories in the UK. Under Laura and Duncan’s leadership, the firm looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence in client service. ■

Morr & Co Promotes Two Talented Lawyers to New Roles in the Contentious Trusts and Probate Team

We are delighted to announce that Katie Woodcock has been promoted to Partner in our award winning Contentious Trusts and Probate team.

We are delighted to announce that Katie Woodcock has been promoted to Partner in our award winning Contentious Trusts and Probate team.

Having joined the team in 2020, Katie focuses on complex contentious trusts and probate disputes. She helps clients solve sensitive family disputes surrounding Wills, estates and trusts and has particular expertise in disputes involving vulnerable individuals. Her impressive ability to navigate these disputes while maintaining her naturally empathetic approach has been instrumental to her success.

The Contentious Trusts and Probate team have also promoted Woodrow Cox to Associate Solicitor.

These promotions within the team further demonstrate the strengthening of our Contentious Trusts and Probate department and our ongoing investment in developing talented individuals who deliver exceptional service to our clients.

Kellie Williams-Jauvel, Head of Dispute Resolution at Morr & Co comments; "Katie's promotion to Partner is exceptionally well-deserved and represents

a significant milestone both for her career and our Contentious Trusts and Probate team. Her ability to navigate complex disputes, while maintaining absolute focus on client outcomes, embodies everything we strive for at Morr & Co. Katie has consistently demonstrated the perfect balance of technical excellence and practical, pragmatic support that our clients value so highly.”

Kellie continues;

“I am equally delighted to see Woodrow Cox's progression to Associate Solicitor. His attention to detail and commercial awareness have made him a trusted advisor to many of our clients and his collaborative approach has been invaluable in many of our cross-departmental matters.”

Catherine Fisher, Managing Partner at Morr & Co adds;

"Congratulations to both Katie and Woodrow. We are incredibly proud of their achievements which reflect both their outstanding individual contributions and our firm's dedication to developing the next generation of specialists."

The Dispute Resolution team were proud winners of Best Contentious Probate Provider at The Probate Industry Awards 2024, which celebrates outstanding achievements and excellence within the probate industry by recognising both firms and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional performance and dedication to their craft. ■