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Shoosmiths bolsters its commercial team with trio of Leeds hires

National law firm Shoosmiths has hired three commercial lawyers at its Leeds office as it looks to create a major regional player in commercial law.

The firm, which boasts 12 offices across the UK, has appointed Alex Kirkhope, JP Buckley and James Wood-Robertson as commercial partners from DLA Piper, who will form the office’s Leeds Commercial Team.

All three previously held the position of Legal Director and will now sit within Shoosmith’s national commercial group, working alongside over 70 other commercial lawyers looking at areas including TMT, Privacy and Data, and Infrastructure and Capital Projects.

JP Buckley is a privacy and data lawyer who has previously worked with construction corporations, global airlines and international fashion retailers, and will lead and co-ordinate Shoosmiths’ sizeable workload ahead of the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation which is due to take effect in May 2018.

Kirkhope is a technology lawyer who has worked with public and private sector organisations in respect of their technology outsourcing arrangements, while Wood-Robertson is an infrastructure and projects lawyer who has developed a specialism in the waste sector.

Following the appointments, the National Head of the Shoosmith Commercial Group, David Jackson, commented: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Alex, JP and James to our team. Their combined experience and individual expertise will significantly enhance our market leading commercial offering, benefiting the Leeds region and further cementing our team’s national footprint.

“Exciting growth plans for Leeds include further recruitment of top quality lawyers to support these latest appointments, evidencing our commitment and investment in making Shoosmiths’ Leeds the first choice law firm in the region.”