Gouldens announces five new partners who will join the partnership with effect from 1 May 2002. These appointments reflect the continued growth of Gouldens. With these appointments, Gouldens will have 42 partners and 96 other lawyers.
The new partners are:
Giles Elliott
Age 32, joined Gouldens as a trainee solicitor in September 1995 and qualified September 1997 joining the corporate department.
Giles is a corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions specialist with extensive experience in all aspects of the UK equity markets, acting for corporate finance houses and companies on initial public offerings, rights issues and other equity issues.
Giles has extensive experience of public take-overs, both hostile and recommended. He advises technology related and other fast growth businesses from seed/start-up funding to initial public offerings/exits.
James Goold
Age 31, joined Gouldens in September 1994 as a trainee solicitor and qualified in 1996 joining the corporate department.
James specialises in private equity transactions and private company mergers and acquisitions. In addition he has a broad experience of all major types of corporate and corporate finance transactions including initial public offerings, public fundraisings and reverse take-overs. Clients include private and public companies, corporate finance houses and private equity institutional investors and entrepreneurs. He advises both insurers and insureds on exit related warranty and indemnity insurance policies.
James's appointment reinforces the firm's recent enhancement of its private equity offering.
Richard Martin
Age 31, joined Gouldens as a trainee solicitor in 1993 and qualified in September 1995 joining the employment department.
Richard specialises in employment law and advises employers and employees on all aspects of employment relationships. Richard provides a wide-ranging service, from telephone and e-mail advice for queries requiring immediate response to representation in cases in the High Court and tribunals.
Sion Richards
Age 30, joined Gouldens in January 2000. Sion qualified in September 1996 after training at Cole & Cole Solicitors in Oxford when he joined their commercial litigation department in Reading in 1996.
Sion is a general commercial litigator specialising in commercial fraud and in recovery and enforcement proceedings on behalf of factors, invoice discounters and asset based lenders generally. He has vast experience of advising in recovery situations, including contractual debt claims, guarantor and indemnifer actions, warranty claims and tortious claims.
Sion manages Gouldens' recoveries department which specialises in sales ledger collections and lectures extensively to clients on the prevention of commercial fraud and the recovery process.
Suzanne Billington (soon to be Davis)
Age 31, joined Gouldens' property department in November 1997 after training and working post qualification at Forsyte Saunders Kerman. Suzanne qualified in September 1996.
Suzanne advises on all areas of commercial property including acquisitions, disposals, funding, developments and lettings (acting for both Landlord and Tenant) for all types of property including retail warehouse schemes, shopping centres, office buildings, new developments and industrial parks. She is an adviser to well known UK listed property companies and property investors.
Charters Macdonald-Brown, Joint Managing Partner, said of the appointments:
"We are delighted to announce these appointments, three of which are from our former trainees. This reflects the high quality of trainees taken on by Gouldens and its commitment to them. The appointment of Sion Richards and Suzanne Billington shows the importance also attached to recruiting top quality lawyers from outside when we can find them."