Penningtons Manches Cooper announces 2021 partner promotions

Posted: 29/03/2021

Top 50 law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has announced its partner promotions for 2021.

Clare Arthurs, Rebecca Andrews Walker, Elise Bevan and Alex Prew will join the partnership with effect from Thursday 1 April.

The appointments span the firm’s litigation, clinical negligence and real estate practices:

A former commercial litigator, Clare Arthurs currently leads the knowledge function for the firm’s commercial dispute resolution team, working across a broad range of specialisms including international litigation and arbitration, group actions, professional negligence, reputation management, and regulatory compliance. In recent years, she has played a pivotal role in the introduction of new technology, business improvement and team leadership. The extent of her contribution is such that she has also agreed to take over as head of department from Rustam Dubash, who is returning to a full fee-earning role, having led the practice for 10 years. Clare will remain a member of the knowledge team and continue to work closely with the other contentious teams. This appointment reflects the firm’s investment in, and the value it places on, its central teams as a key part of long term business strategy.

Rebecca Andrews Walker joined the firm in 2013 as an associate in the Oxford commercial dispute resolution team. Her appointment represents an expansion of the firm’s activities into insolvency and restructuring: she now wholly specialises in this area following an increasingly successful pipeline of instructions on complex administrations and CVAs over the last few years. As a dual qualified insolvency practitioner – and one of the very few lawyers holding a sought after Joint Insolvency Examination Board accreditation in both the corporate and personal insolvency spheres – Rebecca is recognised for offering rare holistic insight, and enjoys strong relationships with accountants and other practitioners. Having initially built her practice in the Thames Valley, she now covers the breadth of Penningtons Manches Cooper’s locations and works with some of the firm’s most significant clients.

Elise Bevan joined the firm in 2010 and is a senior member of the clinical negligence team in the Guildford office. She handles a wide variety of clinical negligence cases but has a particular interest in vaginal mesh, oncology and cosmetic surgery claims. She has also developed specialist expertise in product liability, including claims that involve a cross border element against foreign manufacturers. Elise is recognised as having enhanced the team’s reputation by focusing on specific areas of medicine and surgery to develop wider awareness of its credibility in those sub-specialisms. Elise will work alongside partner Philippa Luscombe to help manage the large team in Guildford.

Commercial real estate specialist Alex Prew joined the firm in 2018. He has a particular focus on acquisition and disposals, asset management and development projects. He has advised a range of clients including well-known FTSE 100 businesses, pharmaceutical companies, insurers and law firms on landlord and tenant matters. He has expertise in the build to rent sector and private housing sector as well as acting on high-value UK property transactions for investors. Over the last year he has successfully won a number of new significant instructions from existing large clients. In addition to his client base of real estate companies, Alex has developed strong relationships with a number of private family offices, and often works cross practice with other specialists.

Alongside its partner promotions, Penningtons Manches Cooper has also announced that Katie Gordon is to become an Associate Director. Katie is a senior knowledge lawyer within the IP, IT and commercial practice who has made a considerable impact through the development of training and mentoring programmes which rapidly boost associates’ skills and knowledge.

The promotions round also includes 11 associates who were made up to senior associate.

David Raine, Penningtons Manches Cooper’s CEO, said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to on these new appointments: they are a direct result of very hard work and a dedicated contribution to their clients and the firm. A commitment to supporting and mentoring senior associates who display potential to become partners or associate directors is a key strand of our people strategy, and I am delighted that Clare, Rebecca, Elise, Alex and Katie have benefitted from that. Well done to them all.”

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