LCF Law strengthens teams with key appointments

Joseph joins as a senior associate in the real estate team, bringing nearly two decades of experience in commercial property law since qualifying in 2008. He specialises in advising both developers and businesses on comprehensive real estate matters, including site acquisitions, joint ventures, collaboration agreements, finance arrangements, estate set-up, and lease restructures. Joseph’s recent work highlights include acting for a national retailer on multiple store acquisitions, advising national housing developers on site acquisitions and financing, and supporting a well-known café chain in York and Leeds during the sale of its business and assets.

Sam Durling has been appointed to the corporate team and has quickly gained recognition for his skills since qualifying in 2022, even earning a spot in the prestigious Legal 500 in 2024. His expertise lies in mergers and acquisitions, share and asset disposals, restructures, and governance matters. Sam has also demonstrated his versatility by working with family-owned and owner-managed businesses across various sectors, including healthcare, hospitality, nurseries, and manufacturing. Some of his recent highlights include guiding a high-net-worth individual through a complex acquisition and successfully resolving a challenging shareholder buyout.

LCF Law’s managing partner Ragan Montgomery commented “These appointments reflect our ongoing commitment to attracting highly skilled lawyers who share our values and our drive to deliver clear, practical and commercially focused advice. Joseph’s depth of experience in the real estate sector will be invaluable to our developer and business clients as he takes a clear, proactive approach, which helps clients minimise risk, and he progresses projects with the utmost confidence. Sam is well known for his commercial awareness and pragmatic problem-solving, with one client describing him as being the most valuable player in a high-stakes transaction, and his technical expertise and client-first approach strengthens our corporate team further.”

With over 145 staff and offices in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, and Ilkley, LCF Law is an award-winning full-service law firm operating on regional, national, and international levels.