North West full-service law firm Forbes Solicitors has appointed Jenna Tym, as a partner in its housing and regeneration team.

With more than 10 years’ experience in the industry, Jenna will be responsible for building and maintaining strong client relationships and applying her expertise to support all aspects of the housing litigation department. Additionally, Jenna will help grow and develop the housing team by facilitating strategic decision making and delivering specialist training and development programmes for both Forbes’ staff and clients.

Jenna began her legal career in 2011 with a specialist Legal 500 social housing solicitors, where she became the head of their anti-social behaviour team. Now, Jenna joins Forbes Solicitors from her position as a self-employed barrister for the renowned housing team at Cobden House Chambers, where she enjoyed a busy practice specialising in all aspects of housing litigation, with a specific interest in anti-social behaviour and mental health.

She said: “Offering specialist legal advice, working together with clients and being part of their teams, as well as working in partnership with the firm’s wide array of specialisms are core to what makes Forbes tick. This really appealed to me as it not only reflects my own values, but it offers me the privilege of being a part of an exciting new phase of expansion in the housing litigation team.”

Managing partner, Pauline Rigby, said: “We are confident that Jenna’s hire will boost our capabilities and expertise in housing litigation, so we can continue to support our clients where they need it most.”

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Exchange Chambers has continued its expansion by welcoming Graham Sellers as a new member in Liverpool.

Graham, who was called to the Bar in 1990, has a broad and diverse Chancery, Property and Insolvency practice and has been consistently listed as a Leading (Band 1) Junior by the Legal 500 in Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery law over the last decade.

A significant proportion of Graham’s property work is now insolvency related. He has a widely recognised and well-respected national insolvency practice and regularly appears for insolvency practitioners in the leading accountancy firms. In addition to the large national firms, Graham also appears in the Insolvency Courts on behalf of smaller accountancy firms and local IPs.

The varied nature of Graham’s practice can be seen from his various reported cases, many of which are insolvency related.

Graham said: “Given that virtually every superlative has been used to describe Exchange Chambers, there are really so many different reasons to join such an outstanding and proactive set of talented barristers. However, for me it is the delivery of traditional professional values in a modern 21st century manner with everything centred around outstanding client care that really goes to the heart of the matter and made Exchange Chambers so attractive.”

Giles Maynard-Connor KC, head of Chambers’ Business and Property Department said: “Graham is a highly-regarded and well-respected practitioner with a proven track record of success. His expertise in insolvency matters in particular adds further strength in depth to our nationally renowned insolvency team.”

Jonathan I’Anson, chief executive at Exchange Chambers, said: “With over three decades at the Bar, Graham is a vastly experienced barrister who is recognised as a leader in his field. We look forward to supporting the ongoing development of his practice through a range of high quality instructions.”

Graham Sellers joins Exchange from Atlantic Chambers in Liverpool.

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Blackburn and Bury-based PM+M – the chartered accountancy, business advisory and financial planning group – has made a key appointment to its accounting and advisory team after naming Judith Dugdale as a partner.

In her new role, Judith will be focusing on delivering compliance services as well a range of strategic advice – all with the aim of helping to grow her clients’ businesses and achieve their own goals.

Her primary client base is owner-managed and family-owned companies operating in Lancashire and across the wider North West region. In the past, she has worked with a wide spectrum of sectors including hospitality, childcare/nurseries, property development and construction.

Judith has 23 years’ experience in the finance sector and joins PM+M from MHA Moore & Smalley. She joined MHA Moore & Smalley as a graduate trainee in 2000 and worked her way up to become the firm’s corporate services director. Her core skill set includes business analysis, business planning, accounting, financial accounting, financial reporting and business strategy.

Managing partner, Jane Parry, said: “Judith is a highly talented accounting and cloud accounting specialist so we are delighted to announce her appointment. The accounting and advisory team has gone from strength to strength over the past few years and I’m sure her arrival will add real value to our team and clients.”

Judith said: “My entire working life to date has been spent at the same firm so I knew my next move had to be right. I am now looking forward to the next phase of my career and playing my part in helping both PM+M and my clients flourish.”

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Travel Counsellors, the Manchester-based technology platform for travel entrepreneurs, has appointed Melanie Quinn as its head of corporate to support the fast-growing corporate travel team.

Melanie brings nearly 30 years’ experience in the travel industry, beginning her career in commercial aviation sales with BMI and Scandinavian airlines, before going on to lead the North England and Scotland sales teams for Etihad. In 2015, Mel joined CTI as commercial director and in 2020 she took on a position at Clyde Travel Management as head of sales and customer relations.

Mel’s role at Travel Counsellors will see her take ownership of the corporate team and spearhead the execution of the strategic objectives for the corporate line of the business. The new appointment comes as the company sees record-breaking results, with corporate bookings reaching more than £85m and 418 new corporate accounts being opened by the end of March 2023.

Kieran Hartwell, managing director of corporate at Travel Counsellors, said: “We are excited to have Mel join the Travel Counsellors community and bring a wealth of experience which will be invaluable to the team. Mel’s appointment in this position as head of corporate will play a key strategic role in supporting and driving us through the next phase of our growth plans as we continue to see significant success in corporate travel.”

Mel Quinn, head of corporate at Travel Counsellors, said: “I’m also looking forward to managing the continued growth of the corporate side of the business with a focus on empowering business owners to harness our personal, digital platform of support so that they can provide a high touch, outstanding personalised service for our corporate clients.”

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Boutique Manchester law firm Bexley Beaumont has unveileed further growth in the ranks of its partners, with the firm making more than a dozen senior appointments over the past year.

Among those to have been appointed over the course of the past year are the internationally-renowned IP specialist Bill Lister, construction property dispute expert Richard Silver, vastly experienced employment lawyer Nick Evans and commercial partner Sarah Innes.

They have now been joined by corporate and commercial litigator and mediator Andrew Davidson, who has acted for major businesses across a career spanning more than 30 years, and private client partner Maria Lonergan, who handles probate and high net worth estate planning.

Partners Jason Moores and Matthew Wayman – who work in real estate finance and real estate disputes respectively – and Eleri Jones, who advises on both family law and probate, have added further expertise.

Chief executive, Karen Bexley, who founded the firm with Anna Beaumont, said having a unique operating model continued to attract some of the most capable lawyers across the country: “We have been very selective in determining who we bring on board in order to fit with our existing culture, colleagues and our insistence on quality.”

Bexley Beaumont has offices in the City of London and the heart of Manchester’s business district.

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Deloitte in the North West has promoted four new partners across its audit and assurance and tax and legal groups. The new partner appointments were part of the firm’s new financial year promotions in the region, that also included a total of 17 new directors.

The latest promotions take the total number of partners across its North West practice to 61, the highest number in any region outside London. They come at a time of rapid expansion for the firm’s North West office, with headcount growing by 22% to approximately 1,370 in the past year.

Pete Braddock and Nick Graham have been promoted to partner in the firm’s audit and assurance business, while Anna Keogh and Gemma Marshall have been promoted to partner in the international tax and business treasury tax team, respectively.

All of these partner appointments are in addition to those recently announced in Deloitte North West’s newly-formed legal team, which itself has grown by more than 30 heads across all grades in the past six months.

Alongside new partners, Deloitte has also appointed an array of new directors in Manchester. Within consulting, Katy Knowles and Samantha Jones have been promoted to director, with Louise Nickson moving to senior director.

The audit and assurance team has welcomed five new directors, including Josh Hunt, Jonathan Crompton, Andy Fazakerley, Sophie Lyons and Emily Starling. New directors in the tax and legal team included Kate Rees, Alex Whalley, Rob Sissons, Chiunga Ng and Huw Salmon.

Director promotions in the financial advisory team included Mel Wilson, James Savage and Ed Britton. Jonny Brady has also been promoted to director in the risk advisory practice.

Andy Westbrook, practice senior partner for Deloitte North West, said: “The wide roster of new partner and director promotions highlights the deep level of talent and expertise that sits within our North West practice, and is testament to the dedication and commitment of each one of the 1,370 people based here in the North West.”