Jordans Corporate Law, the recently-launched Bristol legal practice, has appointed Simon Bates as head of commercial.
The firm, established last September, provides other legal firms, accountants and corporates with a wide range of legal, governance and compliance services, including expert legal advice and assistance with non-contentious company and commercial law matters.
The firm, which has grown to employ 20 people, was established under the new Alternative Business Structure arrangements, designed to encourage new entrants into the legal market. 
Simon Bates, pictured, joins Jordans from Shakespeares – one of the UK’s fastest-growing law firms – where he was a partner.
A solicitor with more than 20 years’ experience in advising businesses on their contracts and legal compliance, he has advised a broad range of clients over his career, from multi-national corporations and household names through to owner-managed businesses and start-up companies.
He said: “This is a very exciting time within the legal profession and I was really drawn to Jordans because I see the approach they are taking as leading the way in offering a new kind of service from the traditional practices – highly-client focussed and very transparent in terms of pricing.
“The specialisms we offer within Jordans Corporate Law enable our clients to get on with their core business.”
Debbie Farman, who heads Jordans Corporate Law as its director of legal practice and compliance officer for legal practice, said Simon’s appointment was a “major step forward for our new business”.
She added: “With his breadth of experience in commercial law, he provides an invaluable added dimension to the company and allows us to offer our clients a much broader range of solutions. Simon’s deep understanding of the market means that our clients can expect services that are both innovative and cost effective.”
Jordans Corporate Law is part of the Bristol-based Jordans. Established 150 years ago, it is among the world’s best known names in law and accountancy publishing, is also the UK’s leading property search provider for UK conveyancers, forms more than 25,000 UK companies a year and provides a huge range of compliance services.
