New Partners
01 May 2008
We have appointed six new partners, the appointments will take effect from 1 May 2008. This takes the total number of partners in the firm to 72.
The six new partners will be:
- Ann Metherall (Commercial Disputes and Construction)
- Camilla Usher-Clark (Corporate)
- Graham Soar (Banking and Finance)
- John Houlden (Commercial)
- Keith Beattie (Commercial)
- Mark Shepherd (Corporate)
Stephen McNulty, Senior Partner "In making these appointments, we are welcoming six outstanding and experienced lawyers into the Partnership. These are people who already make a significant contribution to our success and have brought new skills and ideas into play. The core of our business strategy continues to be to build a broad-based UK law firm offering the highest quality of technical and client service in the UK and overseas.
"This formula attracts lawyers with ability and ambition to make their careers with us, as evidenced by these latest appointments and the recent recruitment to the partnership of Clive Pugh, who joined us in March from The Pensions Regulator. We also believe in our strategy of operating out of Bristol. In promoting Bristol as a place where the best can thrive, Burges Salmon has made a major contribution to the establishment of the city as a centre of excellence for professional and technical services."
New Partners:
Keith Beattie
Keith is currently an Associate in the Commercial Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 12). He joined Burges Salmon in 2005. Having previously worked in the London, Hong Kong and Singapore offices of Linklaters and as an in-house legal adviser at Amerada Hess, Keith has wide-ranging experience of projects, project finance and commercial contracts in the UK and overseas, primarily in the defence, infrastructure and energy sectors. Key clients include the Ministry of Defence, Department for Transport, UAE Armed Forces and Corus. Keith has also spent time as a Crown Prosecutor.
John Houlden
John is currently an Associate in the Commercial Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 12). He trained at Burges Salmon, qualifying in 1999. John advises on all aspects of EC/UK procurement law and state aid, and regularly provides seminars to public and private sector clients on these issues. He also advises on competition law and regulatory issues, particularly in the electricity and gas markets as well as the transport industry. Key clients include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, Communities and Local Government, the Carbon Trust, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and OFGEM.
Ann Metherall
Ann is currently an Associate in the Commercial Disputes and Construction Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 11) and is dual qualified as a Solicitor and Chartered Civil Engineer. Having joined Burges Salmon in 1998, Ann specialises in liability claims (often connected with health and safety issues), transport related regulation issues and contractual disputes. This includes defending HSE prosecutions; advising clients on fatal and major accident responses and corporate manslaughter litigation; conducting and co-ordinating fatality investigations; advising clients on safety management systems and business risk mitigation. Ann is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineer's Health & Safety and Legal Affairs Panels. She frequently lectures on health and safety issues and provides training for directors and senior managers on health and safety responsibilities.
Prior to commencing her legal career, Ann gained considerable experience as an engineer in the rail industry.
Mark Shepherd
Mark is currently an Associate in the Corporate and Financial Institutions Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 19) and with fellow new partner Camilla Usher-Clark will take the total number of partners in the Corporate Unit to nine. Mark joined Burges Salmon in 2002 having previously trained and worked at Simmons & Simmons. Mark specialises in corporate finance and company law, including mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies and businesses, private equity transactions, flotations (particularly of private equity backed companies), re-organisations, corporate joint ventures and general advisory work. Mark is a member of the firm's Private Equity team. His clients include a range of public and private companies, private equity providers and management teams, including QinetiQ Group plc, ITM Power plc and ECI Partners LLP.
Graham Soar
Graham is currently an Associate in the Corporate and Financial Institutions Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 19) and will become the fourth partner in the Banking and Finance Group. Graham trained and worked at Slaughter and May before joining Burges Salmon in 2004. His practice focuses on corporate banking, securitisation, derivatives (including emissions trading), project finance (particularly in relation to renewable energy and waste projects) and debt capital markets. Graham's clients include The Royal Bank of Scotland, BayernLB, Nationwide Building Society, Coca-Cola HBC, Wolseley, FirstGroup, Sarasin & Partners and DEFRA.
Camilla Usher-Clark
Camilla is currently an Associate in the Corporate and Financial Institutions Department (total number of partners as at 1 May: 19) and with fellow new partner Mark Shepherd will take the total number of partners in the Corporate Unit to nine. Camilla trained with Burges Salmon, qualifying in 2000. Her practice covers all aspects of corporate finance and company law including mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies and businesses, flotations and equity fundraisings, re-organisations and capital restructurings (in particular, schemes of arrangement and capital reductions), corporate joint ventures and general advisory work. Camilla works closely with the firm's Environment and Energy teams and her work has a growing emphasis in this area. She is also part of the firm's Corporate Turnaround and Insolvency group. Clients include Capmark, the Carbon Trust, CODA, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Thermphos International and Wolseley.