Midlands law firm Shakespeare Putsman LLP has made fourteen promotions across three of its locations, in its first firm-wide promotion exercise since its mergers with Berryman and Needham & James last year.

For the integrated firm, which has five sites across the Midlands, the promotions bring the total number of Partners to seventy-one and Associates to thirty-six.

Jo Bewley is promoted to Partner in the Property team at Needham & James, the firm's Stratford-upon-Avon site.

Thirteen Assistants are promoted to Associate across the region.

Birmingham has seven new Associates - Employment lawyers Beverley Smith and Ellie Walsh, Insolvency specialist Neemesh Mistry, Helen Mahon in the Banking team, Corporate lawyer Adam Percival, Commercial specialist James Barr and Atif Razzaq in the Costs team.

The three new Associates at the Nottingham site are Intellectual Property specialist John Buckby, Commercial Resolution solicitor Gavin Evans and Kirstin Thompson in the Private Client team.

Whilst in Stratford, its three new associates are employment lawyer Victoria Tester, and property lawyers Tim Flight and Julie Turner.

The promotions are the first at the firm since its mergers with Nottingham's Berryman and Needham & James in Stratford upon Avon last year and mark a significant step for the newly formed multi-site practice, as its Chief Executive Paul Wilson explains:

"All these promotions are part of a regional and firm-wide promotion exercise, the first since the integration of the three firms Berryman, Needham & James and Shakespeare Putsman, in 2010.

"The firm is committed to developing and rewarding our people as part of our philosophy to be a vibrant and efficient business community. The thirteen new Associates and new Property Partner Jo Bewley represent this recognition as part of our strategy to hire, and retain, the very best people."