Acuity Law has appointed employment partner Claire Knowles as managing partner, while senior partners Gareth Baker, Aisha Wardell, Hugh Hitchcock, Beverley Jones and Jon Lawley all take on strategic roles.
Real estate lawyer Baker will lead Acuity’s firmwide real estate, real estate finance and construction services; Wardell will head the firm's commercial litigation and dispute resolution service, which includes more than 20 specialist litigators across its Cardiff, Swansea, London, Leeds and Liverpool offices; litigation expert Hitchcock will focus on the strategic growth of litigation and dispute resolution services including property, probate and construction litigation services; and corporate healthcare partners Jones and Lawley will lead and develop Acuity’s healthcare teams, focusing on finance and M&A work across a range of healthcare markets.
Firm founder and chairman Steve Berry (pictured above with Claire Knowles) will retain the role of chair and focus on group growth through acquisitions and client relationships.
Berry commented: 'Acuity Law has achieved huge growth and development in recent years, doubling in size in the past five years.
'We have seen the number of offices increase to seven, the latest being our office in Birmingham; our headcount now exceeds 150; and we continue to innovate with new services and technology, such as our automated document service (Document Assist) and our Healthcare Hub, which offers our healthcare clients quick and effective access to know-how and our specialist lawyers.
'We have identified many opportunities to continue this growth through innovation and acquisition, and succession planning plays a key role in achieving this.
'Now is the right time for me to give that overarching management responsibility to someone else, and I am delighted that that person is Claire Knowles, an outstanding lawyer in her own right. Claire will work closely with our executive management team, who have responsibility for day-to-day management.'
Knowles added: 'I am delighted to be given the role of Acuity Law’s managing partner. Acuity Law finds itself in an outstanding position with a talented team of lawyers and support colleagues across all levels and a culture where hard work is rewarded.
'The legal sector faces many challenges, and indeed many firms are fairly stagnant at the moment. It will be my responsibility to ensure Acuity Law not only navigates those challenges, but continues to develop, grow and innovate to maintain our status as a leading law firm, and one where our staff enjoy working and are excited by our successes.
'I would like to thank Steve and the wider team for their support and mentorship, and I look forward to helping to drive Acuity Law to even greater levels of success in the coming years.'
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