Solicitors celebrates growth of its Real Estate team with plethora of new hires

The Real Estate team at Blacks Solicitors, one of Yorkshire’s leading law firms, is celebrating a strong start to 2024 with the announcement of a series of new appointments and promotions.

The team has recently appointed Rowan Thomas as senior associate solicitor and Lucy Storey as associate solicitor, along with Joshua Ackroyd as a paralegal. Rowan brings her 14 years of commercial property experience from an international firm to lead the department in offering expertise in development work. Conor Tobin and Victoria Adamson have also joined the cohort as newly qualified solicitors, after starting at the Firm as Trainee’s in 2021.

In a move which further strengthens the team, Marcus Kaye, who joined the Firm in 2017, has been promoted to partner, marking his continued dedication to Blacks and its success. Marcus has been instrumental in the team’s growth in the real estate sector, leading the way in advising high street lenders and dealing with mixed use sites. Another promotion has seen Ben Finley, who trained and qualified with Blacks, being promoted to senior associate solicitor, offering expertise in a variety of leasehold and freehold transactions.

Over the past four years, Blacks’ Real Estate department has grown to become 28 person strong, collectively recording deals valued at more than £500 million and reporting a turnover of more than £2 million in 2023. In the last financial year, the specialists have worked with more than 400 new clients and dealt with over 600 new legal matters.

Commenting on his promotion, Marcus Kaye said: “It’s been a pleasure to have assisted in the expansion of our Real Estate specialism and witness the team's involvement in some cutting-edge work across the energy, parks and development sectors. I’m committed to continuing to deliver expert and high quality services to our clients as the Real Estate offering continues to grow.”

The Real Estate team supports developers, investors, landlords and occupiers across the UK with specialist knowledge in energy, development, holiday & home parks, banking & property finance, telecoms, property litigation, planning and enfranchisement.

Discussing the recent expansion, Beth Laidler, partner in Real Estate commented: “We remain dedicated to consolidating our offering in the property sector and building a strong reputation in the market. We’re excited and looking forward to Conor, Rowan, Victoria, Lucy and Josh settling into the Real Estate division.”

The team was shortlisted for ‘Property Law Firm of the Year’ at Insider Yorkshire Property Industry Awards, another indication of how both the team and Firm are committed to delivering first class services to clients.

Nick Dyson, head of real estate added: “Our cohort has gone from strength-to-strength and it’s a privilege to lead one of the finest, specialist Real Estate legal divisions in the region. I am extremely proud of the team for their ongoing hard work, which is reflected in the significant number of matters dealt with and the increase in turnover that we have generated in the last financial year.

“Our team’s commitment, great spirit and passion has continued to shine as we deliver high quality and specialist services to our clients.”