Clarion develops team with eight legal director promotions

As part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing talent, Clarion has promoted eight lawyers from within its ranks to the position of legal director.

Florence Maxwell, Gina Rhodes, Jemma Green, Joanne Chase, Kaira Clarehugh, Louise Dodds, Sarah Molloy and Victoria Jackson have all been promoted from senior associates to legal directors.

One of Clarion’s ‘home grown’ talents, data protection and privacy lawyer Florence Maxwell leads the firm’s Data and Information Law team. She is recognised in Chambers & Partners as an ‘Associate to Watch’ across the UK for data and information law with advice that is “really strong” and “very easy to understand”.

Over the last 19 years, real estate lawyer Gina Rhodes has gained experience in a broad range of property matters, particularly in the energy and waste sectors. She has also played a key role in establishing Clarion’s own internal green and sustainability initiative.

In addition to dealing with all types of complex intellectual property disputes and commercial IP agreements, Jemma Green leads Clarion’s design filing practice, currently managing over 180 registered designs around the world. Jemma also set up and runs Clarion’s Junior In-House-Counsel programme which supports in-house lawyers by providing training and networking opportunities.

With 15 years’ experience in costs law, Joanne Chase manages six associates in the team and plays a vital role in quality control. She also plays a key role in developing existing client relationships as well as helping with the generation of new work.

Since qualifying with Clarion in 2015, Kaira Clarehugh has become a key member of the corporate team, known for her technical skills and strong project management. She has also established herself as one of the firm’s key lawyers in developing the firm’s international strategy and leading on a number of international M&A transactions.

Contentious private client lawyer Louise Dodds has helped successfully grow the team over the last decade and is recognised as a leader in her field in the North of England with mentions in Chambers and Legal 500.

Having successfully built up, over the last 10 years, the firm’s international trade mark filing practice, Sarah Molloy manages around 350 different clients in 75 countries. Sarah manages several large international trade mark portfolios for various household brands. She receives exceptionally positive feedback, not only for her technical skills but, for her practical support and guidance. Sarah is also an active member of the firm’s International Practice Group and Leisure Sector Group and is also part of the leadership team of ‘BeingWell’ – Clarion’s employee wellbeing committee.

Employment expert Victoria Jackson is another home-grown talent who qualified with Clarion. Renowned for her exemplary client service and pragmatic approach, Victoria has demonstrated a particular skill in fostering client relationships and business development. A skilled trainer committed to development, Victoria also launched and now runs the team’s educational and networking programme that brings together and develops rising stars in HR and people management.

Roger Hutton, joint managing partner at Clarion, commented: “It is so rewarding this year to see a record number of our team, almost half of whom qualified with the firm, reaching director level and continuing to forge a career with Clarion. Providing the training opportunities colleagues need, along with a supportive and nurturing environment, is a key part of the Clarion culture.

“We are very proud of their well-deserved success and of the outstanding service they provide to our clients – they are great role models for their colleagues.”

This year, Clarion again achieved a three-star accreditation in the prestigious UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For scheme, and announced an impressive hat trick – in the first and second quarter of 2022, the Leeds law firm was recognised as the top company in Yorkshire to work for, it took number one spot as the best law firm to work for in the whole country and it was also ranked second overall out of all the entrants in the large company category from across the entire UK.