LOCAL NEWS
Richard King
Stevens & Bolton strengthens Litigation Practice with 5 new hires S
tevens & Bolton LLP has today announced the appointment of five new hires to its successful litigation practice: Senior Associate, Jack Bailey and Associates Kate O’Callaghan, Elizabeth Butler, Alasdair McDowell and Hayley Robinson. Both Jack and Hayley are specialists in contentious trusts and estates disputes, while Kate, Elizabeth and Alasdair have a breadth of expertise advising clients across a range of commercial disputes and sectors. Commenting on the new hires, Head of Dispute Resolution Sarah Murray said: “I am delighted to welcome all the new joiners to our team. The expansion of the team will help allow us to supplement our existing capabilities and service our growing client base. Both the commercial litigation and contentious trusts practices have gone from strength to strength in the past 12 months and we are delighted to be adding to our well established teams to provide even more support to clients who need assistance with resolving disputes both domestically and internationally”. The firm’s dispute resolution team (which includes contentious trusts) now has 25 lawyers and is one of the largest, and most well-recognised, contentious legal practices in the South East. The team works closely with the firm’s wider specialist practices, including property and construction litigation, intellectual property and insolvency, advising on the resolution of disputes for a wide range of clients ranging from owner managed businesses and entrepreneurs to UK and foreign multi-nationals. Much of the team’s work is international and cross-border in nature, in particular with extensive experience in international arbitration. The team also has considerable expertise in a range of market sectors, with particular strength in the life sciences, insurance, retail/franchising, fraud and cybersecurity sectors. The announcement follows the firm being featured earlier this month in The Times Best Law Firms 2021 listing, in particular being commended for its commercial dispute resolution team. The firm was also named “Law Firm of the Year: the Independents” at this year’s The Lawyer Awards. ■
L to R: Jack Bailey, Kate O’Callaghan, Elizabeth Butler, Alasdair McDowell and Hayley Robinson.
Guildford firm Stevens & Bolton named law firm of the year
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uildford law firm Stevens & Bolton LLP has been named Law Firm of the Year: The Independents at The Lawyer Awards 2020, one of the most highly-regarded awards in the legal sector and the largest celebration of legal excellence in Europe. The firm was selected for this prestigious award, ahead of six other firms from across the UK, by a judging panel of legal experts. The award was announced last week via a virtual awards ceremony. The criteria assessed by the judges included evidence of strategic vision and strong leadership, strong financial management and growth, innovation in client service delivery, significant client wins and excellent talent management. This landmark success comes after the firm was highly commended last year in the category ‘Regional/Offshore Firm of the Year’ at the 2019 Legal Business Awards. The firm has also been included, for the second year in a row, in The Times Best Law Firms 2021 listing, which highlights the top 200 legal practices in England and Wales plus Scotland’s top 40, as chosen by lawyers. Managing Partner, Richard King commented: “We are thrilled to have won this highly prestigious award and to feature once again in The Times Best Law Firms listing. It is a fantastic achievement for the firm and reflects the hard work of everyone here. My thanks go to all of them for the part they have played in making the firm what it is today.” ■
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