Partner Appointment at GA Solicitors
GA Solicitors, a regional law firm headquartered in Plymouth, has expanded its employment team with the appointment of an experienced partner.
Kate Watson has joined the 98-strong law firm with more than 15 years of employment law experience. She has a particular focus on supporting businesses, charities and large employers throughout the UK and internationally.
Having qualified as a solicitor in a London firm, Kate then moved to Cornwall, continuing to develop her career in regional and international law firms, both on-site and remotely.
Her work has included advising on business sales, insourcing/outsourcing business functions, providing day-to-day HR support for business owners and HR directors, and advising on collective redundancies, disciplinaries and leading high-level, complex litigation work. She has successfully defended and, where appropriate, settled all types of claims, including unfair, automatic, and constructive dismissal, redundancy-related claims, whistleblowing and discrimination, also handling a number of cases in the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Kate’s move to GA Solicitors supports the firm’s plans to develop its employment offering, supporting its many commercial clients and aiding its established commercial property and corporate commercial teams.
Ranked in The Legal 500, GA Solicitors’ employment team has already secured national recognition for its support to clients such as Brittany Ferries and The Angel Foundation.
David Wallis, managing partner of GA Solicitors, commented on Kate’s appointment: “We are delighted to welcome Kate to GA Solicitors. We look forward to seeing how she develops our employment offering and supports both our existing and new commercial clients.
“This appointment cements our commitment to the growth of our commercial teams, which is already one of the largest in the city. Kate’s expertise will continue to boost our record rankings in important legal directories such as Chambers UK and The Legal 500 as the firm continues to go from strength to strength.”
Talking of her recruitment, Kate commented: “GA Solicitors is such a well-respected law firm, and what really stood out to me was that it offers very high-quality legal services while also effectively creating a supportive culture for its many talented people. I am thrilled to join such an established firm and excited to see how my experience and career will continue to develop. David and the rest of the team have been very welcoming, and 2026 looks to be a wonderful year for us all.”
With more than 200 years of heritage, GA Solicitors is a regional law firm, headquartered in Plymouth, with 98 members of staff. It offers guidance across eight specialist departments: business; family; employment; energy; dispute resolution; wills, trusts & probate; conveyancing and personal injury.
ENDS
11/12/25
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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