Bevan Brittan recruits litigation partner to Leeds office

National law firm Bevan Brittan has appointed Judith Hopper as a litigation partner in its Leeds office. Judith joins from DLA Piper where she worked for ten years and was a director.

Judith specialises in commercial litigation with a focus on PFI/ projects disputes, contentious construction and professional negligence. She also has extensive experience of commercial and contractual disputes, corporate disputes including breach of warranty and shareholder disputes, and breach of confidentiality claims.

Notable cases Judith has worked on include advising Birmingham City Council in the contractual dispute with Amey arising from the £2.6 billion PFI contract for the repair and maintenance of a road network which the Council won at the Court of Appeal in February this year, and advising Highways England in the dispute with Connect Plus over additional payment claims in respect of the M25.

Judith Hopper said: “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. Lyndsay begins her training in the Commercial & Infrastructure team while Rory starts in Property.

Michael Boyd, Head of the Leeds office at Bevan Brittan, said: “We welcome Judith to the team here in Leeds. Someone of her calibre does not come along very often. Her joining marks another step-change in the development of our Leeds office. 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 at Bevan Brittan, said: “We are delighted that Judith has joined the firm. Her arrival takes the Leeds office to eleven partners and extends 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.”

The arrival of Judith, Lyndsay and Rory 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 3-5 years.