Teesside legal firm makes key appointments

Endeavour Partnership has announced a number of key promotions within the business as it prepares for a period of growth and recruitment

The Stockton-based legal firm has promoted three members of its team to new roles.

Ged Flanagan, who joined the business in 2016 as an associate, now becomes a partner in the commercial disputes team. Ged qualified in 2002 and is an experienced commercial lawyer specialising in contractual and tortious disputes, including fraud cases, professional negligence claims, product liability matters, claims against suppliers, partnership/shareholder disputes and contract disputes more generally. Advising both public and private sector clients, Ged has dealt with a variety of sectors including manufacturing and engineering, chemical, transport, regeneration, waste, education, sports and entertainment.  He has also managed disputes in a number of jurisdictions.

Ged said: “It’s great to be part of a thriving legal firm with a wide variety of clients across such a range of sectors. I’m excited to be further developing my career with the business and looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”

Martin McKinnell has been promoted from an associate to a senior associate within the corporate and commercial team at Endeavour Partnership. Martin started at the firm as a trainee solicitor in 2010 and regularly advises on a variety of complex commercial matters including distribution agreements, franchise agreements, agency agreements and terms and conditions of business. Martin has a keen interest in IT and e-commerce law and also specialises in corporate matters, including both transactional and non-transactional work. In addition, Martin contributes to the firm’s intellectual property team, dealing with non-litigious matters, such as trademark applications, and copyright. His client base ranges from start-ups and SME’s to multi-national corporations across a variety of different sectors.

Martin said: “Endeavour Partnership provides exceptional opportunities to those with talent in the legal sector and I am proud to have grown with the firm over the last seven years. Our client work is constantly growing and entering new markets and areas so it’s an important time for the business and team as a whole.”

And James Butler becomes an associate in Endeavour’s corporate and commercial department, having joined the business as a trainee in 2012. James deals with both transactional and non-transactional work, advising businesses and business owners on all matters of company law and commercial arrangements. He also heads the firms company secretarial support service. James specialised as a member of Endeavour’s corporate and commercial team in 2014 after gaining an extensive range of knowledge and experience during his two-year training contract with the firm. James, University of Durham graduate, frequently advises on acquisitions and disposals, management buyouts, and a range of corporate restructuring – including share buybacks, share-for-share exchanges and hive-downs.

James added: “I have had an incredible start to my career in the legal sector thanks to the opportunities that Endeavour has offered me. It is great to be able to develop my career with such an experienced and varied team and I’m very much looking forward to the challenges in my new role.”

Endeavour employs a team of 54 and has a reputation spanning over 16 years, providing high quality advice on a range of business law matters including mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, employment, commercial property and corporate recovery and insolvency from its headquarters at Teesdale in Stockton.

The company is now actively recruiting throughout the firm as it continues to grow across the North of England.

Managing partner, Paul Bury, said: “Nurturing talent in the North East is very important to us, hence we strive to grow and develop our team throughout the business. We have an excellent staff retention rate as those that join our firm realise the potential for career development.

“Our recent promotions are testament to the hard work that all of the team invests in supporting one another and we are continually committed to rewarding commitment.

“We’re now very much looking forward to taking on more team members as we continue with our expansion.”