Durham City’s leading law firm, Swinburne Maddison LLP has announced the appointment of a new partner, Akkelin Harris, to its private client team.
Her appointment adds strength and depth to the team, which is led by partner, Anna Stephenson, and now numbers four solicitors and a paralegal together with five support staff.
Akkelin, who lives in Durham and qualified in 1998, brings exceptional experience to her new role. STEP qualified (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and formerly head of department at another local firm, Akkelin has watched Swinburne Maddison’s growth with interest. She said:
“I am excited by the prospect of working with the private client team at Swinburne Maddison. I have been watching the progress of the firm for many years and respect its heritage and ethos as a forward-focused firm with an ambitious outlook.
“Swinburne Maddison has always been a firm I wanted to work for, so when the opportunity to bolster the private client team arose, I could not turn it down. My arrival will allow Anna to focus on strengthening her collaboration with tax experts across the region to ensure our private client service is absolutely gold standard and at the same time will provide more scope for her to further develop our work within the agricultural community.”
Welcoming Akkelin to the team, department head, Anna, said: “Following a sustained period of new instructions, as my team grew, we needed to have greater resource and capability at a senior level, so I am delighted that Akkelin has joined us. She brings an immense amount of experience to the role and will be an amazing addition to my team.
“As well as providing support in helping to manage the team day-to-day and assisting with casework, Akkelin’s STEP qualification will enable her to undertake inheritance tax planning and complex estate matters.
“Additionally, in view of our award-winning success in commercial property and corporate matters, at a time when farmers are going to need good advice to ensure their estate planning is in capable hands, I would like to devote more time to reinforcing our relationships within the agriculture sector.”
