Lodders appoints new equity partners

Dawn Oliver, an experienced private client lawyer, joined Lodders as a partner in May 2024. Recognised as a leading individual in the West Midlands in the 2024 Legal 500 directory, she specialises in lifetime and estate planning and is primarily based in Lodders’ Cheltenham office.

Head of the Dispute Resolution team at Lodders, Andrew joined the firm in March 2021 and was promoted to partner in July 2022. He focuses on resolving contractual and commercial disputes, shareholder disputes and insolvency matters and is primarily based in Lodders’ Birmingham office.

The appointments respond to the sustained and significant growth across all key areas of the firm over the past five years, as Lodders’ managing partner Paul Mourton explains they are delighted to welcome Andrew and Dawn as equity partners and recognise their efforts and roles within the firm. Lodders is continuing to see sustained growth in instructions for both dispute resolution and private client services, and these promotions will be the catalyst for further expansion in these core areas. He added that they each bring significant experience and dynamism to the senior leadership team and a fresh perspective and will play a pivotal role in supporting the firm’s growth strategy and focus on becoming the employer of choice in an ever-competitive regional legal market.

Dawn and Andrew’s appointments bring the number of equity partners at Lodders to seven, with 17 other partners at the firm.

Dawn said she is delighted and honoured to be joining Lodders’ equity. It is an exciting time for the firm, particularly for the Private Client team, which is ranked top tier in both the Legal 500 and the Chambers High Net Worth Guide. She added that they are well-positioned to advise private clients across Warwickshire and the three counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire but do not take this for granted and are continually looking for new ways to enhance service provision. She looks forward to expanding the private client offering from the Cheltenham and Stratford offices, where they provide a discrete and bespoke service for all private clients.

Andrew said becoming an equity partner represents an excellent opportunity for him to utilise his experience to help deliver the firm’s strategic growth plans. He added that the Dispute Resolution team has many years of experience in successfully resolving disputes, leading to an increasing number of clients across the region seeking their advice and expertise. He looks forward to leading the charge in driving the growth of the commercial dispute resolution offering and helping more businesses resolve their issues quickly and effectively.

Paul added that the firm is set for another strong year of growth as they build on the momentum of their new office in Birmingham and he is delighted that Dawn and Andrew will be part of the senior leadership team at this exciting time.