Bexley Beaumont Begins New Year with Double Manchester Partner Hire

Fresh from topping a ranking of law firm growth for the second year in a row, Bexley Beaumont has begun 2025 by recruiting two more senior Manchester-based lawyers.

Chris Ali becomes a Corporate Restructuring partner, while Nicola Wood has joined the fast-growing boutique firm's Real Estate team.

Their arrival continues an expansion of Bexley Beaumont's key service areas which has seen the firm top an influential growth ranking for the second year in a row.

A study by Codex Edge, a specialist legal market research company, found that Bexley Beaumont's partner ranks across all its service areas grew by 60 per cent during 2024.

"Bexley Beaumont's co-founder and Chief Executive, Karen Bexley, said that the two latest North West appointments underlined its focus on hiring experienced, talented lawyers.

""Even though their roots are very firmly in the north, both Chris and Nicola have extensive experience of working with clients right across the country.

"Our ability to attract ambitious lawyers with impeccable professional pedigrees is down to Bexley Beaumont's unique operating model and our ability to help them develop their practices.

"One of the key ingredients is our providing them with a higher standard of support than they might find elsewhere in order to grow those practices and deliver exceptional service to clients."

Mr Ali joins following the publication of data by the Insolvency Service showing that there were 1,966 company insolvencies in November - 13 per cent higher than the previous month.

Over the last two decades, Mr Ali has advised insolvency practitioners, creditors, directors, accountants, debtors and financial institutions on a full range of contentious and non-contentious corporate and personal matters.

With a background in commercial and residential property law, Mr Ali also specialises in advising insolvency practitioners on complex real estate issues arising from insolvent estates.

Ms Wood, meanwhile, has considerable experience in high-value real commercial real estate transactions, advising both public and private sector clients, including financial institutions, government bodies, and insurance companies.

She has become known for her work in relation to transactions and relocations in the retail, office and logistics sectors.

The twin appointments demonstrate how Bexley Beaumont has begun the new year in the same vein as 2024, during which it appointed 15 partners following a surge in interest from across the legal industry. It now numbers 74 partners in total across the country.

It has been named as one of the joint winners in the UK Business of the Year category at the International Brilliance Awards in London.

The title was one of eight claimed by those organisations considered by judges to "have made significant contributions in their fields, demonstrating leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence".