New director appointed at Vincents Solicitors
Leading property lawyer joins growing team
Craig Aikman, a leading commercial and residential property lawyer, has been appointed a director at Vincents Solicitors. His arrival is the latest in a string of senior appointments for the firm, which is investing heavily in creating a world-class corporate and commercial department.
Vincents is fast becoming a force on the region’s commercial legal scene, following the arrival of Commercial Director Ross Wellman in 2015 to head up the department which went on to achieve 80% growth in his first year. This was followed late 2018 with the arrival of Matthew Scott as head of Corporate Legal Services, and his assistant trainee solicitor Debora Carr, a department which then sealed more than £8m in deals in its first three months.
Due to strong growth and a heavy pipeline of new work from both new and existing clients, recruitment is ongoing at various experience levels for both corporate and commercial property experts based in its three commercial hubs, Preston, Lytham and Chorley.
Craig joins Vincents from Blackhurst Budd, where he worked for four-and-a-half years, prior to which he was at Napthens for a similar period. Focusing on commercial property and development transactions, plot sales and acquisition, Craig’s clients include developers, housebuilders, agents and overseas investors. He has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, providing legal services to buyers attending developer launch events.
Having worked in Blackpool for the last nine years and played rugby for both Preston Grasshoppers and Fylde, where he still coaches a junior team, Craig is a familiar face across the county. In addition to his Manchester and overseas client base, Craig has a strong network throughout Lancashire and will be based at Vincents’ Preston headquarters.
The move is proving to be exactly the right fit for Craig and his clients, and provides an opportunity to team up with some highly respected new colleagues. He said: “Vincents has put together a great team with the expertise and the client base to become a real powerhouse in the region’s commercial legal sector. I was keen to get to know Ross and work alongside Matt, who I have known for more than a decade and who has an enviable reputation in corporate sales and acquisitions.
“This is an ambitious practice and I was attracted by the progression of plans for growth and investment in the commercial department. Behind the scenes there is great support and the markets the firm serves, through its network of commercial hubs in Preston, Lytham and Chorley, makes it ideally located for me and the clients I will be working with.”
Phillip Gilmore, Vincents Solicitors managing director, said Craig’s appointment was a genuine coup for the firm. He said: “Craig is well known throughout Lancashire as one of the region’s leading property lawyers. He has worked with businesses and individuals across the North West, nationally and abroad, and brings an added dimension to our commercial offering. An excellent practitioner with a reputation to match, Craig is the latest addition to a very impressive line up here at Vincents.”
ENDS
Pictured (L-R): Craig Aikman, new director of commercial property for Vincents Solicitors