Stockton-based Endeavour Partnership is set to become Teesside’s only specialist banking legal firm thanks to a significant new appointment.
Deborah Kirtley is highly-regarded as a leading banking lawyer and is joining Endeavour Partnership as a partner, to lead the business’s banking team providing legal advice to banks and borrowers alike.
Prior to joining the Teesdale-based firm, Deborah headed up the banking team at Newcastle firm Dickinson Dees before becoming a partner at global law firm DWF where she also obtained her MBA. During this time, Deborah spent some time in Australia working for World Vision Australia, an organisation aimed at working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.
With more than 25 years’ experience, Deborah has been retained by a wide range of banks, building societies and other financial institutions as well as public sector institutions- to advise on a wide range of corporate banking, acquisition and development finance transactions.
Deborah has also advised local, national and international businesses, universities and housing providers in relation to their borrowing requirements and has acted in many of the region’s most complex and high value deals in the football, hotel, housing and student accommodation sectors.
Deborah becomes Endeavour’s 11th partner and joins the corporate department, responsible for developing the firm’s growing portfolio of bank and other institutional clients, as well as helping establish and promote a new borrower-led service that is aimed at assisting businesses in the SME sector who are looking to raise finance by getting them “borrower ready” before applying for finance.
At the end of 2017, Endeavour Partnership announced its most successful year in the firm’s 18 year history and is a year ahead of its anticipated growth plans, aimed at doubling turnover within five years.
The firm currently employs 56 people and has further recruitment announcements in the pipeline.
Speaking about joining Endeavour, Deborah said: “Whilst at Dickinson Dees and latterly at DWF I always looked upon Endeavour as the stand out business law firm in Teesside- they have quality lawyers and clients. Indeed, Endeavour has an excellent reputation in the wider North East business community. Also, the opportunity to work with Nigel Williams again after over 20 years together was an opportunity I could not pass up as. I am really looking forward to joining such a fantastic North East business.
Head of Endeavour’s corporate team, Nik Tunley, said: “It’s fantastic news that Deborah has agreed to join the team here at Endeavour and is a further demonstration of our reputation in the region as market leader for business law services. Deborah’s arrival will enable development of the firm’s banking offering and will further positively differentiate the team here at Endeavour from others in the region”.
Endeavour Partnership was established on Teesside to provide high quality advice on a range of business law matters including mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property employment, business immigration, commercial property, insolvency and commercial disputes.