New Partner Promotions at Yorkshire Law Firm

Leading law firm Ison Harrison has made six promotions across its network of Yorkshire offices.

Nicola Hunter, Natalie Clayton, Faye Chadwick, Ben Palmer, Olivia Williams and Jordan Grimbley have all been promoted to partners at the firm.

This latest series of promotions follows Ison Harrison’s successful transition to becoming entirely employee owned at the beginning of 2022 when the three shareholder directors agreed to sell the business to an Employee Ownership Trust. 

Nicola Hunter joined the firm as an experienced family solicitor in August 2018.  Having previously worked at the firm’s Otley and Guiseley branches, Nicola will take on the responsibility of running and building up Ison Harrison’s private family offering across East Leeds based at the Crossgates office.  

Natalie Clayton joined Ison Harrison nine years ago as an apprentice in the firm’s cashiers team and by mid-2022 had risen through the ranks to become assistant head of the firm’s biggest team, the new build division.  Natalie is based at Ison Harrison’s head office in Leeds City Centre.

New build property specialist Faye Chadwick joined the new build team as an experienced conveyancing solicitor in August 2019 and has been manager of the Wakefield branch since it opened last year. An experienced and well-respected property solicitor, Faye has successfully grown the firm’s presence in Wakefield and across West Yorkshire, turning the office into one of the top performing regional branches. 

Corporate employment solicitor Ben Palmer is based at Ison Harrison’s Leeds City Centre office. He joined Ison Harrison’s expanding regional team in 2021 and has over 16 years of employment expertise. He has acted on behalf of a wide range of clients ranging from airlines, PLCs and pharmaceutical companies to manufacturing. Ben was also responsible for the introduction of the successful ‘In House employment retainer package’ where the firm offers employment law and HR services to businesses across the country through a monthly retainer fee.  

Olivia Williams joined as a new build conveyancing assistant in 2016, was quickly promoted to fee-earner and secured a training contract in September 2018. Olivia has been successfully managing the firm’s York office helping to establish the firm’s presence in North Yorkshire. 

Jordan Grimbley joined the new build team in 2017 as a conveyancing assistant and became a fee-earner before starting his training contract in 2018. Originally intending to become a commercial litigator, Jordan adapted his skills toward wills and probate law. Jordan qualified as a wills and probate solicitor in 2020, just over three years after first joining the firm and has since built up a strong practice at Castleford where he is based, assuming responsibility for developing the next generation of trainee solicitors. 

Ison Harrison, which has a network of seventeen offices throughout the region, was founded in 1978. Forty-five years later it now employs more than 240 staff across Yorkshire and offers the broadest suite of legal services in the region.

Commenting on the promotions, Jonathan Wearing, managing director said: “This series of promotions is our second of 2023 and continues the successful year we’re having. These newest strategic promotions come just 18 months after the firm became entirely employee-owned. Since becoming employee-owned, the firm has gone from strength to strength, increasing its commercial offering significantly to include corporate, litigation, employment and commercial property for an ever-growing commercial client base. It has been an exciting period of growth and the second half of the year is looking equally as strong.”

“To see continued promotions following on from the success of becoming fully employee-owned is hugely satisfying. The contributions made to the firm from the promoted individuals are all richly deserved.”

The firm has an annual turnover of £20 million and represents around 20,000 clients each year. Over the years, it has represented clients in many high-profile cases including several families at the inquest of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster.    

Added Jonathan Wearing: “Under our new employee-owned structure, Ison Harrison remains totally committed to recruiting and retaining the very best people in the legal profession as evidenced by this latest round of promotions. The promotions clearly demonstrate how employee ownership is benefiting the workforce as well as our valued clients.”