Pictured above: (l-r) Mike Gahan, managing partner; Paul
Broad; Mark Noble; Andrew Jones; Chelsey Henderson; Christen
Mulingani; Sarah Rao; Melissa Danks; Jessica Walton; Nikki Jones;
Claire Andrews and Natasha Minchella
The country's gradual climb out of recession has prompted a West
Midlands law firm to put many of its eggs in one basket.
Harris Cooper Brownings, with offices in Solihull,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Redditch, Alcester and Harborne, has created a
cohesive commercial department specialising in all aspects of
company and commercial law.
HCB, which in the last two years has grown into a nine-partner
practice with a staff of 60, has pooled all its commercial law
resources into a 12-specialist team able to advise on commercial
property, social housing law and practice, housing management,
landlord and tenant, employment law, business restructuring and
insolvency, as well as day to day commercial legal issues.
The commercial department deals with business start-ups, selling
and buying companies and mergers, land and property acquisitions
and disposals, planning matters, disputes between firms and
employees as well as business partners, and has recently taken on
two new associate solicitors - Melissa Danks, a litigation
specialist and Sarah Rao, a commercial property and social housing
specialist - to cope with the increase in workload.
Mike Gahan, managing partner, believes the expansion of the
commercial department is a direct result of an upturn in business
activity.
"The success of our company in these commercially difficult
times has not come from sitting back and riding out the recession.
Rather it has been a case of going out and being active in areas
that are causing anxiety among our current business clients and
those would-be clients who have recognised our serious focus on the
commercial market through employing city-trained lawyers", said
Mike.
"There has definitely been more activity in the commercial
world, especially in the West Midlands and we have reacted to that
by forming what could be called a one-stop shop able to deal with
every situation".
"We have made it a key issue that all client problems are dealt
with quickly and in a bespoke way, in other words getting to know
their businesses and tailoring our advice to their specific
needs".