BLM, the UK’s commercial law and insurance risk specialist, has continued to grow its Commercial Advisory and Private Wealth team at pace with three senior appointments. James Beresford joins the Commercial Advisory and Private Wealth team as a partner, whilst partner Jonathan Askin, an expert in non-contentious commercial law, joins alongside partner Daniel Jones, a specialist in family law for high net worth private clients.

BLM’s Commercial Advisory and Private Wealth group has had a successful period of significant growth securing more than 25 new clients following its launch in January 2018. The 40-strong team has advised a number of national household names including Radisson SAS Hotels, the Bank of England and Black & Decker.

James has an established background in dealing with the administration of complex estates and advising clients on estate planning matters including the drafting of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. He is a wealth preservation specialist and assists clients with inheritance tax planning and business owners on succession planning. The addition of James to the Commercial Advisory team extends the firm’s ability to execute a multi-disciplinary approach and to continue to target nationwide growth.

Specialising in advising healthcare, TMT, public and third sector clients, Jonathan Askin brings significant experience in contract law, procurement and public sector commercial matters. Prior to joining BLM, Jonathan has worked with the UK Government, Public Health England and as a Commercial Partner at Weightmans.

Daniel Jones adds to the team’s recently established private wealth offering, following the appointment of James Beresford earlier in May 2018, and will head up its family law portfolio in England and Wales. Daniel has extensive experience in dealing with complex financial matters relating to divorce and civil partnerships, particularly in matters involving business and overseas assets, as well as a particular emphasis on the relocation of children within or outside of the UK and child abduction concerns.

Welcoming the new partners, senior partner Matthew Harrington commented:

“The early success of the Commercial Advisory and Private Wealth team on joining us reflects our successful multi-disciplinary approach. The new team is an important part of our firm-wide diversification and critical to our vision of providing innovative and comprehensive client services."

Commenting on the appointments, Head of Commercial Advisory and Private Wealth, Siri Siriwardene, added:

”We have experienced an exceptional period of growth since January 2018, attracting new clients and new partners. Jonathan and Daniel bring considerable knowledge that compliments and enhances our client proposition and we have already begun to see the impact. I’m looking forward to the team developing further with both partners playing an integral role.”