Following another successful year of growth, leading South West law firm, Stephens Scown LLP has announced the promotion of 11 talented individuals, including five new Partners, a new Senior Associate, and five new Associates across a range of areas and specialisms.
Promoted to Partner are Chris Morse, a trusted advisor in Employment Law, Tamara Hasson, who supports clients with inheritance and trust disputes, Susan Reynolds, team leader of Stephens Scown’s rural sector team, Guy Michell, who specialises in construction matters and Alex Mackie, Chief Operating Officer (COO), who becomes the first non-lawyer to be made Partner in the firm’s history.
Also promoted are James Rickard in Stephens Scown’s Corporate team, specialising in the food and drink sector, who has been promoted to Senior Associate, while five new Associates have been named, including Tom Graham, rural specialist in the Real Estate team, Lydia Hart, from the specialist Social Housing sector team, Megan Julier and James Stone from the Private Client team, and Victoria Wells from the Dispute Resolution team.
In addition, Tom Biddick, who joined Stephens Scown in May 2023, will be taking over the role of leading the firm’s Private Client team. An experienced solicitor with expertise in private client matters, Tom has strong links to the farming community across the South West and acts for a number of farmers in the region.
Celebrating the promotions, Managing Partner Richard Baker said: “We know that our people are the heart of our business, playing a key role in the success we achieve. I am thrilled to be able to recognise the hard work of the talented individuals in our latest round of promotions.
“Alex’s promotion as the first non-lawyer to be made Partner in the Firm’s history is a significant step and recognises his contribution since joining. It further marks Stephens Scown out as an innovative organisation, leading the way in the South West and one of the first in the region to make such a move.”
Having joined the Firm in 2021 as COO, Alex has helped with the continued commercialisation of Stephens Scown and the leadership of the organisation too. Reflecting on his promotion, Alex said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the partnership and believe it shows the innovative attitude of the Firm. We recognise the different skills people can bring and it’s another example of how the Firm’ continues to be different.”
The announcement comes as the employee-owned and B Corp Certified law firm is set to achieve its best financial performance to date, while continuing to deliver outstanding client service while supporting its people in achieving their career aspirations.