Shepherd and Wedderburn Boosts City Office with Double Real Estate Partner Hire

Leading law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn has strengthened its real estate team with the appointment of two new partners - Sally Morris-Smith from Kennedys and Jonathan Rickard from Addleshaw Goddard. Both will be based in the firm's London office.

Sally, who joined Shepherd and Wedderburn in May, has worked in London real estate investment since 1998. She trained at Linklaters and worked at Olswang before joining Kennedys in 2009. With a particular focus on portfolio acquisitions, financing and complex development projects, Sally acted for Scarborough in its acquisition of a 21 acre development site in Salford, and has also acted for Forsyth Business Centres on new leasehold acquisitions in Central London. Sally is also a committee member of the London/South East branch of Women in Property.

Jonathan, who was previously head of London Real Estate at Addleshaw Goddard, will join the team next month. Having qualified in 1993, Jonathan was made partner in 2002 and since then has acted on behalf of a number of large clients gaining wide experience of all aspects of commercial property transactions including acting for pension funds and institutions in connection with the sale and purchase of investment property. Jonathan has recently acted for Ellandi, clients of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, Hammerson, Bayerische Landesbank and IBRC.

Stephen Gibb, Chief Executive of Shepherd and Wedderburn, said,
"Our real estate business has seen sustainable growth over a number of years now, and the addition of Sally and Jonathan is a clear indication of the investment we're making in the future growth and success of both the real estate team and the London office. We will not only be in a position to continue to provide an enhanced service to current clients but also take advantage of opportunities that being part of a dynamic and successful team will bring."

Also within the property and infrastructure team, Kirsteen Milne has been appointed as associate in the Edinburgh office. Qualified in both Scotland and England and Wales, Kirsteen joins from Semple Fraser where she led their non-contentious construction team.