Taylor Walton Solicitors has announced the promotion of James Cottrell to head the Firm’s Commercial Real Estate team, following the retirement of current head Angela Thomas, who leaves after more than 30 years with the Firm.
Cottrell is a product of the Firm’s commitment to nurturing the talent within, having commenced his training contract with Taylor Walton in 2002 and qualifying into the Commercial Real Estate department, before becoming a Partner in July 2013.
Dermot Carey, Managing Partner of Taylor Walton commented: “It is immensely gratifying to witness career progression of this nature, where a lawyer trains with us, understands the firm and our ethos, then goes onto head one of our departments.
“It is always sad to lose the experience, commitment and talent of individuals like Angela, who dedicated almost her entire legal career to the firm, joining in 1987 as the first female lawyer in the Harpenden office of what was then Taylor Walker.
“Over her time with the Firm she witnessed significant change for the better and provided a lot of support for young lawyers, including James, who is an excellent choice to lead the team as we seek to grow our offering across our three offices – we are looking forward to the great things James and his team will achieve.”
Whilst advising on all aspect of Commercial Real Estate, Cottrell takes a special interest in advising residential and commercial developers on site acquisition and disposals. He also advises some of Taylor Walton’s most important clients on their property portfolios, as well as the Firm’s banking clients, on property finance matters.
Speaking of his promotion, Cottrell said: “I take on the responsibility of leading the Commercial Real Estate team here at Taylor Walton with great pride. I’m excited to be leading this team of experienced and committed fee earners and support staff.
We are of course sad to lose the unrivalled experience and support of Angela Thomas and I thank her for everything she has done for me and the rest of the team, past and present. She will be missed by us all.
“There will undoubtedly be challenges presented by a volatile property market, but it’s going to be exciting to put my own stamp on our work and the team, as we look to further invest in the new talent we are bringing into the Firm.
“I look forward to delivering on my commitment to supporting our growing client base and attracting new commercial property clients with the transparent, no-nonsense service that has come to define both the Commercial Real Estate team and Taylor Walton.”