Keystone Law has welcomed twelve new partners and one consultant solicitor to the firm, adding to its insurance, employment, financial services, real estate, healthcare, family, and commercial practices.

Charles Rix, Katie Clark, Jonny Williams, Jonathan Ross, David Paxton, James Bunker, Cathy Cearns, Andrew Brown, Matthew Trinder, Emma Harte, Corinne Parke, Will Robinson, and Gemma Lally will see the firm’s experience and expertise across multiple teams enhanced.

James Knight, Founder and CEO of Keystone Law, said:

“This latest cohort of new joiners demonstrates the quality of lawyers that Keystone continues to attract.  They are experts in their chosen fields and will naturally further strengthen our offering to clients across the firm’s practices. 

“I am pleased to say that Keystone and its wonderful way of working continues to appeal to lawyers who want to enjoy their working lives whilst being remunerated more fairly”.  

The new appointments are:

Charles Rix – Insurance

Charles is a corporate and regulatory adviser with over 28 years’ experience in the insurance industry. He advises on M&A, transfers of business under Part VII of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, schemes of arrangement and business reorganisations. His clients include consolidators, private equity and other investors, mutuals and start-ups, and he has extensive experience of advising on with-profits businesses.

Charles was a Partner at Hogan Lovells before joining Keystone.

Katie Clark – Employment

Katie represents businesses from a wide range of sectors on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. She has particular experience litigating employment disputes in the Employment Tribunal and High Court, including relating to team moves, restrictive covenants, discrimination and whistleblowing.

She advises clients on their most challenging and sensitive employment issues, on all aspects of crisis management, internal investigations and grievance/disciplinary processes, including conducting workplace investigations as an independent investigator.

Before joining Keystone, Katie was a Partner at McDermott Will & Emery

Jonny Williams – Financial Services

Jonny is a financial services regulatory lawyer who advises financial institutions, corporates, PE/VC firms, funds/alternative funds and fintechs on a broad range of regulatory issues covering their commercial and retail activities. He previously worked in-house at Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays on complex restructurings as well as FCA and FOS matters.

Jonny was a Partner and Head of Financial Services Regulatory and Sector Head for Financial Institutions at Womble Bond Dickinson before joining Keystone.

Jonathan Ross – Commercial and Residential Property

Jonathan deals with all aspects of commercial and residential property litigation, with the exception of enfranchisement. He frequently acts for claimants on property-related professional negligence claims and fee disputes.

Jonathan joins Keystone from Forsters where he was a Partner.

David Paxton – Commercial and Residential Property

David is a real estate lawyer with a particular focus on the private wealth sector. He advises predominantly family offices, UHNW individuals and real estate entrepreneurs on real estate investment, development, private equity, corporate occupier, and infrastructure/energy projects and deals.

Prior to joining Keystone, David was a Partner at RWK Goodman.

James Bunker – Residential Property

James advises on high-value property transactions. He is an expert on the prime and super-prime London residential markets, frequently deals with highly complex and high-profile cases, and is one of the ‘go-to’ property lawyers in London.

His client base includes high-net-worth individuals from the UK, Central Europe, the US, Canada, and the Middle East.

James was a Partner at Vardags before he joined Keystone.

Cathy Cearns – Commercial Property

Cathy is a commercial property lawyer who has advised on major investment acquisitions, financing and development projects as well as advising on landlord and tenant issues in office, retail, industrial, leisure and mixed-use developments.

Cathy previously ran her own practice and worked at Rosenblatt before joining Keystone.

Andrew Brown – Commercial and Residential Property

Andrew is a property lawyer specialising in renewable and clean energy projects with a particular focus on solar, battery, biomass, anaerobic digestion and other waste-to-energy projects. His clients include landowners and landed estates, developers and funders, who he advises on the development, financing and acquisition of a variety of projects including large (NSIP) solar schemes and portfolio financing and disposals.

Andrew was a Senior Associate at Burges Salmon before moving to Keystone.

Matthew Trinder – Healthcare

Matthew is a highly experienced medical malpractice specialist and healthcare lawyer, with a particular focus on private insurance and independent healthcare. His clients include leading insurers, healthcare providers and individuals, NHS bodies and medical defence organisations representing domestic or international clients.

He acts on maximum severity, complex brain or spinal injury cases, and also has a special interest in orthopaedic surgery, plastic surgery, dental, cosmetic/aesthetic medicine, genetic or pathology screening claims, and health tech/product liability. He primarily defends compensation claims but also advises on healthcare law, complaints and regulatory law.

Matthew joins Keystone from Browne Jacobson where he was a Partner.

Emma Harte – Family

Emma advises on all family matters, including complex and financial disputes, children matters and prenuptial agreements. She has particular expertise in cases with an international element and/or substantial assets or acting for clients who live abroad or wish to relocate to another jurisdiction.

Her clients include business professionals, those in the public eye, members of British and foreign aristocracy and their spouses/partners. She is a Resolution accredited mediator, a mediation consultant (PPC), a trained collaborative lawyer and past Chair of Resolution’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Before joining Keystone, Emma was a Partner at Alexiou Fisher Philipps.

Corinne Parke – Family

Corinne has particular expertise in applications under the Children Act 1989, complex financial applications upon divorce and issues involving cohabiting couples. Corinne also regularly advises on the completion of pre/post nuptial agreements. Much of Corinne’s work involves an international element, including relocation of children to another jurisdiction or foreign assets upon divorce.

Corinne was a Partner at Maddox Legal Limited and joins Keystone with her associate Bethan Hill-Howells.

Will Robinson – Commercial

Will has over 20 years’ experience as a commercial lawyer. He advises on technology, procurement and outsourcing transactions, and capital projects in the mining industry, having spent 9 years at FTSE 100 miner Anglo American Plc managing the legal aspects of the global and UK supply chain functions and subsequently heading up a dual legal and commercial function supporting major capital projects globally.

Before joining Keystone, Will was Head of Legal at Anglo American Plc.

Gemma Lally – Commercial

Gemma is a commercial lawyer with over 15 years of experience working and consulting in-house in a range of industries. She has dealt with a wide variety of matters including SaaS agreements, sponsorships, brand ambassador agreements, E-commerce, IT service agreements, agency and distribution agreements, logistics agreements, reviewing advertising materials for legal compliance, and consumer terms.

Gemma previously worked as an in-house lawyer and consultant at organisations such as the Royal British Legion, Bristol Water plc, BT plc, and Supergroup plc before joining Keystone.

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