There have been a number of new appointments at Merseyside law firms Jackson Lees and Morecrofts as well as at energy firm ESE.

Jackson Lees Group, which has offices in Liverpool, Wirral and Manchester, is appointing three associate directors and 13 associates across the business as part of its new career framework

Alex Jones, Jo Lee and Nicola Brook have stepped into their new roles as associate directors in their respective departments Clinical Negligence, Court of Protection, and Inquests & Inquiries.

All three solicitors underwent a selection process and were promoted based on their commitment to ‘making a positive difference’ to their clients and colleagues, together with their attitude, motivation and leadership potential.

As part of the selection process, the applicants built a business plan around their personal ‘why’ – their motivation within their work – and developed their approach to commerciality and culture. They were then asked to present to the chief executive Brian Cullen, chief operating officer Joanna Kingston-Davies, and managing director Esther Leach.

In addition to the three associate directors appointments, 13 Associates have also been appointed under the new framework. Brian Cullen said: “Our new cohort of associate directors and associates have all demonstrated real potential to step up, through both their cultural alignment and commercial delivery. 

Experienced private client lawyer David Tournafond has joined Morecrofts Solicitors in Liverpool city centre as a consultant.

Mr Tournafond has more than 30 years’ experience in advising on a range of matters including tax planning, wills, trusts and probate, as well as residential and commercial property. He specialises in estate planning and asset protection.

In 2015, he received a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Service for his work as Committee Chair at Liverpool Law Society, where he leads three charitable funds and organises the high-profile Conkerton Memorial Lectures and public speaking competitions.

He said: “Morecrofts is renowned for the attention to detail and level of care it provides through its private client work and it is now duly recognised as a national leader in this field.”

Liverpool-based solar energy outfit ESE Energy Group has appointed Liz Goodwin, a former senior crown prosecutor, to its board of directors.

Ms Goodwin, who still practises law, has already set to work to raise ESE’s profile to that of a leading household name in the renewable energy sector.  As well as dealing with regulators, stakeholders and partners, she also represented the company at the UK’s largest renewable energy exhibition, Solar & Storage Live.

“It’s hard not to be aware of the challenges we face globally due to climate change and when given the opportunity I wanted to be part of an industry that was helping to tackle this,” said Ms Goodwin.

“By investing in renewable energy, we are not only reducing the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere, but we are also helping to ensure security of supply which, in our ever changing world, is extremely important.