Top Lawyers Join Schofield Sweeney
Leeds and Bradford law firm, Schofield Sweeney, continues its steady expansion with the announcement today of three new appointments, including two senior figures on the Leeds legal scene who are joining as partners.
Richard Innes, a leading property lawyer who was previously with Walker Morris in Leeds for 28 years, joins Schofield Sweeney's highly regarded commercial property team. He advises on all aspects of commercial property work with particular expertise in the retail sector acting for landlords and tenants. High profile companies, which he has advised for many years and which he will continue to act for at Schofield Sweeney, include The Trafford Centre in Manchester, national retail department store Debenhams, national jewellery retailer Azendi and Leeds-based ATC Properties, which was originally established as Associated Tower Cinemas in 1926 and today has a substantial property portfolio.
An old boy of Leeds Grammar School, Richard is well known in business circles as a larger than life figure, not least for his love of rock music. He lives in Collingham with his wife, two teenage daughters and a collection of 70 electric guitars.
Richard's move to Schofield Sweeney coincides with the firm's appointment of another senior Leeds lawyer, Chris Charlesworth, who joins as a partner specialising in commercial dispute resolution. Chris previously spent 20 years working for a long established city centre firm. He is best known for his work on construction claims and wide range of commercial issues, including the supply of goods and services, intellectual property and professional negligence claims. He is also experienced in advising on health and safety and other regulatory areas.
He explains "Commercial disputes are part of everyday business life and clients need to know what options are available to them. Now, more than ever, there are a wide range of choices including, various forms of alternative dispute resolution, after the event insurance to cover opponent's costs and different forms of conditional fee agreements. I am looking forward to working with Schofield Sweeney's established corporate and commercial teams to offer a high quality individual service."
Born in Baildon Chris now lives in Menston with his wife and three young children. He enjoys a variety of sports and recently completed his first triathlon
The third new appointment to Schofield Sweeney's team is Catherine Rhodes who joins as a solicitor in the property department, having worked previously at Addleshaws in Manchester and Leeds and most recently at Eversheds in Leeds. Catherine has extensive experience in both property finance and general commercial property work. Prior to joining Schofield Sweeney, she took the opportunity to work for two months as a volunteer in Kenya, assisting at a primary school near Mombassa and also helping with the construction of a new orphanage at Lake Nakuru close to Nairobi.
Catherine is originally from Doncaster and was educated at Hall Cross Comprehensive School and Oxford University. She now lives in Horsforth.
Commenting on these new appointments, Senior Partner Chris Schofield said, “We are committed to growing the practice to meet our clients' demands. Eighteen months ago, as the recession started to bite across all sectors, we took the decision to continue our growth strategy and to use the downturn as an opportunity to recruit high quality lawyers. As a result, we have attracted some genuine big-hitters from the Leeds legal scene. I am delighted that lawyers of the calibre of Richard Innes, Chris Charlesworth and Catherine Rhodes are joining us. In terms of the firm's stability and our service offering to clients, we are in a stronger position than ever.”