Original next generation law firm McCarthy Denning announces today that five new lawyers have joined the firm. The new appointments include partners John Dean who joins from Seddons and pre-eminent international oil and gas specialist John Vercoe, and consultant solicitors Laurence Sheppard, Dean Harper and Sumit Chakravorty.

Real estate lawyer John Dean has over 20 years’ experience and specialises in property investment, funding and development, as well as owner occupier matters. In addition to his broad experience advising on general commercial real estate work, John has particular expertise working with clients in the healthcare, office, charity, hotel and leisure, retail, and education sectors. John also works with private individuals in respect of residential property and leasehold reform.

John Vercoe is a corporate and commercial lawyer in international oil and gas. He has worked in the sector across Europe, Asia and Africa, holding both in-house and private practice positions, including at Baker & McKenzie, Fasken Martineau and British Gas, where he was head of legal. John advises international oil companies and contractors on their day-to-day business with governments and regulatory agencies, including negotiations, service agreements and Production Sharing Agreements.

Construction lawyer, Laurence Sheppard, joins having been group head of legal at Permasteelisa Group, prior to which he worked in private practice at a raft of leading law firms, including Addleshaw Goddard and Weightmans. Experienced in every aspect of non-contentious construction law – and in particular procurement and all the major forms of construction contracts – Laurence is also a solicitor advocate and is instructed in the full spectrum of dispute resolution.

Corporate lawyer Dean Harper has over two decades’ experience advising clients from start-ups and owner managed businesses to FTSE listed public companies. A former partner at White & Case, Dean has been listed in UK Legal Experts as a leading individual in the corporate and M&A fields for seven years.

Sumit Chakravorty joins the corporate team, specialising in banking and finance, venture capital and private equity, M&A, and equity capital markets. Sumit was previously at Hale and Dorr (now Wilmer Hale) and has two decades of experience gained at top-tier practices in the UK and the USA. Sumit also brings significant expertise in software licensing, service agreements and their implementation, particularly in the oil and gas and pharmaceutical industries.

Commenting on the appointments, Warren Wooldridge, McCarthy Denning co-founder and CEO said: ‘We announced an ambitious recruitment target earlier this year and we are delighted to welcome five such high-calibre solicitors to help us meet our objective. Their substantial experience will greatly contribute to the services that we provide our clients, adding further strength in specialist sectors as well as practice areas.’

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