Ashtons appoints three new partners

Ashtons Legal has appointed Colin Makin, Amy Richardson and Tom Bailey as partners in the firm. The firm now has 34 partners and 320 staff across East Anglia.

Colin Makin joined the firm in 2015 and has been promoted to partner following successful completion of the firm’s Partnership Programme. Colin specialises exclusively in employment law, advising businesses and individual clients and is known for his ‘clear, concise and commercial’ advice. He has significant Employment Tribunal experience and specialises in advising on the employment aspects of business transfers and service provision changes (TUPE). Colin is based in Ashtons’ Ipswich office.

Amy Richardson has joined the firm’s thriving commercial property team in Cambridge and specialises in planning. Amy is an ex local authority solicitor and is well known within East Anglia having been practising in the region for over 18 years.She specialises in drafting planning agreements, project development and appraisal, planning appeals, submission of planning applications, enforcement issues, certificates of lawfulness, defending planning prosecutions and noise abatement issues.

Tom Bailey joins Ashtons’ Norwich office as a partner in the Dispute Resolution team. He is a practising barrister and worked at a leading common law Chambers in London for a number of years before moving to private practice. Tom has significant experience across the full range of civil and commercial litigation with particular specialisms in commercial agency, franchise disputes, heavyweight breach of contract claims and consumer rights. He is the Honorary Secretary of the Norfolk and Norwich Law Society and also a volunteer advisor at the Norfolk Community Law Service.

Edward O’Rourke, CEO at Ashtons says: “I would like to congratulate Colin on his richly deserved promotion and welcome both Amy and Tom to the firm. Amy’s appointment enables us to expand further our property presence in Cambridge and brings new areas of niche planning expertise to complement our existing strength in the commercial property practice. Tom’s appointment has allowed us to widen our service areas and client offering in our highly regarded dispute resolution field, especially in and around the Norwich area”.

Pictured: (l-r) Colin Makin, Amy Richardson, Tom Bailey.