Bethan Davies joins Mills & Reeve as lead employment counsel

Mills & Reeve has appointed Bethan Davies as lead employment counsel.

Bethan, a qualified barrister, transitions from her previous position at Leeds chambers, Parklane Plowden, to strengthen Mills & Reeve’s internal advocacy unit. She will be based in the Leeds office, overseeing a national role designed to offer clients greater cohesion between solicitor and counsel.

Bethan’s strong relationship with Mills & Reeve’s employment team, built through regular instructions, is expected to facilitate her integration into the firm. Paul Johnson, head of the Leeds office at Mills & Reeve, expressed his enthusiasm for Bethan’s appointment: “Bethan’s appointment as leading employment counsel is a strategic move for the team. Bethan already works closely with our employment lawyers, and her appointment demonstrates our ability to recruit high-calibre people to assist our clients in this region and nationally.”

Enhancement of advocacy and client services

Bethan Davies’ addition to the Mills & Reeve team is seen as a significant step in enhancing the firm’s service offering, particularly within the employment, pensions, and immigration sectors. Richard Barker, an employment partner at the firm, highlighted this move’s unique advantage: “Bethan’s arrival as a qualified barrister is a key development for the employment, pensions, and immigration team at Mills & Reeve. Her appointment gives the firm a real USP in the market, as very few firms can offer in-house counsel to their clients.”

Bethan herself is excited about the opportunities her new role presents: “Joining Mills & Reeve in-house presents an exciting opportunity to streamline the relationship between client, solicitor, and barrister, and provide consistency for clients. I hope this new structure will allow scope for a more collaborative approach to Employment Tribunal litigation. This new role allows me to focus the entirety of my practice on well-prepared employment work across a wide range of respondent clients. I’m really excited to see how we can develop this role.”