Ampa achieves milestone with 36 promotions

Legal and professional services group Ampa has announced 36 promotions across its house of brands including Shakespeare Martineau, Mayo Wynne Baxter, Lime Solicitors, Marrons and Coadax. Effective May 2024, the group is elevating nine individuals to partner status. These include Aller Dawlat, Holly Lockley, Stewart Freeman, Ben Darlow, John Buckley, Claire Burrows, Victoria Taylor from Shakespeare Martineau, along with Michael Young and John Tunnard from Lime Solicitors.

Aller is a key member of the real estate and energy teams, specialising in high-volume energy transactions, investment and development projects while Holly guides clients through the acquisition and disposal of development land. Stewart deals with a high volume of sale transactions exclusively for housing association clients and has worked in the social housing sector for more than 13 years. Ben’s focus is acting for landowners in high-value and complex sales, and he also specialises in insolvency-based and charity-related property matters. John has a broad range of general commercial property experience, while Claire is a litigator who leads the interventions, investigations and inquiries offering within Shakespeare Martineau’s managed legal services business unit. Victoria helps individuals plan for the future through wills, lasting powers of attorney and estate planning. Michael, a highly-regarded professional negligence expert, has over 15 years of experience in handling complex cases.

Four partners have also been promoted into the membership of Ampa, including Kerry Russell from Shakespeare Martineau, Vicky Blodwell of Lime Solicitors, and private client lawyer Matt Parr as well as residential property specialist Sacha Bolourchi from Mayo Wynne Baxter. Additionally, six individuals have become larger equity stakeholders in Ampa, comprising corporate lawyer Jody Webb and commercial litigator Daniel Jennings, among others.

New legal directors at Shakespeare Martineau include immigration law expert Calum Hanrahan and dispute resolution specialist Nicola Lediard. Promotions to associate level within the firm include Harpreet Sandhu, Dominic Suffolk, and Joshua Dyal, while Lime Solicitors has Harkiran Takhar promoted. At Mayo Wynne Baxter, property lawyer Angela Payne and private client solicitor Ganesh Kent have also been elevated to associate status.

Planning and development consultancy Marrons has advanced Jack Barnes and Sarah MacPherson, with several others promoted to principal urban designer and principal heritage planner. Coadax has promoted Marcus Chan to senior executive.

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO of Ampa, said “We are in it for the long-term, and committed to sustainable growth and a culture where excellence is recognised and rewarded.” She added “This round of promotions is a testament to the incredible talent within our group, spanning multiple brands and levels, reflecting our ambition to be bigger, better and braver.” Walker-Smith concluded with “We believe that by empowering our people, we create lasting value for our clients and shape a future of innovation and opportunity. Congratulations to all those who have achieved this well-deserved recognition”