Reading: Two new partners join Gateley's growing Thames Valley office

The Reading office of national law firm Gateley plc, the UK’s first commercial law firm to float on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, has continued its strong growth by appointing new partners, Patrick Long and Paul de Vince who will sit in the banking & finance, and commerce technology and media teams.

Long joins the firm from Pitmans LLP, where he was partner and head of banking and finance for 14 years. Long (below right) is well-known within the local business community and has a wealth of experience with a variety of different clients, as well as being highly rated in Chambers rankings. His areas of specialism include; corporate banking, acquisition finance, corporate finance, real estate and development finance, invoice finance and asset based lending, corporate restructuring, derivatives and security documentation.

This is the first appointment for the firm’s Reading office into the banking & finance team, which further strengthens Gateley's position to move towards becoming a full-service practice in Reading, committed to supporting businesses across the Thames Valley region.

Long said: “Joining Gateley is an exciting opportunity and I am very much looking forward to expanding the banking practice and bringing my expertise to the team. Banking & finance is a core part of their service offering and Reading is the perfect place to work with easy access to the business community in the South.”

De Vince (below left) joins from Shoosmiths LLP, where he was partner and head of technology media and commercial (TMC) for London and prior to that he headed up Shoosmith’s TMC teams in the South. His areas of expertise include supply-chain management and logistics and procurement projects particularly in the manufacturing and FMGC in the technology sectors.

He is a highly rated and high-profile commercial specialist who is well-known in the market. His practice has covered the full range of commercial agreements and he has worked for a variety of different businesses.

De Vince said: "I’m looking forward to building a new team at Gateley's Reading office. It is a key area for businesses in the South and there's a real buzz around the firm ... and how successful it has been in its first couple of years in the region, that combined with the support of a strong national network makes it a really exciting opportunity. I look forward to bringing my expertise to the team and being part of Gateley’s future growth."

Christopher Avery, head of Gateley’s Reading office, said: “Patrick and Paul are further examples of the high-calibre people we are attracting to Reading and I welcome them to the team. Both appointments reinforce the message that the Reading office is well on the way to becoming a full-service practice."

Gateley Plc’s Reading office opened in December 2015 and has seen rapid growth with the appointment of seven partners over that time going from a team of two to 20 people.