Six senior promotions at Shepherd & Wedderburn

Shepherd & Wedderburn has announced six senior promotions with effect from 1 May 2020.  

Construction law specialist Lauren Thomson and corporate finance specialist John Morrison, both of whom have been with the firm since traineeship, become partners, while Alison Rochester, Lucy Hall, Neil Cowan and Gavin Charlton all advance to legal director.

Ms Thomson has extensive, UK-wide experience of construction projects across a variety of sectors including energy, retail, hospitality and the public sector. She has particular experience in property development and housing projects.

Mr Morrison has a wealth of experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships and private equity, with a focus on the renewable energy, technology and life sciences sectors. In his spare time, he supports a number of ambitious entrepreneurs scale their businesses through specialist forums.

Of the four new legal directors, Ms Rochester joined Shepherd & Wedderburn as a trainee in 2008. Since 2012, she has specialised in commercial contracts and, since 2017, has headed the firm's Trade & Commerce team. She holds practising certificates in Scotland, Ireland, and England & Wales.

Ms Hall joined the firm in 2012 and works in the London office as part of the Banking & Finance team. She has specialisms in real estate finance, acquisition finance and derivatives transactions.

Mr Cowan came to Shepherd & Wedderburn in 2014. While primarily focused on securitisation and structured finance, he operates a broad practice within the Banking & Finance team, also advising on corporate lending and property finance transactions. He is admitted as a solicitor in both Scotland and England & Wales.

Mr Charlton began with the firm as a trainee in 2007 and now specialises in employee share incentives. He advises public, private and international companies on a wide range of matters relating to share schemes, executive compensation and corporate governance.

Managing partner Andrew Blain commented: “These well-deserved promotions recognise our lawyers’ specialist expertise, their knowledge and understanding of the sectors in which they operate, and their ongoing commitment to delivering client service of the highest quality. We congratulate them on their achievement, and wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their careers at Shepherd & Wedderburn.”