This week saw Weightmans carry out its first all-female promotions round, making four women up to partner level, while BLM made up six in a reduced round from 2014 and Browne Jacobson promoted seven new partners taking its total partnership to 104.
Weightmans’s round also saw the firm use its Alternative Business Structure for a second year to promote non-legal employees to a Fixed Share Membership (FSM). The firm promoted HR director Sam Airey to FSM, following the first promotion of a business services employee last year, with marketing director Sarah-Jane Howitt.
The three other promotions at the firm were in commercial insurance, corporate finance and corporate dispute resolution. Commenting on the all-female promotions, Airey said: ‘Weightmans prides itself on its people-focused culture and encourages a healthy work life balance. As HR Director, I am delighted and excited about these promotions as it sends a positive message throughout the firm, that we recognise the importance of flexible working.’
In what saw the firm surpass the 100-partner mark, Browne Jacobson made the majority of its promotions in its Birmingham office, which saw five of the seven while a further two partners were made up in Nottingham. The promotions were spread evenly among practices with each partner specialising in a different area.
Meanwhile, as well as the six partner promotions, BLM made 27 associate promotions across five of the firm’s business streams, with 12 in claims solutions, 10 in large loss and technical, three in speciality and financial lines, seven in healthcare and commercial, and one in the firm’s Ireland business stream.
The partner round was much reduced from last year when BLM made up 24 partners after having recently finalised its merger with HBM Sayers.
The list of partner promotions in full is as follows:
Weightmans
Sam Airey, Liverpool, HR Director
Patricia Grinyer, Liverpool, corporate finance
Navdip Wilson, Leicester, commercial insurance and local government
Carole Spiller, Manchester, corporate dispute resolution
Browne Jacobson
Richard Freeth, Birmingham, education
Emma Hopkinson, Birmingham, banking
Mike Jackson, Birmingham, corporate
Lisa McGinn, Birmingham, property
Tim Rayner, Birmingham, property Litigation
Michael Sadler, Nottingham, construction
Lucy Worwood, Nottingham, tax
BLM
Caroline Haydock
Kelly Matthews
Karen Redmore
Matthew Perkins
Sarah Murray-Smith
Jane Littlewood
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk
