Devonshires strengthens housing and construction practices in Leeds

Law firm Devonshires has bolstered the housing and construction teams in its Leeds office with the recruitment of two solicitors.

Housing Management and Litigation specialist Zoe McLean-Wells spent ten years with Walker Morris previously. She is the first recruit in Devonshires’ Leeds office to specialise in Housing Management.

Construction Solicitor Geri Batchelor meanwhile joined Devonshires in late 2020 from DWF. Geri will work closely with Richard Anderson, a Construction and Engineering Partner who joined in 2018 from Gateley.

Real estate partner Elad Yasdi meanwhile recently relocated to Leeds from London.

Devonshires said its Leeds office now houses 16 staff and offers a broad range of practice areas including Banking, Securitisation, Regulatory, Governance, Housing Management and Litigation, Employment, Pensions, Construction and Engineering, and Real Estate and Projects.

Chris Drabble, who heads the Leeds office with Gary Grigor, said: “It is great to be marking the fourth anniversary of Devonshires’ office in Leeds with new hires. I welcome Zoe and Geri to the team and I expect us to be able to announce further hires in the coming months as we look to significantly expand our footprint in the north.”

Grigor added: “Both Zoe and Geri are welcome additions to our growing team here in Leeds, with Zoe bringing a wealth of valuable experience in housing management and Geri bolstering our construction offering.  I wish them both every success in their Devonshires careers, and look forward to working alongside them in our office once Covid restrictions are lifted.”