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Raft of new appointments furthers growth in Yorkshire for Ward Hadaway

Ward Hadaway is building on its strong position in Leeds and Yorkshire with a raft of new appointments.

New partners Jonathan Pollard, Emma Digby and Stephen Lewis have joined the firm alongside associates Sarah Macauley and Neil Armitage, and paralegal Amber Wilson.

The appointments add further strength and depth to the full-service legal team based at Wellington Place in Leeds city centre. They join as part of the firm’s long-term strategy to build on its positive reputation for delivering a friendly, dynamic and results-focused service to ambitious businesses of all sizes across the region. Ward Hadaway also has offices in Newcastle and Manchester.

Jonathan joins forces with partner Adrian Ballam who joined at the end of 2019.  They both specialise in corporate law, including management buy-outs, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity investments. They bring with them both skills and experience having previously worked with a wide variety of local, national and international organisations, from listed and multi-national companies to owner managed and SME businesses. They have a well-established network within the local corporate finance community and a reputation for delivering strong outcomes for their corporate clients.

Emma and Stephen are both experts in commercial litigation. Emma has a multi-disciplinary background, practising in Sheffield before moving to Leeds. She has been involved in high value, complex cases and is recognised in the Legal 500 for her depth of experience in commercial disputes. She has a strong network in the region, and will play an active part extending the reach and reputation of Ward Hadaway.

Stephen meanwhile has over 20 years of experience handling commercial and contractual disputes, particularly where material damage is involved, working with major contractors, local authorities, insurers and insurance brokers across the UK. Stephen joins with his team of Neil Armitage and Amber Wilson.

Associate Sarah Macauley is an experienced and well-regarded insolvency specialist, and brings with her a strong network of clients from across the region. She adds to the growing team of expert insolvency practitioners at Ward Hadaway who deliver a national service to a wide range of clients.

Martin Hulls, managing partner of Ward Hadaway, said; “We are delighted to welcome all the new recruits on board. They join us in very unusual circumstances, but as a firm, we are fully set up to deliver a full service to our clients remotely, and so they have still been able to hit the ground running.

“Our strategy to build our reputation and profile to attract the best talent has been long term strategy, and we are not going to be diverted from that path by the current extreme circumstances.  We are, therefore, very pleased to welcome this cohort of fantastic talent to the firm.”

John Murray, executive partner for the Leeds office of Ward Hadaway, added; “The appointments are an integral part of our strategic growth plans for the Leeds office. Whilst coronavirus has undoubtedly changed the landscape for all businesses, including ours, we are looking to the future with positivity. We have a sizeable, dynamic and diverse offering here in Leeds and recognise the opportunity to build and grow our ability to support Yorkshire businesses.

“Despite the rapid pace of change we are all currently tackling, we know from our clients and contacts that their worlds do keep turning, and there is still a need for legal advice on many fronts. These additions will help us ensure we are prepared to serve our clients not only now, but in the future, so we are in a strong position to drive the business forward once the immediate crisis is over.”

Ward Hadaway is supporting the business community by helping them get back to business during the Covid-19 outbreak. They have built a freely available legal frequently asked questions resource, bringing clarity and insight to help navigate the ‘new normal’.

Visit our FAQ hub here.

Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.

This page may contain links that direct you to third party websites. We have no control over and are not responsible for the content, use by you or availability of those third party websites, for any products or services you buy through those sites or for the treatment of any personal information you provide to the third party.

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Emma Digby

Partner | Commercial Litigation

+44 (0) 330 137 3308

+44 (0) 774 040 5743

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Jonathan Pollard

Partner | Corporate

+44 (0) 330 137 3624

+44 (0) 782 446 0319

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Adrian Ballam

Partner | Corporate

+44 (0) 330 137 3639

+44 (0) 773 268 8264

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Neil Armitage

Associate | Commercial Litigation

+44 (0) 330 137 3336

+44 (0) 770 379 6254

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