With commercial conveyancing up by more than 30 per cent many legal practices are facing a shortage of experienced business and property specialists, the Law Society has warned.
The skills gap — highlighted by a rush of overseas investors targeting major UK cities — has been made worse by such a long period of retrenchment during the recession. And, “whilst law practices have increasingly used locums to plug permanent skills gaps, it is becoming more challenging to find qualified candidates in some instances which points to the early stages of a critical people crisis,” admitted Jodie Finn, an associate director at the Venn Group, the legal staffing agency.
Although weighed toward London and the Home Counties, most practices are still managing to find the right people, even if it now means they have to recruit from abroad, says the society.
The Southampton-based law firm of Coffin Mew was one business which looked toward Europe with its appointment of Nick Leavey as a partner and head of its commercial property department. He previously worked as a European legal expert in Brussels and has 14 years’ experience on landmark projects in London and the south coast.
“Coffin Mew is certainly ahead of the curve of other law firms coming out of the recession and is in a far better place to expand as the economy recovers,” said Leavey, whose team is based in Portsmouth and the company’s new offices at Cumberland Place, Southampton. “I’m looking forward to working closely with our clients on high quality projects and becoming involved in their businesses.”
Commercial law firm Thrings has recruited three specialist solicitors to advise its portfolio of commercial property clients. Partner Edward Jackman, associate Iain Mason and solicitor Natalia Sokolov are joining the business to further strengthen its commercial property and construction team.
Jackman, who has a broad experience of commercial property work, is the leaving Oxfordshire-based commercial practice of Brookstreet Des Roches, where he was a partner since 2005. Mason, whose expertise includes commercial leases and development and regeneration projects, joins from Bath firm Stone King, where he was an associate solicitor in its business property team. And construction law specialist Sokolov joins from Bristol-headquartered national firm Clarke Willmott. All three will work at Thrings’ Swindon office.
Property specialists Berrys is continuing its expansion strategy with the appointment of Stephen Dallimore — a chartered surveyor from the commercial valuation division of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) — to its Towcester office.
With a wide range of experience acting for both landlords and tenants, he has dealt with all types of property from shops and retail warehouses to industrial, offices, residential, warehousing and distribution to banks and building societies. At Berrys, Dallimore will be responsible for providing advice to landlords and tenants of all types of commercial premises occupied under the 1954 Landlord and Tenant Acts.
Story: Cliff Goodwin
Photo: Neil Bird
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