Gowling WLG has appointed a new partner to lead its Leeds residential development team.Julia Dacre Field, who has over 20 years’ experience in the industry, has left Womble Bond Dickinson, where she was the head of the firm’s Leeds-based housebuilder team.She has been appointed partner and head of the residential development team at Gowling WLG’s Leeds office, One Park Row.The firm recently announced the addition of a team based in Leeds to its housing development and regeneration (HDR) practise in order to better serve its national and northern-based residential development, social provider, and regeneration clients.
Julia Dacre Field said: “This is an exciting time to be joining Gowling WLG and I’m looking forward to working with the outstanding HDR team to deliver for our clients and pursue further growth in the market. The firm has long been recognised as one of the top legal advisers in real estate in the UK and beyond and it’s a great fit from a personal and client perspective.”
Chris Hunt, head of real estate at Gowling WLG, added: “It is fantastic Julia has now joined us to work alongside her superb team. Her arrival strengthens our market-leading housing development and regeneration practice and further bolsters our established, full-service legal team active across all the Living sector asset classes.
“It was a unique opportunity for us to recruit Julia and the team to grow our offering for top-tier HDR clients in Yorkshire and the north of the UK. We are excited for the future and look forward to developing new opportunities together in the year ahead and beyond.”
Dacre Field follows Mark Owen (Of Counsel), Kathryn Wood, James Lawson (legal directors), Patrick Jackson and Emma Speight (principal associates) and Liam Turner (senior associate) in joining Gowling WLG from Womble Bond Dickinson.
Molly Hirst has also joined the team as associate from Knights. Dacre Field will work closely with national head of HDR Ashley Mitchell and former head of real estate practice, senior HDR partner Richard Bate.