Back row (l-r): Neil Lloyd, Chris Recker, Claire Cooper, Richard Dundee
Front (l-r): Vicky Khandker, Hollie Mills, Anna Sutcliffe, Michelle Harvey, Shelley De’Worringham
One of Birmingham’s fastest-growing law firms is welcoming five new partners as part of an ambitious expansion targeting the city’s top legal talent.
FBC Manby Bowdler, the founding firm of the new Adeptio Law Group, will nearly triple its team of legal experts in Colmore Business District with partners and associates arriving from Legal Top 200 firms.
The investment will help grow the firm’s practice to 40 staff, establishing one of the most significant legal recruitment drives undertaken in Birmingham this year.
The new partner appointments include fraud specialist and commercial litigator Chris Recker; contentious probate expert Anna Sutcliffe, property litigation specialist Victoria Khandker, Claire Cooper who will head up Commercial Property and Richard Dundee, delivering private client expertise alongside new associate solicitor Michelle Harvey.
Senior associate Raquel Twigger joins the residential conveyancing team based in Knowle which is also strengthened by contentious probate solicitor Hollie Mills.
Neil Lloyd, chief executive of FBC Manby Bowdler/Adeptio, said: “We’re deliberately targeting some of the best legal minds in the Midlands because we recognise the exceptional opportunity in Britain’s second city and this is an investment which demonstrates our commitment to establishing a major presence in Birmingham’s legal market.
“The calibre of lawyers we’re attracting directly relates to our reputation and our ambition. These professionals have chosen to join us because they will be part of something genuinely transformative in Birmingham’s legal landscape.”
The recruitment drive represents a strategic move to offer comprehensive legal services that rival any established city centre firm, with expertise across contentious probate, commercial litigation, private client work and commercial property at the firm’s Colmore Row base.
Neil said the timing of the investment came as Birmingham itself was seeing unprecedented levels of inward investment and development. The Chancellor announced more than £900 million of government funding supporting major regeneration in Birmingham this month and the city’s Mayor, Richard Parker, has set out an ambitious programme of projects designed to deliver both growth in business and housing infrastructure.
“Birmingham’s resurgence as the UK’s second city has attracted significant corporate investment with major infrastructure projects including HS2, the Commonwealth Games legacy developments and substantial commercial property developments transforming the city centre landscape,” Neil added.
The investment forms part of a broader growth strategy by Adeptio following a £30 million private equity investment.
