Nine New Recruits for Plymouth Law Firm
Plymouth headquartered law firm, GA Solicitors, has seen substantial growth after making nine strategic appointments in recent weeks, all of which aim to build upon existing services, support its staff members and deal with high levels of client demand.
Partner Alasdair Hall, paralegal Sam Stroud and legal assistant Eva Heyward all join the already sizeable commercial property team. As a partner, Alasdair brings with him a wealth of expertise in advising both public, private and third sector clients on managing significant property portfolios nationally and across the region. His appointment will allow the firm to support existing and new clients in this area.
The family department also expands significantly with a highly experienced solicitor and a chartered legal executive bolstering the team. Samantha Cook, previous director of C&C Family Law, joins with 25 years of qualified experience, while chartered legal executive Angela Briggs also benefits from a strong track record in the family arena.
To support GA’s staff and strategic business aims, Alison Westlake has joined as Head of HR. A fellow of the CIPD, Alison has more than 25 years of experience in senior HR roles, having worked with prominent organisations including the BBC and the NHS. Alison has spent the last ten years with a professional services firm in London and her extensive experience will play a key role in shaping the firm’s human resources strategy as GA Solicitors continues to expand.
Offering a specialist new service line, Emily White joins as a senior trusts and probate manager with a strong background in providing tax advice at various regional accountancy firms. Emily will provide GA’s clients with in-depth trust tax advice and inheritance tax planning, as well as dealing with trust and estate administration.
GA Solicitors has also welcomed legal assistants Sam O’Brien to its residential conveyancing team, and Olivia Hetherington to its renewable energy team (GA Energy) located in its Bath office.
David Wallis, managing partner of GA Solicitors, commented: “Recruitment is notoriously difficult in the current climate so to have been able to recruit nine individuals in a matter of weeks has been a real coup for the firm. These recruits bring something new to each team and will allow us to better support our clients, both longstanding and new.
“In recent years we have gone to great lengths to ensure that GA Solicitors is a strong employer with good values, staff benefits, continued investment and a positive work culture to match. This is now paying dividends as we not only retain our staff but are actively approached by others looking to join our firm.
“2025 is looking to be a promising year for us as we focus on both our staff and our clients and take our services and offering to the next level.”
GA Solicitors has been established in Plymouth for more than 200 years and opened a second Bath office in 2019. Following this latest run of recruits, the firm now employs 98 members of staff across its two offices and is actively recruiting for eight more positions.
ENDS
03/03/25
Note to Editors
GA Solicitors can trace its roots back more than 200 years and has been advising the people and businesses in the South West for its duration. Originally based in Devonport, the firm gets its initials from Thomas Husband Gill who joined the practice in 1875 and later went into partnership with Albert E. Akaster.
Now one of the region’s leading law firms, the 98-strong team at the Lexcel-accredited LLP, has offices in both Plymouth and Bath. It is ranked in The Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers High Net Worth and is structured around eight practice areas, each comprising its own specialist department:
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