A LEGAL practice has strengthened its city-based corporate and commercial team with the arrival of two new team members with a wealth of business experience.
Corporate, banking, private equity and restructuring lawyer Neil Large and para-legal Kim Teague have joined BHP Law at the firm's Newcastle office.
Neil, who qualified as an in-house lawyer with Northern Rock after completing his law degree at London University and finals at Northumbria University, has joined as an associate.
He moved into private practice with a North East firm specialising in corporate law and worked his way up to senior associate before starting his own firm in Harrogate, which became Chambers ranked and listed in the Legal 500.
“Running a firm with a partner give me an insight into the other side of the profession and experience and understanding I can draw on in supporting clients," said Neil, from Washington.
He has joined BHP Law to strengthen its commercial presence after setting up a new corporate and commercial department at a Newcastle practice.
“With offices around the region, in Darlington, Stockton, Newcastle and Durham, we have a team with many years’ experience and the expertise to help the region’s businesses,” said Neil, who specialises in providing practical legal advice and assistance to SMEs and privately owned companies on a wide range of transactions.
He will work alongside Darlington-born James McEwen, of Chester-le-Street, who joined the firm earlier this year as an associate in commercial property.
They have been joined by paralegal Kim Teague, of Durham.
The 43-year-old began her working life as an apprentice jockey at stables in North Yorkshire and has had a rich and varied career ranging from interior design in Belgium and estate agency to painting miniature cottages, before entering the legal profession.
“I worked with Neil and James at another practice and got a taste for company law,” said Kim.
“I am really enjoying it at BHP being part of a great team handling such a varied portfolio of work.”
The full range of the firm's expertise includes company and business sales and acquisitions, reorganisations and demergers, Section 110 schemes and spin outs, private equity and venture capital, bank and leverage/ABL finance and security, restructuring and turnaround, corporate insolvency, shareholder, partnership, LLP and LP protection and disputes, company, partnership, LLP and LP start ups/formations, exit strategy and succession planning, business incorporations, Share buy backs, bespoke articles of association and share capital/rights restructuring, legal due diligence, joint ventures, share options, employee incentive plans, corporate governance and directors' duties.