Thursfields Solicitors has recruited two more legal experts to join its expanding Commercial Property department, taking the company’s total staff figure over 150 for the first time.
Stewart Coles has been appointed as a senior associate in the leading Midlands law firm’s Birmingham office, having previously worked for both Sydney Mitchell and Higgs & Sons Solicitors.
Meanwhile, Holly Kisiel has been recruited as a solicitor in Thursfields’ Worcester office from One Legal, the shared legal service provider for Tewkesbury Borough, Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City Councils, where she worked as a legal executive while training.
Mr Coles, who qualified in 2005, specialises in dealing with property transactions involving pensions, such as SIPP and SASS schemes, and has acted in the leisure and healthcare sectors, with a focus on hotels and care homes.
He said: “Thursfields has really made its mark and is seen as one of the places where you can really develop your career. I’ve just started but am already enthused by working for the company.”
Ms Kisiel, who qualified in May this year, has worked on a wide variety of property transactions, both leasehold and freehold.
She said: “As a newly qualified solicitor, I’m delighted to have joined Thursfields, a company that has such a growing reputation for positive staff development.”
Thursfields’ Commercial Property team has achieved at least 20% growth per year for the last five years.
Tony Gibb, director and head of commercial property at Thursfields, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Stewart and Holly to Thursfields, where we’re attracting top talent because of our growing reputation for an entrepreneurial culture that encourages free thinking and autonomy.
“Our aim now is to get into new areas of commercial property growth, such as conversions to student lets, the telecommunications and energy sector, and the care home and medical sectors.
“We are also looking at various site acquisitions to complement our New Homes division, at re-financing work for all major banks and to expand our offering into yet more areas of the Midlands.”
Mr Gibb joined Thursfields in 2013 and predominantly works in the Worcester and Kidderminster offices. The other legal experts in Thursfields’ Commercial Property team include:
Robert Pettigrew, who joined the Solihull office as director in 2017 from Pinsents.
Mike Brien, a senior associate who joined the Solihull office in 2016 from Millichips.
John McLean, a senior associate who joined the Birmingham office in 2016 from Evershed Sutherlands.
Katie Williams, an associate who joined the Worcester office in 2015 from an offshore legal practice and Womble Bond Dickinson.
Emma Hughes, a chartered legal executive who joined the Worcester office in 2015, from Worcester County Council.
Priya Ohri, a solicitor who joined the Halesowen office in 2014 on Thursfields’ Career Development Programme.