National law firm for life and business Shakespeare Martineau has announced 36 promotions across a variety of teams and locations, including 31 in the Midlands.
Effective 1 November 2025, new legal directors in Birmingham include commercial services lawyer Daniel Kelly, construction solicitor Adam Watson, private client specialist Paul McMaster, real estate finance expert Mohamed Patel, and contentious probate lawyer Tamsin Walker. In Leicester, Amit Patel has been promoted to legal director in the residential conveyancing team.
In response to feedback from its people, Shakespeare Martineau has introduced a new senior associate role to bridge the gap between associate and legal director. The role aligns with a recognised career milestone across the legal sector, offering a clearer pathway for lawyers to continue building their technical expertise, commercial insight and client relationship skills.
A total of 24 people have been promoted to senior associate across the firm, including 21 in the Midlands:
- Birmingham promotions include family expert Rob Norris, dispute resolution specialist Victoria Kirkpatrick, employment lawyers Lubna Laheria and Emma Noble, healthcare specialist Jonathan Hill, and real estate disputes lawyer Sundeep Bilkhu. Also stepping up are land specialists Joe Davies and Jubad Hussain, real estate finance solicitor Fatema Miah, managed legal services team members Lynne Addison and Christopher Williams, and debt and asset recovery specialists Harpreet Sandhu and Grace Strawford.
- In Leicester, commercial property and development specialist Anita Chaudhary and corporate solicitor Charley McEvoy have been promoted.
- In Nottingham, promotions include commercial property and development specialist Raj Vaiyata, commercial services lawyer Charlotte Cassells, dispute resolution lawyers Anton Letten and Natalie Thorpe, and private client lawyer Lauren Crowhurst.
- In Stratford-upon-Avon, infrastructure lawyer Sarah Evans has also achieved senior associate status.
In addition, five people have been promoted to associate: legal planning expert Jack Randall-Barsby, real estate finance specialist Ian Cole and private client lawyer Sophie Raybould in Birmingham; land lawyer Ashley Bhandari in Leicester; and agricultural law solicitor Esme Barker in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Victoria Tester, managing director at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Our people are the foundation of our success, and these promotions reflect their talent, dedication and impact across the firm.
“Introducing the senior associate role demonstrates our commitment to providing clear career pathways and ongoing professional development at every stage. We are proud to recognise the achievements of so many colleagues across multiple teams, and these well-earned promotions reinforce our culture of supporting, nurturing and empowering our people to deliver outstanding service to clients.”
