North West law firm Brown Turner Ross has expanded its property department with two new solicitors to meet demand, after reporting a 20% uplift in property transactions since the start of the financial year, despite changes to stamp duty.
The firm, with offices in Liverpool, Southport and Birkenhead is also investing in current staff, with three team members gaining qualified solicitor status.
Matthew Skeels joins from Mark Reynolds Solicitors and will specialise in property transactions. Matthew qualified as a solicitor in 2013 having studied at The University of Chester & Chester College of Law.
Joining Matthew is Nadya Makarova, who brings a wealth of experience in residential and commercial property negotiations after qualifying over 10 years ago. A busy mum of two, Nadya hails from Russia. After studying in her native country, Nadya completed her studies and training in the UK at The University of Liverpool and Chester College of Law and will be handling a raft of property transactions.
Kevin Ross, director at Brown Turner Ross Solicitors, said:
“Nadya and Matthew are two highly skilled and experienced solicitors, a fantastic addition to the firm, who will guide Brown Turner Ross through this period of growth and help to shape the future of the property department.
“We have also strengthened our litigation team and are very proud of Kendra, Gemma and Pat who all qualified recently. The level of expertise we can offer our clients is second to none, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our team.”
Kendra McKinney and Pat Hitchen have recently qualified as solicitors. Kendra joined the firm as a trainee in 2014 and will practice family law. Gemma Fleetwood joined as a trainee in January 2015 and will qualify in August of this year to practice civil litigation.
Pat Hitchen qualified as a personal injury solicitor at Chester College of Law in her spare time and self-funded, all of which came as a surprise to the firm upon her return from annual leave. She had previously qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2014.
From April 1st, new stamp duty rules saw an increase of 3% on additional properties, meaning buyers have had to pay the 3% point surcharge on any buy to let properties and also in some cases main residences.