One year on from its merger, Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG) has promoted six new partners across the firm’s corporate, energy, dispute resolution and real estate sectors.
The firm’s real estate practice was the greatest beneficiary with housing and regeneration specialist Richard Beckingsale, real estate and energy lawyer Helen Emmerson and Nisha Jassal all being made up in the practice which will now house 45 partners.
Gareth Baker was the only corporate lawyer to join the partnership while disputes was bolstered by commercial litigator Andrew Nugent Smith and Tom Price, who focuses on international arbitration.
In 2014, Lawrence Graham made up nearly the same number as this round by itself with five partners promoted in its real estate, corporate and disputes practices.
WLG’s chief executive David Fennell said: ‘We look for something special in our prospective partners – outstanding technical skills, the ability to give clients a truly distinctive experience and the creative energy to help clients solve their problems. These individuals have all three in spades and I am very pleased to welcome them into our partnership.’
The real estate team at Wragge’s, which won real estate team of the year at the Legal Business Awards 2015, recently worked on the sale of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) to Lloyds Banking Group’s private equity arm LDC, in one of the biggest ever sales agreed by Birmingham City Council.
Wragge’s team was led by corporate partner David Vaughan, who advised on all aspects of the sale including the pre-sale structuring, pensions, leases and other property arrangements, sale process and preferred bidder negotiations. Wragge’s Robert Caddick, commercial development and investment chairman, led on the real estate aspects of the transaction.
Full list of partner promotions:
Gareth Baker, London, corporate
Richard Beckingsale, Birmingham, real estate
Helen Emmerson, Birmingham, real estate
Nisha Jassal, Birmingham, real estate
Andrew Nugent Smith, Birmingham, disputes
Tom Price, Birmingham, disputes
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk