L-R: Chris Jones, Lucie Byron, Keith Ainsworth, Judith Gershon, Stephanie Elge and Myles Bennett
An award-winning Midlands law firm has made a major appointment to help head up a new Banking and Project Finance team.
Wright Hassall, which was named Regional Law Firm of the Year at the 2017 Lawyer’s Awards, has appointed Judith Gershon as partner with responsibility for real estate finance at the Leamington Spa-based firm.
She has moved from the international law firm Gowling WLG and joins the new six-strong team, led by corporate finance and banking partner, Keith Ainsworth.
The new team has been assembled to expand the firm’s banking and project finance offering which has grown significantly due to client demand.
Gershon said: “It is a very exciting time to have moved to Wright Hassall, particularly in this sector, which has become a much bigger part of the firm in recent years.
“Wright Hassall works right across the UK, and we see big potential in the expansion of this area of business.
“Even on our doorstep we see considerable opportunity. With the Leamington Spa Creative Quarter project underway and Coventry recently being named UK City of Culture for 2021, we are expecting a surge in investment from both existing businesses as well those planning to relocate to the area. We are here to help make that as easy a process as possible.
“I am delighted to be joining Wright Hassall at such a pivotal time for the firm, whose growth plans are firmly on track. The Banking and Project Finance team is very talented and has already developed a solid reputation among the finance community in a relatively short space of time.”
In the 2000s, while at law firm Eversheds, Judith built up the company’s real estate finance practice from scratch and has gone on to specialise in property development and investment facilities, re-financings, restructurings and general consultative advice.
The team also includes newly-promoted banking partner, Chris Jones, recently recognised by the Legal 500 directory as a “next generation” leading banking lawyer for the wider West Midlands; and partner Lucie Byron, who created the firm’s property finance practice and has overseen its recent growth. They are supported by solicitors, Stephanie Elgie and Myles Bennett.
Further members are likely to be recruited this year to meet the growing demand for the team’s services.
The team focus on mid-market corporate and property lending as well as project finance, in which it has a depth and breadth of expertise rarely found outside a major city firm.
Keith Ainsworth said: “This is an exciting time for us. We are hugely proud of the work we have done to date, and what we have achieved, and we are very ambitious for the future.
“The assembly of our expanded team – and the appointment of someone with Judith’s level of experience and expertise – underlines that ambition.”
