Solent: Clarke Willmott expands to meet demand

Southampton-based law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has announced three new appointments in its commercial property and private client teams as part of its ongoing expansion plan. 

The local office has grown rapidly over the past year, with 30 new appointments bringing the total number of staff to over 80.

Andrew Cooper joins as partner in the commercial property team. He has worked with a number of national house builders, as well as public and private property companies in buying and selling a wide range of commercial property for investment, development, trading and leisure purposes. This includes working for the owners of Wembley National Stadium during its redevelopment. He joins from Keystone Law, where he was a consultant solicitor.

Joining Cooper in the commercial property team is solicitor Nardip Bhamra, who specialises in residential development and general commercial property matters.

Clarke Willmott’s private client team has appointed Joanna Burton as a solicitor. She will be advising on mental capacity, and health and social care law and she joins from Hampshire County Council, where she worked for seven years advising in these areas.

The law firm has also appointed three new trainees as part of its development system. Charlotte Hardyman, Helen Brooker and Senga Howells all join following successful spells as paralegals with the firm over the past year.

Kelvin Balmont, partner and head of Clarke Willmott’s Southampton office, said: “These appointments further demonstrate the incredible growth we have seen over the past few years. The appointments of Andrew, Nardip and Joanna strengthen two core practices, while our new trainee solicitors highlight our commitment to developing the next generation of lawyers in the region.”