Ashton KCJ (Ashtons Legal from 1 April 2016) appoints three new partners

Ashton KCJ has appointed Sharon Allison, Genie Barham and Claire Sleep as partners in the firm from 1 April 2016*. The firm now has 35 partners and 320 staff across East Anglia.

All three have carved out recognised niche legal areas during their time with the firm. Sharon Allison is a medical injury lawyer who specialises in mental health issues and fatal cases related to stillbirth. She is an accredited senior litigator for The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and one of only two AvMA panel members in the region. Sharon has extensive experience of the Coroner’s Court and the Inquest process and regularly represents families at Inquests concerning medical errors and mental health issues, in particular cases of suicide whilst detained under the Mental Health Act.

Lawyer Genie Barham has worked in the East Anglian commercial property marketplace throughout her career but also has experience in dealing with property transactions nationwide. She has been with the firm since 2006 and acts for a range of clients including corporations, partnerships, banks, local authorities, charities and pension funds.

Solicitor Claire Sleep joined Ashton KCJ in 2014 and throughout her career has worked for a wide range of clients and carried out a broad range of HR advisory work including assisting with the employment aspects of company sales and reorganisations. Claire is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and has significant experience in handling Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal matters. She also provides employment law training to line managers in commercial organisations.

Edward O’Rourke, CEO at Ashton KCJ, says: “These appointments on 1 April coincide with the change of our firm’s name to Ashtons Legal, a logical move following on from our registration as an ABS in 2014. Holding an ABS licence allows us to give non-solicitors a financial stake in the firm and Sharon and Genie become our third and fourth talented individuals who have not followed the traditional solicitor qualification route. In 2014 we appointed a former banker and a Legal Executive to well-deserved partnership roles.

He adds: “I would like to congratulate our new partners on their richly deserved promotions. These appointments demonstrate Ashton KCJ’s commitment to investing in the development of our staff and it is always rewarding to be able to promote talented team members from within the firm.”

*The appointments are subject to final approval by the SRA, the process for which was ongoing at the time of publication.