Regional law firm Howes Percival has entered the Cambridge legal services market with a new commercial property team and plans to expand with further senior hires lined up for the coming months.
The firm has taken premises on Hills Road in Cambridge and announced a number of significant hires. The new team will be led by partner Jonathan Greenhalgh (pictured, top left) who was previously head of real estate at Birketts in Cambridge and has worked in the city’s legal market for the past 20 years.
Jonathan is joined by commercial property specialists Will Stokes (director) from Birketts, Helen Stewart (associate) (pictured, top right) from Ashton KCJ and Daniel Thomas (pictured, second left) (solicitor) from Spearing Waite.
The new team will provide a comprehensive legal real estate service to Cambridge and the wider East Anglia region, backed by a full-service offer from Howes Percival’s Norwich office including specialist expertise on planning, environmental and property litigation.
Howes Percival also confirmed that Paul Wootton is to join the firm as partner and head of planning later in May, followed by the director-level appointment of construction lawyer Philippa Hebbard from Linklaters. A corporate commercial appointment at partner level has also been confirmed for the Cambridge office.
The new Cambridge office is part of the firm’s overall business strategy to invest in further growth and support clients across the Northern Home Counties region, connecting the firm’s offices in the East Midlands and East Anglia.
Jonathan Greenhalgh said: ‘This is a really exciting new venture. We’re in Cambridge to provide a genuine alternative to existing real estate teams in the city. It is clear to us that there is space at the quality end of the market for a focused and dedicated commercial property offering. We’re a small team with a big appetite for growth and a real depth of experience.
‘Our approach will be very hands-on, giving clients access to senior experts, and the focus will be on providing an outstanding service.’
