Member Article

Muckle LLP strengthens private client team to meet growing demand

Newcastle-based leading law firm Muckle LLP has further expanded the support it provides to individuals and clients across the North East and Cumbria following a successful three-year growth strategy.

In the last 12 months, Muckle LLP reported an impressive 72% growth in its Agriculture, Estates and Private Client practice. And as one of the largest specialist legal teams in the North of England – with a combined 143 years’ of experience and expertise - it has developed longstanding relationships with prestigious rural clients across the UK.

The firm has now appointed three additional private client experts, taking the number of legal specialists to 12. Rachael Stephenson and Tim Boardman join as Partners, and they will be joined in January 2023 by Associate Solicitor Winter Addis. All three have experience working together on behalf of farmers, landed estates, trusts, charities and private clients.

David Towns, Head of Muckle LLP’s Agriculture, Estates and Private Client team said: “These strategic, senior hires demonstrate our increasing commitment and success in dealing with some of the most complex estates and succession planning legal work.

“I am delighted that we achieved 72% growth over the last 12 months, which testifies to our personable yet expert approach and enables us to invest in further growth. Rachael, Tim and Winter are well-known, highly respected lawyers committed to providing an exceptional client experience. I am hugely confident that our business plans will deliver continued success over the next few years.”

Rachael Stephenson, 13 years qualified, has a strong background in all non-contentious tax, trust and higher-level estate planning. She often acts for clients with complex family arrangements, such as cases of vulnerable beneficiaries, second marriages, High and Ultra-High Net Worth clients, business owners and those with cross-jurisdictional estates. Experienced in advising on charitable and private trust matters, Rachael regularly acts as a professional trustee of will trusts, lifetime settlements and personal injury award trusts. She also acts as an attorney for incapacitated clients.

Rachael is recognised by The Legal 500 UK and Chambers and Partners for being a “breath of fresh air”, for “providing no-nonsense, straightforward advice” and for having a “vast amount of experience and technical ability, combined with a good understanding of what her clients need”.

Tim Boardman, 19 years qualified, advises clients on estates and succession planning, including individuals and trustees on managing landed estates and agricultural holdings. Tim has worked with landed estates and families with significant agricultural business assets, a specialist in succession planning for families with private business interests. His expertise includes wills and trusts, estates, Power of Attorney and Court of Protection Deputyship Applications.

Rachael said: “I am delighted to join such a well-respected and nationally prominent legal firm. The growth and success of the agriculture and private client team are down to the team’s specialist expertise, in-depth knowledge, and understanding of rural clients and communities.”

Tim added: “Being part of such a skilled, growing, forward-looking team is exciting and I am looking forward to helping the team grow the business further.”

David Towns further commented: “We are proud of our strong relationships with its rural and business communities across the North of England. Welcoming Tim, Rachael and Winter to our team will allow us to serve our existing clients better while developing new relationships with individuals, businesses, and organisations in the area.

“As a firm, we have a people-first culture, we are very flexible in terms of working hours and hybrid working from the office or at home – or a mixture of both, which has allowed us to recruit from an excellent talent pool; their expertise complements our existing team, and I look forward to seeing their valued contribution.

“As we continue our investment strategy Rachael, Tim and Winter will be joining the rest of the team, servicing clients from our newly opened Cumbria Hub, at Edenhall near Penrith. At Muckle LLP, we are more than trusted advisers: we pride ourselves on our relationships; we know our clients, and we understand them and know what drives them. Ultimately, they know we have their best interests at heart.

“We already have many longstanding, high-profile clients and we are ready to capitalise further on our impressive client portfolio.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gardiner Richardson .