Bevan Brittan has appointed Judith Hopper as a litigation partner in its Leeds office. She has joined from DLA Piper.
Hopper specialises in commercial litigation with a focus on private finance initiative (PFI)/ projects disputes, contentious construction and professional negligence.
She also has experience of commercial and contractual disputes, corporate disputes including breach of warranty and shareholder disputes, and breach of confidentiality claims.
Notable cases that Hopper has worked on include advising Birmingham City Council in a dispute arising from a £2.6 billion PFI contract for the repair and maintenance of a road network, and advising Highways England in a dispute with Connect Plus over a £6 billion PFI contract for the management of the M25 motorway.
Hopper works nationally but has knowledge of the marketplace in the North, having been based in Leeds for the past 16 years. After qualifying at Walker Morris in the city, she then joined Irwin Mitchell followed by DLA Piper, where she worked for 10 years and was a director.
She said of her appointment: “I am very happy to be joining Bevan Brittan. It has a reputation for undertaking high quality, complex work and has great strength in depth across both the public and private sectors. The firm is growing and has serious national ambitions. I greatly look forward to working with clients and colleagues here.”
Bevan Brittan has also taken on two new trainees in the Leeds office.
Lyndsay Mair and Rory Budworth recently took up two-year training contracts as they work towards qualifying as solicitors.
Mair begins her training in the commercial and infrastructure team while Budworth starts in property.
Michael Boyd, head of the Leeds office at Bevan Brittan, said: “We are very pleased that Judith has joined us. Someone of her calibre does not come along very often. Her arrival represents another step-change in the development of the Leeds office, taking the team here to eleven partners and extending our litigation capability. Judith will work with clients locally and nationally as part of the firm’s busy and growing litigation, advisory and regulatory practice. I am also delighted to welcome Lyndsay and Rory as trainee solicitors and hope they will find their training with us a rewarding experience.”
Duncan Weir, managing partner of Bevan Brittan, said: “I am delighted that Judith has started with us at the firm. The Leeds office is an important part of our national capability and its success in its early years has been pleasing to see. Judith’s appointment carries on the momentum.”
The arrival of Hopper, Mair and Budworth comes as Bevan Brittan recently announced an expansion of its Leeds office in the centre of the city to accommodate an expected doubling in headcount over the next three to five years.
Pictured, from left to right: Judith Hopper, Rory Budworth, Lyndsay Mair and Michael Boyd
