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A rising star in the east |
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26 November 2007 |
The rising regional reputation of Kester Cunningham John has been further boosted by two recent hires from major London firms into its Cambridge arm.
Jenny Lewis joined the firm's real estate team earlier this year from Berwin Leighton Paisner to add weight to its institutional investment offering.
The rising regional reputation of Kester Cunningham John has been further boosted by two recent hires from major London firms into its Cambridge arm.
Jenny Lewis joined the firm's real estate team earlier this year from Berwin Leighton Paisner to add weight to its institutional investment offering. And now the corporate finance team have hired Jennifer Manning from magic circle firm Allen & Overy.
"There's a war for talent and I am in no doubt we are winning it" commented partner Duncan Walker, who himself made a move to Cambridge last year after a 15 year career in the City of London. "Our recruitment brand is extremely strong and clients are seeing real strength in depth."
The recent news comes after a round of additions across the firm's East Anglian operation which also has bases in Norwich, Thetford and Bury St Edmunds. Key hires include dispute resolution partner Huw Wallis (ex Freshfields, White & Case), real estate associate James Slinger (Slaughter and May), corporate finance solicitors Damian Humphrey and Mark Watson, disputes solicitors Matthew Bowden and Matthew Lord, property solicitors Rad Eltreki, Graeme Burslem and Rhian Brook, planning specialist Daniel Ansong and employment lawyer June Salmon.
The firm reported a leading role in a number of high-profile recent transactions, particularly in the M&A and property development sectors, a fact recognised by the industry benchmark Legal 500 in awarding a promotion to the firm in eight commercial categories. The rising tide was confirmed by partner Edward O'Rourke, head of the corporate finance/commercial team, who observed "The last twelve months have been transformational for us. Team revenue has grown 70 per cent, and we are increasingly seen as the principal competitor to much larger players."
The firm's commercial property profile and reputation across the region continues to grow apace, with turnover in the first half of 2007 already up by 35% on the previous year. The Cambridge office is to the fore in acting on an increasing number of high-profile and high value acquisitions and development deals, and attracting and increasing number of major new clients.
"We have a real hunger about us" says Walker, referring to the firm's strategy to increase market share. "That means not only building a reputation for excellent service delivery but also promoting business opportunities for clients and other professionals."
Kester Cunningham John also have a broad outlook when it comes to those new opportunities. "There are lots of untapped sources for lawyers who have the vision to pursue them. For instance, we are well placed to compete against London firms for inbound work for non-UK clients and Cambridge is a great place from which to do this." Personal contacts have led already to collaborations with professionals in Switzerland, Italy and Sweden.
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