A leading Durham law firm has announced three new appointments following a successful year.
Swinburne Maddison LLP, based at Aykley Heads, is pleased to announce the arrival of a further solicitor to add to its growing commercial property team as well as two trainee solicitors.
Rachel Fletcher, who joins the commercial property department, brings with her some solid experience including work on multi million pound residential acquisitions. She spent five years at a London law firm where she dealt with commercial and residential property transactions as well as a year in Albania working in-house for a development company drawing up contracts for international clients before heading north to take up a role at another local law firm where she added to her commercial and agricultural property expertise before joining Swinburne Maddison.
Commenting on her new role, she said:
“I am joining Swinburne Maddison at a time when the firm is experiencing increasing volumes of commercial property work, including large-scale development work, from some significant clients. I really enjoy general commercial property work and am also looking forward to being able to expand my career within the area of development, so this is an ideal role for me given the reputation the firm enjoys for its work in this sector.”
Partner, Victoria Walton, added: “We are experiencing a lot of demand within the commercial property sector where we are currently working on some major developments so Rachel’s arrival is a welcome boost to the team as she brings with her a wealth of highly relevant experience.”
Also joining the fee-earning arm of the firm are Lauren Rutherford and Kelly Richardson who are embarking on training contracts.
Lauren joined Swinburne Maddison shortly after completing her law degree and working as an administrative assistant at Bond Dickinson in Newcastle to gain ‘on the job experience’ while she was studying for her qualification.
Kelly joined Swinburne Maddison as a legal secretary in September 2010 and with support from the firm, completed her law degree over a further two years by attending night classes alongside her full time secretarial role.
Katherine Minnis, a qualified solicitor, has also returned to the firm after maternity leave, in the role of marketing and events coordinator. As well as providing administrative support to the partners, she is responsible for planning and coordinating all corporate events and the production of all marketing collateral and awards submissions.
Swinburne Maddison continues to enjoy steady growth and acclaim for its work. During 2015 Martyn Tennant, partner in the corporate and commercial team, won professional recognition as both Young Lawyer of the Year and Corporate Lawyer of the Year.