Guildford: Three new partners at Charles Russell Speechlys

With the appointment of three new partners, Charles Russell Speechlys’ Guildford office has made a record number of partner promotions this year, marking a period of significant growth for the regional office. The firm moved to bigger offices at London Square in 2014 to accommodate the expansion of its team which now numbers over 140.

The three new partners are William Marriott, private property; Ben Smith, employment; and Jamie Cartwright, commercial dispute resolution. In addition, Rebecca Burford, William Rollin, Jonathan Thompson and Gareth Walliss have been promoted to senior associates.

Duncan Elson, partner and head of the Guildford office, commented: “I am particularly delighted that two of our three new partners – Ben and Jamie – were originally Guildford trainees.”

Cartwright specialises in handling commercial and corporate disputes, as well as providing advice, particularly to in-house counsel, on contentious and potentially contentious matters. In addition to his work in the courts, he has experience in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, mediation and expert determination.

Marriott heads the private property team in Guildford, and acts on behalf of clients in relation to all their private-property requirements. He specialises in the acquisition and disposal of property across the south and has considerable experience in dealing with country houses and properties on private estates.

Smith advises on a wide range of employment matters, both contentious and non-contentious. He has particular expertise in providing practical commercial advice to corporate clients on the whole range of HR issues, including disciplinary and grievance processes, redundancy and re-structuring programmes, TUPE, discrimination and dismissals.