Knights has strengthened its family law offering in Cheltenham with the appointment of Helen Benussi as partner.
Before qualifying as a lawyer in 2014, she worked as a tax accountant for 15 years. She subsequently spent 12 years managing a specialist family law divorce firm.
Commenting Benussi said: “Having run a law firm for 12 years, I wanted to join an organisation that matched my own values in business. It is important to me to know that my clients will be well looked after. At Knights, I can focus on client work without being distracted by the management of the business.”
The Barrister Group Chambers and its associated businesses have combined under a single brand for the first time since it received an eight figure investment from LDC in 2023.
The Barrister Group Chambers, Barrister Connect, MyBarrister and VENTRiQ will all come under a newly launched New Chancery Lane (NCL) parent company.
The alternative chambers model works with solicitors and in-house teams across more than 40 practice areas offering flexibility to operate on a remote basis without the need for a physical chambers. Barrister Connect and MyBarrister go straight to the public, and VENTRiQ, which grew out of The Barrister Group Chambers’ and Barrister Connect’s own back-office operations, now processes more than 2,500 instructions a month for 3,000 law firms across the group’s brands.
Each business will retain its own name, team and client relationships with Emily Foges appointed CEO of New Chancery Lane having joined in 2024 as the group’s first chief operating officer. The board also includes Chairman Steven Weller, Christina Blacklaws, Harry Hodgkin, Chief Technology Officer Keiran Fleming, Chief Financial Officer Daniel Strathearn and LDC investor directors Oliver Schofield and Stefan Gunn.
Co-founders Stephen Ward and Harry Hodgkin, who launched the business as Clerksroom in 2001, sit on the New Chancery Lane board as commercial director and non-executive director respectively. Commenting Ward said: “The Barrister Group Chambers has been the heart of what Harry and I built since 2001, and stepping into a group-level role at New Chancery Lane doesn’t change that. It means putting what we learned building the Chambers to work across all four businesses, not just the one we started. LDC’s investment let us prove the model works at scale, and New Chancery Lane is how we back all four properly.”
AFP Bloom launches AFP Bloom International, opening first office in Palma to serve families across Mallorca
The Palma office gives British and international families living in, relocating to, or spending significant time on Mallorca direct access to specialist English family law advice, delivered on the island rather than remotely from the UK.
AFP Bloom Palma will advise on English divorces involving one or both spouses based on Mallorca, international assets, businesses and trusts, pre- and post-nuptial agreements for international couples and relocation to and from the island. Where necessary, AFP Bloom lawyers will connect parties with native Spanish lawyers, and coordinate the legal advice.
William Healing, partner and co-founder at AFP Bloom commented: “We’ve spent years advising international families — coordinating with lawyers in France, Spain and further afield for clients whose lives already span more than one country.
“Expanding into Mallorca is a natural next step for us. There’s a real and growing need for genuine English expertise, based on the ground, and that’s exactly the gap we’re placed to fill,”
Guy Barnett has been sworn in as the 134th President of Birmingham Law Society, pledging to strengthen Council, connect Birmingham’s legal community and ensure the Society provides a strong voice for the profession across the region.
Barnett (pictured in middle) brings a wealth of legal experience and an unusually detailed understanding of BLS, having served on both its Board and Council and, most recently, as Interim Chief Executive.
With Calum Nisbet now appointed chief executive, Barnett said his presidential focus will be on representing members, and ensuring BLS speaks up on the issues that matter to Birmingham’s legal community.
Guy Barnett, new President of Birmingham Law Society, said: “Birmingham Law Society must be a voice for the legal community it represents. That means being prepared to stand up and speak when it is needed, but it also means listening. We need to understand what our members are experiencing, the pressures and opportunities facing the profession and where their Society can make a difference.
“This isn’t about one person or one Presidential year. It is about building on more than two centuries of history while ensuring the Society continues to evolve for the profession it represents today and tomorrow. My ambition is simple: one profession, one region, one voice.”
