South: KPMG recruits Emma Gibson to head up regional legal hub

KPMG is establishing a legal services hub in in the Thames Valley. Emma Gibson, who joins from Shoosmiths where she was national head of corporate, has been appointed to establish the hub out of the Reading office to target the Southern region.

The new office will complement KPMG’s existing UK legal practices across London, the Midlands and the North. Gibson's hire comes after investment in KPMG’s deal advisory capability in the Thames Valley, with the appointment of corporate finance director Sami Fairris earlier in the year.

Gibson has been ‘recommended’ in both The Legal 500 and Chambers and is well regarded, particularly in the Thames Valley market.

Andrew Morgan, senior partner for KPMG in the Thames Valley, said: “We are really thrilled to be able to offer legal services to our clients in the region alongside our existing capabilities. There was a clear demand for the service across the Thames Valley and the wider South region among clients who want solutions to their business issues. It’s important that we draw on our firm’s breadth of knowledge and broader business perspective, combined with high quality legal expertise to optimise what we offer to clients.

“Emma is a high-calibre lawyer at the top of her field and her arrival marks a milestone in the development of our legal services offering in both the UK and globally. Having such quality talent will help us further embrace that change and provide the best support for clients.”

KPMG gained its ABS licence in the UK in 2014 and has a team of approximately 100 legal professionals in the UK. Globally, the KPMG network employs more than 1,500 legal professionals across 67 jurisdictions.

Gibson will work across the firm’s five South regional offices – Thames Valley, Cardiff, South Coast, Bristol, and Plymouth.