Sponsored by: mfg Solicitors Law firm advises
on regeneration Law firm Pinsent Masons has been appointed by Birmingham City Council as legal advisor on a plan to regenerate the rundown Ladywood area. Ladywood has
been identified by the council as a key area for redevelopment, and will deliver new housing, public spaces and community facilities. Pinsent’s David Meecham
(pictured) said: "Pinsent Masons has proudly worked with the council for a long time and we are always particularly pleased to be advising on schemes within our home city. “After the success of advising on
the Peddimore scheme, we're looking forward to helping the council deliver their plans for Ladywood."
Legal
Stone King records a rise in turnover
Law firm Stone King, which has an office in Birmingham, has seen its turnover rise by more than 10 per cent. In the ending last April, turnover at the firm rose to £19.8m, up from
£17.8m. Best performers in the firm’s key business sectors was charity and
social enterprise, which saw a 17 per cent increase in turnover, and education, which rose by 13.4 per cent. Managing partner Steven Greenwood said: “We had a strong year
across the board with a number of key hires, new service launches and our Leeds office moved into larger premises to accommodate our growing presence in the region. “A key focus has been growing our service offering in further
education. We supported this with the appointment of nationally- recognised expert Tom Morrison as partner in January, to head this area or work. “The appointment of employment expert Dr John McMullen as a
partner in our employment team has also been a coup for us.” Stone King has offices in Leeds, London, Cambridge, Birmingham
and headquarters in Bath, where it has operated for more than 230 years.
New marriage regulations could affect newlyweds
Married bliss won’t last long if newly-weds fail to register their nuptials in time, a Midland law firm has warned. Couples could face criminal charges and £1,000
fines within days of their wedding if they fail to register the marriage in time, according to Thursfields Solicitors. The draconian measures could be in force by the
end of the year, as a result of a new system for marriage registration, which is being introduced by the Government as a cost-cutting measure. Eilidh Rose, a solicitor in the family team at
Thursfields’ Birmingham office, said that under the new regime, couples would no longer sign a register and certificate during their ceremony and receive their marriage certificate at the end of the service.
‘The Family Court, and courts generally, are moving towards electronic applications’
Instead, they will sign a marriage document, and it
will then be their responsibility to take this to their local register office for their marriage to be recorded in an electronic register. Ms Rose said: “Crucially, newlyweds who fail to do
this within a set time will be legally compelled to attend personally, and those who fail to do so could be guilty of a criminal offence and face a fine of £1,000. “The Government’s General Register Office is yet
to confirm the timescale but, according to reports, a Church of England body has said it understands couples will have only seven days.” The changes are being brought in by the Civil
Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act which came into force last May, with all changes supposed to be in place by the end of this year.
Wedding bell blues: Eilidh Rose Ms Rose said: “The Family Court, and courts
generally, are moving towards electronic applications and filing of documents to reduce paper waste and improve efficiency. However couples getting married who are not issued with a marriage certificate at the end of their service may feel an important part of the tradition is missing.” Other changes in the legislation mean that
mothers can be named on the new marriage documents rather than just fathers. Ms Rose added: “Perhaps the most significant
change being brought in by the Act is that both same-sex and opposite-sex couples will be able to enter into Civil Partnerships.”
Clare Lang, partner mfg
Record number of deals for mfg’s Corporate team
Specialist lawyers at Jewellery Quarter firm mfg Solicitors have completed a record number of corporate deals over the past 12 months. The team completed over
50 transactions in the past year with a combined value of over £165m. The impressive rise follows
mfg expanding its corporate services significantly in 2018 with partner Clare Lang and corporate lawyers Jack Morley and Suzannah Strickland joining the team, which also includes partners Stephen Wyer and James Hayes.
‘We have had an impressive year of transactions’
The team completed
transactions in various sectors such as engineering, education, technology and healthcare. The deals were principally across the region, where corporate activity remains strong, although many had cross-border elements. Key deals included the management buyout of welding equipment manufacturer Parweld, the sale of Birmingham training provider Phoenix to Challenge Group, and the sale of testing equipment supplier C&W to Industrial Physics. Clare Lang said: “We have
had an impressive year of transactions and now intend to invest in and grow our team further. Despite the political and economic uncertainty, businesses are continuing to pursue their growth objectives and deal flow for the next 12 months is strong.”
www.mfgsolicitors.com November 2019 CHAMBERLINK 71
Sector Focus
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