Seven promotions at Rollits

Yorkshire commercial law firm Rollits, which has offices in Hull and York has made seven lawyer promotions across a number of its key service areas.

Five senior solicitors – Chris Drinkall, Ed Jenneson, Gerry Morrison, Alison Munro and Richard Whittaker – have been promoted to Associate whilst Rebecca Latus and Jennifer Sewell have been made Senior Solicitors.

Three of the new Associates Chris Drinkall, Ed Jenneson and Gerry Morrison have been with Rollits since 2002, when they began their careers as trainees at the firm and they all qualified together in 2004.

Chris, Rebecca and Jennifer work in the Dispute Resolution Department at Rollits, whilst Ed specialises in employment law and Richard deals with private client matters.   All are based at the Hull office.

Gerry and Alison are based in the York office. Gerry specialises in charity law whilst Alison works in the firm’s commercial property team.

Managing partner Richard Field said: “We are delighted to announce these promotions all of which are thoroughly deserved.  All those promoted have a commitment to continual personal development and have a depth of knowledge in those areas in which they each practise, so it is very pleasing to see so many talented individuals progressing to senior positions in the firm.”

About Rollits

Rollits is a commercial law firm with 22 partners and offices in Hull and York.  We use the term ‘partner’ to denote members of Rollits LLP.

The firm’s core business sectors are company and commercial (including employment), commercial property, commercial dispute resolution, private capital (high net worth private clients, families and trusts) and substantial charitable organisations.

The firm also operates within niche practice areas where the firm acts on a national basis. These niche areas include corporate finance, planning and development, health & safety, charities and social housing.

Sector specialisms include Agriculture and Horticulture, Banking and Finance, Charities & Social Enterprise, Construction & Engineering, Education, Family & Owner Managed Businesses, Food Manufacturing, House Builder & Development, Local Government, Manufacturing (Non-Food), Renewables, Retail, Social Housing, Tourism & Leisure and Transport & Logistics. 

For more information visit www.rollits.com

Rollits announces appointment of three new partners

Rollits, one of Yorkshire’s leading law firms with offices in Hull and York, has announced the appointment of three new partners in Employment, Commercial and Dispute Resolution.

Following the firm’s move to become a Limited Liability Partnership on 1 May 2010, Caroline Hardcastle, Donna Ingleby and Tom Morrison have been appointed partners at the firm.

Donna Ingleby, who joined the firm two years ago, becomes a partner in the firm’s Employment Group as a specialist in contentious and non-contentious employment issues, including tribunal preparation and advocacy. She will continue to work alongside Neil Maidment in the Group which has one of the largest specialist employment teams in the region.

Tom Morrison, who has been with the firm since joining as a Trainee Solicitor in 1999, becomes a partner in Rollits’ Commercial Group. Tom specialises in advising on contractual matters, intellectual property, data protection, freedom of information, information technology and e-commerce.

Meanwhile, Caroline Hardcastle, who trained with Kennedys Solicitors in London, becomes a partner within Rollits’ Dispute Resolution department dealing with a range of commercial disputes. Caroline, who has worked at Rollits for eleven years, specialises in construction and engineering disputes where she has acted on behalf of employers, developers and contractors in adjudications and Court proceedings.

Managing Partner Richard Field said: “We encourage continual professional development throughout Rollits so it is very pleasing to see three talented individuals progressing through the firm and taking their position as partners. Their commitment to the firm and their depth of knowledge of client sectors and the services they provide is a great asset to Rollits and our clients.”

For further information contact Pat Coyle, Rollits LLP on Tel: 01482 323239 Email: pat.coyle@rollits.com  or visit www.rollits.com

Luma Anayi wins Rollits prize for Business & Enterprise at Hull College Awards Ceremony

Hull commercial law firm Rollits is pleased to announce that Luma Anayi has been presented with the inaugural “Rollits Prize for Business & Enterprise” at Hull College. Luma has excelled in her studies over the past seven years at the College, undertaking a number of computing-related qualifications culminating in her obtaining a BSc Degree in Computing with First Class Honours.

In conjunction with Hull College, the Rollits Prize is awarded to outstanding students who have overcome particular challenges in order to complete their studies. In Luma’s case, she has not let cerebral palsy get in the way of pursuing her interest software and database design to the highest standard at Degree level.

Tom Morrison, Associate at Rollits who presented the prize to Luma at the Awards Ceremony said:

“Our congratulations go to Luma on her success. We are proud to have been given the opportunity to award the Prize and look forward to doing so again next year when the next cohort of students complete their studies.”

Caron Wright, Hull College’s Head of School, Business & Computing, added:

“Luma’s achievements over the past seven years, and in particular in relation to her First Class Honours Degree, bear testament to her commitment to her studies and a desire to become involved in the IT industry.”

For further information contact Rollits Solicitors on 01482 323239 or visit www.rollits.com

Rollits advise in Tasty Pasta King Deal

Commercial law firm Rollits advised the management team in their £13m buy in of Pasta King (UK) Ltd (“Pasta King”), which provides pasta meals to schools and other sectors.

Pasta King provides meal solutions comprising mostly pasta with fresh sauces. The meals are served hot from “pasta bars” that are loaned out free-of-charge to the customer base. As a healthy and tasty food offering, Pasta King has become very popular in secondary schools nationwide. It satisfies new Governmental standards on salt, fat, fibre and vegetable content.

Pasta King provides a quick, convenient, off-the shelf solution for caterers faced with an ever narrowing choice of menu options to offer to students.

In addition to its dominant position in the UK secondary school market, Pasta King has a growing presence in universities, business and industry and the leisure sectors.

Nasim Sharf, corporate partner, who led the team at Rollits, said:
“Rollits was pleased to work again with Howard Farquhar and Mike Cole who have become MD and Chairman of Pasta King. Howard and Mike have a great track record and bring proven quality to Pasta King. This deal was backed by NBGI Private Equity and HSBC. Rollits’ expertise and experience of private equity deals were put to good use in ensuring this deal was completed sensibly and in the tight timescale”

Howard Farquhar, new MD of Pasta King said:
“Pasta King has a very strong position in secondary schools. We want to build on that with improved merchandising, marketing and product development not only for further growth in the education sector but also to significantly increase our presence in other markets.”