Harper James appoints new partner

Harper James, the full-service business law firm committed to empowering growth-oriented businesses, has appointed Diane Yarrow as Commercial Partner, adding to its 15-strong team of commercial law experts.

Diane’s appointment represents another significant step in fulfilling increasing client demand for commercial law support and will add to the firm’s ambitious growth target of doubling its turnover by 2028.

Qualifying in 2003, Diane brings with her over 20 years’ commercial experience in advising businesses ranging from start-ups and privately-owned enterprises through to multinational organisations, not-for-profits and NGOs. Her practice spans various sectors, and she has extensive experience in commercial contracts, shareholder agreements, restructuring, compliance, and risk management.

Before Harper James, Diane spent over 14 years at BP Collins LLP as a partner in its Corporate and Commercial team. Diane was also previously a Partner in the Business team at Gardner Leader LLP.

Recognised as ‘highly recommended’ in the Legal 500, Diane’s expertise extends to providing in-house legal support. This includes her role with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where she prepared contracts for major sports events. Most recently, Diane has worked on several notable transactions, including advising a fintech services company on high-profile customer contracts for some of the UK’s largest retailers, advising on a successful tender for waste collection and street cleaning services to Manchester City Council, and drafting software licences used by some of the UK’s largest train operating companies.

Commenting on her appointment to the firm’s Commercial team, Diane says from my first conversations with the team, I felt a strong connection to the culture and values of Harper James. I've been advising businesses for over 20 years and have worked remotely since 2020. The subscription-based service plans, remote operating model and specialist support teams make Harper James very different to any law firm I have previously worked in. The lawyers in the Commercial team all have excellent experience and have made me feel very welcome. I am looking forward to getting to know the businesses that Harper James supports and helping them on their growth journey.

Partner and Head of Commercial at Harper James, Stephen Pearne, says I am thrilled to welcome Diane to our Commercial team. With over 20 years of experience, Diane brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of supporting clients across a diverse range of sectors. She is highly engaging, takes a genuine interest in the businesses she works with, and consistently goes above and beyond to deliver tailored, practical advice. Diane is undoubtedly a valuable asset to our team and will be instrumental in driving continued success for our clients.