Gateley doubles office size ready for future growth

Gateley Residential Development Unit team (L-R) Steven Plummer, Joanne Sears, George Parker-Fuller, Becky Shepherd, Emma Taylor and John Kiff.

The firm has relocated to a 7,500 sq ft office in Minerva House on the city’s East Parade, which can house around 70 staff.

Gateley opened its first Yorkshire office in 2012 and now has 24 staff based in Leeds. Its previous 3,880 sq ft office in Toronto Square will be sublet.

William Ballmann, Corporate Recovery partner and head of the Leeds office, said the firm’s Leeds office has become “a genuine success story for the region”.

The office is now four times its initial size and includes expertise in corporate recovery, corporate, residential development and commercial dispute resolution, he added.

Rob Payne, partner and co-founder of the Gateley Leeds office alongside Mr Ballmann, said the office has seen “strong but sustainable growth” since it opened.

He said: “The purpose of this space is to allow us to grow. We’ll look to grow further and add new areas as opportunities arise in the market.

“In recent years, we’ve added key specialists that complement areas of the national practice.”

Mr Payne said the company is not trying to be “all things to all men”, but instead will continue to add practice areas that “complement” the services offered nationally.

The office move comes as Gateley welcomed three recruits to its residential development unit (RDU) team.

Associate Joanne Sears, and solicitors Becky Shepherd and Emma Taylor have joined the RDU, which doubled in size in the last 12 months.

Ms Sears joins from Watson Burton, where she acted for residential developers on site acquisitions throughout the North. Prior to that, she spent five years at DLA Piper working on landlord and tenant law.

Ms Shepherd previously worked as part of Addleshaw Goddard’s real estate team, while newly-qualified solicitor Ms Taylor joined from Gateley’s Birmingham office.

A commercial litigation partner is also set to join the office in spring 2015.

While the RDU expanded rapidly recently, all areas of the Leeds office have seen growth, Mr Payne said. Future expansion will seek to “dovetail” with national strengths, he added.