Harper James appoints new corporate partner

Harper James, a commercial law firm dedicated to supporting ambitious SMEs, has announced the appointment of Lottie Hugo as a Corporate Partner. With over a decade of experience, Lottie has a proven track record in advising management teams, founders, and investors on both UK and cross-border transactions. Her vast expertise includes private M&A, private equity investment, corporate governance, and restructurings, and she has dealt with transactions ranging from £1 million to £500 million across various sectors, including energy, technology, professional services, logistics, and retail.

Lottie began her career at Foot Anstey before moving to Freeths, where she earned the title of Partner while playing a crucial role in expanding the firm’s South West Corporate team. Her hard work was recognised with a nomination for Rainmaker of the Year at the 2025 South West Rainmaker Awards, highlighting her significant contributions to the legal field.

Joining a 16-strong corporate team at Harper James, Lottie will advise founders and senior leaders on crucial aspects such as transactions, investment, restructuring, and governance. Her appointment comes at a critical time, as growth-focused SMEs are increasingly faced with complex transactions, investment activities, and governance challenges as they scale.

Lottie's experience in guiding private equity-backed businesses through buy-and-build strategies and international expansion, while working closely with C-suite stakeholders and boards, perfectly aligns with Harper James’ mission of delivering commercially focused, scalable legal support. On joining the firm, Lottie expresses her enthusiasm by stating, “I’m really excited to be joining Harper James. It’s a real privilege to be part of a firm with such a collaborative and forward-thinking culture, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to a thriving team that is providing exceptional legal support to its clients. I was drawn to Harper James’ strong reputation for doing things differently, with an innovative model that genuinely works for entrepreneurs and businesses at every stage of growth.”

Adam Kudryl, Head of Legal Strategy and Operations and Head of Corporate at Harper James, shared his positive sentiment about Lottie’s addition to the team, saying, “We’re pleased to be welcoming Lottie to Harper James. From our first conversations, it was clear she would be a strong addition to our corporate team. She brings sound commercial judgement and deep transactional expertise that will add real value to the businesses we support.”