Appointments: Irwin Mitchell, Reward Finance, Virtuoso Legal, Barclays

THE medical negligence team at Irwin Mitchell has been joined by partner Rachel Roach.

She returns, having completed her training with the firm, after a spell in the healthcare litigation team at Hempsons in Harrogate.

Ms Roach worked for Irwin Mitchell at the start of her career as a claimant solicitor, before moving to medical negligence work at Hempsons.

Head of Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence team in Leeds, Rachelle Mahapatra said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rachel back to Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence team in Leeds.

“Rachel’s expertise in representing clients on both the defendant and claimant side stands her in good stead to understand how to get the best results for her clients.”

Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence team is ranked number one in the independent Legal 500 and Chambers 2016 UK guides to the best lawyers in the country.

Ms Roach’s appointment follows hot on the heels of partner Teresa Davidson, who joined from Ward Hadaway.

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BUSINESS lender Reward Finance Group has been boosted by a trio of appointments.

Damian Slingsby has been promoted to business development director of Reward Finance, having joined three years ago.

Elizabeth Harrison has been hired as marketing and communications manager from The Pensions Trust where she worked for 14 years.

A North West business development has been appointed in Russell Holt.

David Jones, joint managing director at Reward Finance Group, said: “Russell, Elizabeth and Damian will play a big part in the development of the Reward brand and their roles will be key in growing the business further within the Yorkshire region and expanding across the north.”

The appointments follow a record year for the business, which saw 80 transactions and advances in excess of £25m secured over the course of 2015.

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A SENIOR solicitor has been appointed at Leds-based IP and intangible assets firm Virtuoso Legal.

Philip Partington has been hired to help manage activity in Virtuoso’s new London office and work closely with the team in Leeds.

Mr Partington specialises in disputes and has acted on a large number of cases in the High Court and the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, together with the Court of Appeal.

At the invitation of Sir Robin Jacob, he is lecturing on Copyright Law at University College London this year.

Virtuoso Legal has also appointed Lakmal Walawage, a trainee who recently gained an award for his Masters in intellectual property law from the University of Leeds.

Liz Ward, founder and principal at Virtuoso Legal, said: “Virtuoso Legal was started in Leeds in 2007, and while we will always remain true to our ethos which is first rate customer service and a commercial attitude to our client’s needs, we need to grow to satisfy demand. With a growing portfolio of national and international clients it made sense for us to establish a presence in London. We are committed to ensuring our clients get real experts on their side to ensure they get the best results.”

“It’s fantastic to welcome Philip and Lakmal to our growing team and I look forward to working with them to expand the firm further.”

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THREE hired have boosted the Humber-based team of Barclays Business and Corporate Banking.

Mark Waite has been promoted to relationship director within the corporate team and will be responsible for businesses with a turnover in excess of £5mn in the Hull area.

Craig Ingram and Danny Scarr join the team as business banking managers and will operate from the flagship premises at Humber Quays.

Steve Hanson, head of Business and Corporate Banking for Barclays in Humber and York said: “I am delighted to be able announced these well-deserved promotions, which once again demonstrates our ability to consistently develop our own home grown talent.

“The Humber area is a fantastic place to do business and we will be looking for further growth throughout 2016 and beyond.”