Foot Anstey lateral hires signal bold growth plans in the South

Top 100 law firm Foot Anstey has doubled down on its plans for expansion in the South with five new hires.

Former Irwin Mitchell property partners David Fanchi and Robert Stangroom have joined its Southampton office, along with Blake Morgan employment lawyers Sarah Peacock, Lisa Wallis and Natalie Painter.

David Fanchi and Robert Stangroom will have responsibility as legal directors for expanding the firm's real estate finance offering. The pair have experience spanning the financial services, retail, housing and leisure industries, and regularly advise on loans, acquisitions and development projects.

Meanwhile Sarah, who was also a partner at Blake Morgan, joins the firm as an equity partner and along with colleagues Lisa Wallis (Legal Director) and Natalie Painter (Senior Associate) will be setting up a new south coast employment team to complement the substantial employment offering already available within Foot Anstey. Sarah, Lisa and Natalie have many years of experience working with regional and national companies across a range of industry sectors.

Partner and Board Member Martin Hirst welcomed all of the new arrivals to the firm:

"All of these lawyers bring different skills to Foot Anstey and our clients will benefit enormously from their experience and expertise.

"I'm delighted that each of them has agreed to make the move to Foot Anstey and look forward to the coming months when we plan to grow the Southampton team even further."

Sarah Peacock added:  "All of us are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the firm within the region. We look forward to collaborating with employers to grow their business and help them achieve their ambitions."

Foot Anstey, which has seen 135% growth in turnover over the past decade, opened its first office in Southampton in 2016. Within a year, the firm had moved to larger premises to accommodate its rapid growth. The current Southampton office now has 40 staff in total and the firm employs over 600 people across its eight offices.