Thames Valley: Law firm promotes 10 lawyers as it nurtures in-house talent

Leading law firm Blake Morgan has announced the promotion of 10 lawyers who work across its Thames Valley offices. The firm, which has offices in Oxford and Reading, says the number of lawyers taking a step up underlines its commitment to nurturing and developing talent in-house.

The promotions are made as Blake Morgan celebrates a successful year for its Thames Valley specialists with a diverse client base that includes HSBC, HDL, National Trust and the University of Reading.

The firm’s Thames Valley offices also enjoyed a very strong presence in this year’s The Legal 500 and Chambers directories, which recommend lawyers from across the UK, with 23 of its teams in the south listed in Chambers – seven with the highest Band 1 ranking.

Among the promoted lawyers are two within the firm’s private law team who have been promoted to senior associate.

Kate Allred, who specialises in wills, inheritance tax planning, trusts and the administration of complex estates, has been recognised for the quality of legal advice she provides to clients.

Her colleague Tanya Warner, an experienced conveyancing solicitor who specialises in domestic properties, also takes the step up in recognition of her outstanding efficiency and client care.

Karen Kirk, a risk and compliance expert, becomes a senior associate, as does commercial litigator Nicola Diggle, who advises on a wide range of commercial contract claims and corporate disputes and specialises in international cases and mediation.

Blake Morgan managing partner Mike Wilson said: “I would like to congratulate all my Blake Morgan colleagues on their promotions – each and every one is well-deserved.

“As a firm we place huge value on our culture of mentoring, training and developing the talent that we have and this is demonstrated by our policy of promoting from within wherever possible. The high number of promotions that we announce today is a source of great pride and shows the extent of expertise that we have within the firm at all levels.”

This latest round of promotions reflects Blake Morgan's commitment to investing in its people to achieve exemplary levels of client service. Across its offices in Portsmouth, Southampton, London, Oxford, Reading and Cardiff, Blake Morgan has promoted 44 members of staff.