Bristol-headquartered national legal practice Burges Salmon has appointed 13 new partners – a record number for the firm – in a move it said reflected its ambitious strategy for growth and success.
Describing the appointments, which take effect from 1 May, as a milestone, Burges Salmon also said they underscored its ongoing commitment to investing in its key sectors and so would strengthen its service to its clients. 
In addition Burges Salmon, which employs more than 1,100 people across its offices in Bristol, Edinburgh and London, said the move illustrated its dedication to retaining and developing exceptional talent while demonstrating the successful career paths the firm has in place for ambitious lawyers to progress to partnership.
The new partners will be spread across energy & utilities, built environment, financial services, infrastructure, private wealth and public sector.
Burges Salmon managing partner Roger Bull, pictured, said: “There’s no better endorsement of the ongoing success of our people-first strategy and dedication to delivering an excellent service to our clients than being able to announce a record number of 13 new partners this year.
“These latest appointments demonstrate our commitment to continue advising clients across a range of strategically important practices and sectors.
“All 13 of these new partners are exceptional lawyers who will have a vital role to play in nurturing the firm’s client relationships and enhancing our unique culture in the years ahead.” 
The appointments come hot on the heels of the firm being named for a fourth consecutive year as the best in the UK to work for by RollOnFriday, the leading provider of news and views on the UK legal sector.
The new partner appointments are:
Corporate – Julie Book. Specialising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations, Julie has a focus on acting for entrepreneurs and family offices, as well as UK and international companies, on both national and cross-border deals.
Construction and engineering – Claire Logue and Nia Stewart. Claire specialises in contract delivery, strategic troubleshooting and dispute resolution and is dual qualified in England & Wales and Scotland, while Nia provides non-contentious advice to public and private sector clients on a wide range of complex projects with a focus on the built environment sector.
Dispute resolution – Andrew Matheson and Catherine Banton. Andrew is a commercial litigator with extensive experience managing complex, high-value commercial disputes, often involving civil fraud, while Catherine specialises in contentious property matters, with extensive experience advising occupiers, institutional investors, high net worth individuals and developers in leasehold and freehold property transactions.
Employment – James Green. James advises employers on complex, sensitive and high-value employment law issues, with a particular focus on the financial services sector.
Planning and compulsory purchase – Cathryn Tracey. Specialising in consenting, in particular renewable energy, infrastructure and major development projects, Cathryn’s expertise spans the whole application process.
Projects – Emma Andrews. Emma advises on all aspects of energy projects/transactions and energy regulation, particularly in the renewables and clean heat sectors. Her clients include developers, generators, large energy users, government departments, local authorities, funders and contractors.
Real Estate – Rachel Westbury, Tom Perret and Will Hall. Rachel advises a full range of landowner clients from individual farmer to national institutions on the long-term promotion and delivery of strategic land for development. Tom advises on a diverse range of real estate matters in the energy sector. With experience across renewables, as well as nuclear and fusion, he has particular expertise in the development, financing, and acquisition/disposal of energy projects. Will acts for UK and international investors, occupiers, and lenders on a wide range of UK real estate matters. He has particular experience advising on investment portfolio asset management, portfolio refinancing, and complex acquisitions/disposals of real estate assets, with a particular focus on hotels.
Tax, trusts and family – Ed Hayes and Hannah Petherick. Ed specialises in advising on UK tax issues for resident and non-resident individuals, family offices and non-UK resident trustees and companies as well as cross-border estates and succession planning, while Hannah advises on all aspects of family law and divorce, heading up the firm’s South West practice. She specialises in resolving complex financial cases involving trust assets, business issues and pensions.
