Yorkshire law firm Lupton Fawcett has appointed insolvency lawyer James Richardson (pictured left) as its new managing partner.
James takes over from corporate specialist Jonathan Oxley, who has vacated the managing partner’s seat to take on the role of chairman.
James has more than 30 years’ experience of advising insolvency practitioners, banks, funders, asset-based lenders, directors and individuals on personal and corporate insolvency.
He has an acute understanding of the stresses and pressures that cause financial difficulties and handles both contentious and non-contentious cases. James is also a member of the R3 Yorkshire regional committee.
Jonathan Oxley specialises in buying, selling and financing companies and heads up the firm’s ‘start up, scale up’ team. He is a former chairman of the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Yorkshire and the Humber and continues to represent the IoD on devolution and the Northern Powerhouse.
Alongside his new role as chairman, Jonathan will guide expansion of the corporate offering at Lupton Fawcett’s York office and direct the firm’s wider offering in the York and North Yorkshire market.
James said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has raised significant challenges for all our clients, however our fantastically skilled lawyers are supporting them in every way possible by maintaining their pro-active service across the board.
“I am relishing leading the firm forward, through and beyond the current difficulties. We must not forget that this situation is temporary and we are perfectly placed for the upturn that will inevitably come.
“We are the only major law firm with a Yorkshire-wide focus through offices in Leeds, Sheffield and York and we continue to evolve our offer to provide the best possible service, including the recent launch of our HR Consultancy which brings together the combined expertise of HR professionals and experienced employment lawyers.”
Jonathan said: “Following on from my two years as managing partner, I’m delighted to be appointed to the role of chairman. The firm is in a strong position and is performing well across the region.
“Our clients and team now benefit from state of the art technology following a major investment in our IT infrastructure. We also continue to attract and develop some of the best legal talent in the North.”
Lupton Fawcett delivered a strong showing in the latest Legal 500 rankings. The business was ranked for the expertise of its individuals and teams in 21 practice areas, putting it in the top five legal firms in Yorkshire and the Humber.
