Recruitment update

Swinburne Maddison celebrates key director appointment – one of ten new hires for the firm

We were delighted to celebrate a key senior appointment to our team in September this year following the creation of a brand new Business and Practice Development Director role.

Phil Hourigan, who has enjoyed a career spanning over thirty years with NatWest Group fulfilling Area Director positions in commercial banking across the North, is e Hewell equipped to assist the management team in delivering Swinburne Maddison’s business plan and ensuring continued growth and success for the firm.

Commenting on his appointment, Phil said: “My relationship with Swinburne Maddison has come full circle. I was the bank manager responsible for arranging the banking deal when the firm was initially formed, almost 25 years ago, and have been a strong advocate ever since. I have also benefitted from being a client, and now I will be working with them. The role really excites me and gives me the opportunity to put my skills and experience to positive use in helping develop the business and deliver its ambitious plans for continued growth.”

Managing Partner, Jonathan Moreland, is delighted about this latest appointment, saying: “We were thrilled when Phil decided to join us. We regard it as a major coup for the practice. This is a newly created role and given Phil’s profile within the regional business community, together with his track record in commercial banking, we are confident he will bring both experience and objectivity to the role to assist with our plans.” Mr Hourigan’s appointment is just one of ten hires Swinburne Maddison has made over recent months due to an influx of new work.

Three appointments have been made in the Commercial Property team. Firstly, Mary Foster, a commercial property Solicitor who joins Swinburne Maddison from the Newcastle office of a transatlantic law firm, working on a range of commercial property transactions including the sale of agricultural land. She is joined by Solicitor, Diane Hall, who has a strong background in both residential and commercial property matters, and Legal Executive, Victoria Dineen, who is currently studying for Chartership with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and will assist the team with plot sales on various regional residential and commercial development schemes.

The Dispute Resolution team, headed up by Managing Partner, Jonathan Moreland, welcomes four new appointments – Jenna Keir-Kendrew, who joins as a dispute resolution Solicitor from the North of England P&I Association Ltd, Matthew Lawton and Georgia Hogg, who join the team as Paralegals, and Alex Siddle, who has been awarded a training contract after working as a Paralegal within the firm since October 2021.

Following our major reorganisation in May last year, we have continued to go from strength-to-strength

The Private Client team is delighted to welcome Associate Solicitor, Catherine Taylor-Wilson, who brings more than 25 years’ specialist experience to our growing team.

And finally, Eleanor Uren, formerly employed by North Tyneside Council, has been appointed HR Coordinator in another newlycreated role to assist with partner, Carolyn Beal’s, expanding workload as Practice Manager.

Welcoming all the new appointees, Jonathan continued: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome our new members of staff. I should

Meet our new Solicitors

Mary Foster

Team: Commercial Property Areas of Specialism: Agriculture, Land sales and acquisitions, Leases, Secured Lending. Favourite holiday destination? It’s hard to choose just one but I’d say Florence in Italy. The Duomo Cathedral, Uffizi Gallery and Italian ice cream make Florence a dreamy holiday destination. Diane Hall

Team: General commercial property matters, property sales and purchases, Leases. What do you get up to in your spare time? At the start of the year I was lucky enough to have the chance to take on half an allotment, so in my spare time you can usually find me there. So far, I’ve managed to grow sugar snap peas, swiss chard, dwarf green beans, squash and raspberries – quite the harvest! Jenna Keir-Kendrew

Team: Dispute Resolution Areas of Specialism: Contractual disputes, Housing Disrepair litigation, Debt Recovery Black Cat or Magpie? Given that my allegiance lies with the blue side of Glasgow, I would have to instead opt for a Teddy Bear. Catherine Taylor-Wilson

Team: Private Client Areas of Specialism: Administration of Estates, Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Inheritance Tax advice, Estate Planning and Trusts. How do you like to unwind? Being with family and friends, walking, yoga and exercises classes.

As a firm which has a long track record of supporting members of staff in the development of their careers, and which works hard to make sure every member of their team feels valued in their role, we are very proud to announce that we recently achieved the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Bronze Accreditation.

This is the first year that we have applied for the accreditation and we received some wonderful feedback in our assessor’s report as well as some constructive ideas for improvement as we set out on our IIP journey.

The timing of the report couldn’t be better for us. We are already well underway with a major review of our values and this work goes hand in hand with the feedback we have received from our IIP assessment.

Our overall score was above the average benchmark for IIP assessments and legal services assessments, and a score that we are incredibly proud of for our very first assessment. It provides a strong platform on which to build. also like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to our existing employees for their hard work, commitment and loyalty to the firm, which enables us to continue to strengthen and grow our business.

“Following our major reorganisation in May last year, we have continued to go from strength-to-strength, and have already hit our three-year targets within 16 months. wIt has been an incredibly positive experience for the whole firm and while there is uncertainty in the market currently, I am pleased to report that business is booming at Swinburne Maddison.”

The values programme will determine our core values which will guide the firm through an exciting period in its ongoing development. These values will be central to everything we do, whether it be formulating strategy, decision making, recruitment, staff appraisals or client relations. Our values will be our reference point.

Our staff have been fully engaged in our IIP accreditation and will play a leading part in rolling out our action plans.

Our core values will be derived from the feedback we receive from our people and in particular what it means to work at Swinburne Maddison. We have undertaken considerable external research from our friends in business and received some valuable insights into how to go about this hugely significant piece of work.

Swinburne Maddison began life as a 4-partner firm and now, as it approaches is 25th birthday, boasts 11 partners (7 of whom began their careers at the firm as articled clerks or trainee solicitors) and a further 60 team members. As we continue to grow at pace, it is more important than ever that we don’t lose sight of the fact that our people are instrumental to our success. Through the IIP and values programmes, we are committed to embracing change to cement Swinburne Maddison’s position as a great place to work.