London and South East law firm Penningtons Solicitors LLP has made four high profile, partner level, lateral hires – Russell Jarvis, Stephen Law, Julia Thackray and Peter Bond have all joined the firm this autumn. These appointments – which bring the total number of partners at the firm to 53 – are key to Penningtons' strategy of expanding the capability of its core practice groups to secure the long term growth of the firm. At a time when some firms have reduced their commitment to certain areas of work, Penningtons is continuing to invest right across its business.
Russell Jarvis will focus on enhancing Penningtons' project finance capability, with a particular emphasis on transactions in excess of £30 million. He joins the firm as a partner in the London based banking group, within the commercial property division, from North East law firm Dickinson Dees and has over 15 years' experience in the banking field. Russell's expertise is mainly in structured and vanilla based finance. He has acted for major funders on deals totalling in excess of £0.5 billion during the last five years.
Stephen Law also joins as a partner in Penningtons' commercial property division. He has 15 years' experience, most recently with Shoosmiths. Stephen specialises in property investment, non-contentious landlord and tenant issues, retail, leisure, healthcare and all aspects of property acquisitions and disposals. He has led on several large transactions in the £100 million plus bracket and has a strong international track record, advising many US and European companies on their English real estate requirements. He is based in Penningtons' Godalming office but will frequently work out of the firm's London office, advising clients nationwide.
Julia Thackray has spent 15 years in London building her reputation as a leading family lawyer. She joins from Bindmans to head up the family law practice at Penningtons. Her appointment reinforces the firm's commitment to the ongoing expansion of its highly regarded private client services. Julia is a member of the Law Society’s family panel and of the Legal Working Group of Reunite, the child abduction charity, as well as a member of the International Bar Association. She is trained as a collaborative family law practitioner and accredited by Resolution, the family law solicitors’ association.
Peter Bond is primarily a corporate lawyer but is also well regarded for his expertise in UK and EC competition law. He joins Penningtons as a partner in its London corporate team from Blake Lapthorn with the aim of enhancing the team's expertise in cross border transactions. Peter has 25 years' experience of advising on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, merger clearances and competition compliance as well as a wide range of commercial contracts. He acts for many corporate clients - both European and US based - across a broad spectrum of industries, with a particular emphasis on the retail, food, motor and leisure sectors. With his many US connections and having previously worked for several large US law firms, Peter will be a strong addition to Penningtons' established North American Practice Group.
Commenting on the new appointments, Penningtons' chief executive David Raine says: "These are exciting times for Penningtons. We are delighted to welcome these experienced lawyers. The increase in partner headcount represents not only a sizeable investment in our future but tangible evidence of our commitment to developing the strength and depth of our client offering."