Two new senior solicitors have joined ESP Law, marking further growth for the company’s Leeds-based legal team.
Arwen Makin and Helen Rowley bring a combined 35 years’ experience and expertise to the company, which is headquartered in Woking, Surrey and provides specialist employment law and HR advice.
Cambridge University graduate Arwen trained and qualified with leading law firm Mills & Reeve and has extensive experience in employment law. She has expertise across a wide variety of industry sectors, including advising trade unions and their members both in-house and on behalf of a national law firm.
Her caseloads have involved grievances and whistleblowing complaints, redundancies and restructures, safeguarding and child protection, professional conduct and pay awards and appeals.
Arwen said: “So much attracted me to this role – I am looking forward to developing relationships with customers and becoming a real extension of the in-house team and true business partner. Every day brings different challenges, and I love the variety and unpredictability.”
Helen qualified with DAC Beachcroft in 2001, where she became a prominent employment team member, specialising in diversity and whistleblowing issues in a variety of organisations.
She was promoted to Associate in 2007 and handled high-value, complex litigation cases through the Employment Tribunal. A mother of three, Helen founded her own HR consultancy in 2010, which saw her advising on disciplinary, grievance and other workplace investigations.
Helen said: “I’m delighted to join ESP Law. My objective is to get to know our customers and support them by delivering pragmatic, business-focused commercial advice as part of a truly joined-up team.”
Arwen and Helen will work remotely, using innovative technology to facilitate immediate communication and collaboration with customers and colleagues.
ESP Group’s founder Pete Byrne said: “We extend a warm welcome to Arwen and Helen, who have been recruited to service our ever-expanding nationwide customer base.
“The appointment of two more leading employment lawyers forms part of our overall continued expansion and will prepare us for more exciting times ahead – as well as ensuring customers continue to receive a market-leading, innovative service.”
Founded in 2003, ESP supports larger SMEs, mid-sized companies and corporate household brands including Ladbrokes Coral, luxury luggage retailer Antler and global fashion giant PVH Holdings – owner of brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. The company formed its Leeds-based legal team in 2014, becoming one of the first employment specialist ABS law firms to be licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2015.
Operating margins have improved consecutively by more than 30% year on year over the last 36 months – a metric now expected to increase beyond 50% by the end of this financial period.
