Gateley Legal strengthens Guildford team with senior appointment

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

Gateley Legal, a law firm with offices in Guildford and Reading, has appointed Douglas Leapman as legal director of its Guildford residential development team.

Douglas joins following a three year stint at Tunbridge Wells-based Thomson Snell & Passmore. Douglas’ predominant role at his previous employer was advising regional housebuilders, land promoters, and landowners on a variety of development matters relating to site acquisition. Prior to this Doug spent four years in the developmental department at DAC Beachcroft, which is where he qualified as a solicitor.

In his role at Gateley Legal, Douglas will support housebuilder, developer and landowner clients on acquisition and development matters, bolstering the client base of the residential scheme as it expands across the South East.

Partner at Gateley Legal Andy Wilson said: “Due to a growing client base, and increased number of legal panel appointments across the South East, we continue to strengthen our team with new talent. Douglas brings a strong background in handling housebuilder and developer matters and will make a great addition to our acquisitions team in Guildford.”

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.