Law firm Hill Dickinson has announced the promotion of 11 senior associates to legal director across its three largest UK offices, in Liverpool, London and Manchester

Liverpool law firm Hill Dickinson has promoted 11 senior associates to the role of legal director.

All 11 work in the firm’s three largest UK offices in Liverpool, London and Manchester. They span all three of Hill Dickinson’s key business groups – business services, marine and health and are effective from May 1.

The 11 new legal directors cover a range of practice areas, including corporate, property, employment, private client health advisory, health litigation and shipping. Three of the promotions are in the Liverpool office, six in London and two in Manchester. They are:

Business services

• Rebecca Layton, corporate – Liverpool
• Katie Austin, private client – Liverpool
• Joe Orme, employment – Liverpool
• Louise McMahon, property – London
• Emma McIntosh, property – London
• Rajveer Sehmi , corporate – London
• Will Steed, employment – London
• Alison Batchelor, property – Manchester

Marine

• Trudie Protopapas, MBG Shipping – London

Health business group

• Rohana Abeywardana, health litigation – London
• Siôn Davies , health advisory, Manchester

Hill Dickinson chief executive Peter Jackson said: “It gives me great pleasure to support our people in building their careers with Hill Dickinson and see their efforts rewarded by promotion through the ranks.

“These 11 individuals have worked tremendously hard to make their mark within their respective practice area teams and have very bright futures ahead of them. In promoting them to legal director we acknowledge their contribution to the success of our firm.”

Hill Dickinson has publicly stated its intentions to improve gender balance among its senior lawyers, with a declared aim, set in 2019, to double the number of women in senior roles by 2024.

A key part of that strategy has been to nurture and grow the firm’s female lawyer headcount from recruitment onward. Four years on, the number of female lawyers coming through is steadily outpacing men. In this round of legal director promotions, seven of the eleven are women.