Devonshires launches Birmingham office with housing and governance team hire

Law firm Devonshires is to open an office in Birmingham with the hire of housing and corporate governance partner Gemma Bell and three other lawyers specialising in advising on corporate, regulatory and governance issues.

Devonshires said it expects to add further lawyers across multiple disciplines to the office. It already has offices in the City of London, Colchester and Leeds.

Bell, who joins the firm from Penningtons Manches Cooper, specialises in advising housing associations on corporate projects including mergers and acquisitions, group consolidations, joint ventures, de-mergers and stock transfers.

She provides governance and strategic advice for social enterprises, housing associations, local authorities and charities and regularly delivers governance training to third sector organisations, Devonshires said.

Also joining from Penningtons are senior solicitor Rose Klemperer, who is the co-founder and co-chair of Women in Social Housing Midlands (WISH Midlands), a membership-based organisation for women working in social housing, and solicitors Ellen Damlica and Sharon Thandi.

Andrew Cowan, partner and head of social housing at Devonshires, said: “The whole firm is thrilled to welcome Gemma and her team to Devonshires. Gemma’s reputation speaks for itself, and her work perfectly complements that of our firm as social housing leaders. It will also enable us to better serve our clients outside London.”

Bell said: “There’s a real synergy with the work of my team and that of Devonshires. All four of us are really excited by what we can achieve working alongside Devonshires’ excellent team and with the power of such a strong national brand behind us.”