Simpson Millar Continues Growth Strategy with Host of Appointments

National law firm Simpson Millar has announced the appointment of four new members of staff to its leading Public Law division as part of its ongoing commitment to investment in its people further to its ambitious £50m investment growth strategy which was announced last year.

The latest move sees the law firm bolster its Leeds team with the arrival of Patricia Cannon who will head up a new Public Law department as Partner, as well as Lidia Foster, who joins as Assistant Solicitor.

Patricia brings more than 15 years’ experience from her background as a specialist in Public Law children cases. Joining from Henry Hyams Solicitors, she has been tasked with creating a specialised national care team at Simpson Millar dedicated to the representation of children and other family members in Care Proceedings cases.

Lidia joins Simpson Millar from Ison Harrison, where she worked predominantly on Public Law children cases. She will be supporting Patricia at Simpson Millar to set up the specialised team in Leeds.

Joining the Manchester office from Switalskis Solicitors is Caroline Hurst as Chartered Legal Executive, whilst Lydia Dunford will begin her legal career in the firm’s new Bristol office on the city’s Waterfront Broad Quay House.

Lydia recently qualified as a Solicitor, having completed her training at Watkins Solicitors working predominately in Education Law, and will be bringing her experience to the Education Law team, whilst Caroline will bring her 10 years’ of experience and recommendation from the Legal 500 for ‘fighting fearlessly for her clients’- to work in capacity law to represent clients of the firm’s Manchester office.

The four new appointments come at a time of growth and expansion: owing to Simpson Millar’s two recent acquisitions of Liverpool-based EAD Solicitors and JWK Solicitors which has offices in Morecambe, Southport and Lancaster; as well as the launch of its new corporate identity and the first phase of the firm’s new digital platform at the end of last year.

Commenting on the new appointments, Imogen Jolley, Simpson Millar’s Head of Public Law, said: “This is a very exciting period of growth for the Public Law team at Simpson Millar, and for the firm as a whole, which has invested heavily in ensuring that we are best placed to meet the growing and ever changing needs of our clients.

“This latest raft of appointments further complements our existing offering, and ensures that we have a stronger presence in a growing number of regions in order to provide support and Public Law expertise to those in need.

“Patricia, Lidia, Caroline and Lydia all, in their own ways, bring a wealth of experience to the table – both through their educational journey, and their careers to date - and they are exactly the calibre of legal professionals we are looking to add to our team at this time.

“Appointing a stellar team is a key facet of our growth strategy, and we are pleased to be able to expand our client offering in Leeds, Manchester and Bristol, to provide specialist support to more people who need it, particularly, the establishment of a new Public Law team in Leeds which will provide specialised support for families involved in Care Proceedings matters in the region.”

On her appointment, Patricia said: “I am excited to join the team at such a pivotal period, and am looking forward to being a part of strengthening the firm’s reputation in the Public Law division to enable Simpson Millar to continue on its growth trajectory.”