Aberdein Considine has appointed a new partner and two lawyers.
Neil Patterson, who is based out of Aberdein Considine’s office in Newcastle, has been appointed a partner in the firm’s banking litigation team and he will be working with financial services organisations across the UK.
The company has also hired Diane Gundersen, who joins as a senior associate with over two decades of experience in legal services, and Curtis Broadhead, who joins as a legal executive.
The appointments follow the firm’s recruitment of 17 new members of staff last year in its Newcastle office after securing new clients in 2020, including major UK retail banks.
Financial advisory firm Fairstone has unveiled Steve McNicol as its chief development officer.
Mr McNicol, who held senior roles at Newcastle law firms Ward Hadaway and Muckle LLP, will be tasked with accelerating Fairstone’s M&A activity.
Fairstone CEO Lee Hartley said: “We have worked with Steve as a client for many years and I have always wanted an opportunity to bring him on board. I know exactly what his strengths are, and I’m absolutely delighted that he is now joining Fairstone’s leadership team to help us gear up for the next stage of our strategy.”
Mr McNicol said: “Fairstone has a highly differentiated offering which is very attractive to a sector that is undergoing very significant change. Providing an opportunity for culturally aligned businesses to realise their full growth potential through working in partnership with Fairstone, without ever compromising client service, is a genuinely unique proposition.
“To be joining such a well-established and forward-thinking business is hugely exciting and I’m extremely pleased to play a part in Fairstone’s ongoing growth and success.”
North East law firm Muckle LLP has strengthened its banking and restructuring team with a new appointment.
Laura Keegan joins the firm as a senior associate. She specialises in supporting lenders and borrowers in the banking sector, advising and supporting insolvency practitioners, directors and creditors on a wide range of insolvency matters – and she is also looking to expand the insolvency litigation offering that Muckle provides.
She said: “I am thrilled to join such a forward-thinking firm at such an exciting time. What attracted me to Muckle was its approach to business.
“Companies like Muckle are paving the way for a new future in the law industry – one which champions flexibility, new ideas and a good work life balance. Attitudes are changing within the legal profession following the pandemic and if firms don’t get on board they risk being left behind.”
Invest Newcastle has bolstered its team as it looks to bring further inward investment to the region.
Dawn Dunn and Rebecca Crow have joined the organisation as inward investment managers for the digital and technology, and health and life sciences sectors respectively.
Ms Dunn said: “It’s a great time to be joining Invest Newcastle as we continue to champion our offer on a world stage; I’ll be looking to further develop what is already a strong and attractive inward investment strategy for the digital and tech sector.”
Ms Crow said: “Newcastle’s health and life sciences sector is a real success story - one where innovation and a wealth of research is playing a central role in people living longer and healthier lives. I’ll be leading the campaign to attract health & life sciences investments to the region, as well as supporting the growth of existing sector companies.”
NHS Business Services Authority , which has its headquarters in Newcastle, has announced Sue Douthwaite as its new chair from April 1.
Ms Douthwaite, who will take the reins from Silla Maizey, joins the organisation from the finance sector, having worked at Santander and Virgin Money.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining NHSBSA as its new chair and I’m really looking forward to working with the chief executive Michael and the rest of the board.
“My first priority will be taking time to get to know the business and I’m looking forward to meeting as many colleagues as possible, learn about what they do and hear about their views.”
Malhotra Group has expanded its legal team with two new paralegals.
Mary Watts and Zoe Limon are law students at Northumbria University who will be working for the company while continuing their studies.
Anu Kaura, head of legal at Malhotra Group, “Five years ago it was just me on my own. But now we are tending to do more and more in-house so it’s important for us to have our own dedicated team.
“We are dealing with more and more complex work so we really need to have a strong resource.”
