Butcher & Barlow announces new appointments and key promotions to meet demand

We are pleased to announce several key promotions and new appointments in our Gadbrook Park Commercial Property department to deal with increased demand.

Congratulations to Rachel Martin who has been promoted to Partner and acting Head of Commercial Property covering Zoë Paton-Crockett’s maternity leave. Rachel joined the Firm in 2018 and is primarily based at our Bramhall office. Rachel has over 20 years of experience in commercial property having worked both in leading national law firms and most recently for another Bramhall Firm, a town which she is proud to call her home.

Property Litigation specialist, James Holton, who heads the Property Dispute Resolution team at our Gadbrook Park office, has been made an Associate. James specialises in landlord and tenant matters but is also experienced in a wide range of property litigation. James is considered in the commercial property team to be a ‘go-to’ point of reference for any query which may in future prove contentious in order to de-risk the initial transaction, e.g. checking the drafting of a break clause, or the implications of a particular lease provision. 

James, who joined the firm in 2017 brought with him a large number of clients and has played a key role in growing the firm’s property dispute practice, in particular contributing towards the significant growth of the firm’s landlord and tenant practice. He was recognised as a ‘rising star’ in the 2021 Legal 500.

We are also pleased to announce two new appointments with experienced Solicitors Julie Honychurch and Seema McWilliam joining to bolster the already well-established Commercial Property team.

Seema joins from Cheshire based Chafes Hague Lambert and Julie joins from a specialist privately owned property development and investment company and has over 35 years’ experience. 

Julie said: “I am incredibly excited to be taking on this new role. Butcher & Barlow’s reputation goes before them, and I think my past experience will stand me in good stead.”

Butcher & Barlow has seen a large growth in demand in its commercial property department, with the market remaining buoyant despite the Covid situation.  

Rachel Martin said: “We’ve remained busy throughout the pandemic, but the last six months have seen huge increase in the number of new instructions. People were holding their breath to see what happened but there is definitely a sense of determined optimism now – people are ready to get going again and take their plans off hold.”

Rachel added: “We are lucky to have a large and very experienced team of Commercial Property specialists here at the Gadbrook Park office. Eight of the twelve solicitors in this department are Partners and we are delighted to welcome Julie and Seema to the team. They bring a wealth of experience with them and will be a fantastic addition.”

Equity Partner Jonathan Aldersley said: “We pride ourselves on understanding our client’s needs and providing sound commercial advice. For that we need the right calibre of staff – and these internal promotions and new appointments do just that and are a further indication of Butcher & Barlow’s ambitions for growth and excellence.”

Butcher & Barlow are able to assist with a wide range of commercial property transactions from promotion agreements, to lease regearing, to refinancing. Contact the team at our Gadbrook Park office on 01606 334309.