East Anglia law firm Prettys, which has offices in Ipswich and Chelmsford, has announced the promotion of family law expert Georgina Hall to partner, bringing the total number of partners in the firm to 10.

Georgina has been with Prettys for more than 20 years and brings a wealth of experience having headed the family law department for more than 10 years.

Chief executive Ian Carr said: “This promotion is another clear indicator of the progress we are making in strengthening our infrastructure and talent from within, ultimately benefiting our clients. I am delighted to welcome Georgie as a partner, she has the perfect acumen and qualities to lead our family team and is a key contributor to our private client practice.”

Georgina said, ”This is great confirmation of my work and position at Prettys, I couldn’t be more pleased. We have put together a fantastic team to provide the best possible service and approach to clients and with our new mediation initiatives I believe we are in a position to offer a unique service experience.”

Prior to joining Prettys, Georgina spent 10 years in London working in the public and voluntary sector, local authorities, law centres, charitable institutions and government departments. This background has provided a very broad perspective of context in which a client sits.

She is a great advocate of mediation and over the last few years has developed Prettys own discursive programme called Talking Works, an approach which allows clients to really identify and proceed with their objectives through open discussion with the view to avoiding court. This not only achieves a better immediate outcome but also improves the longevity of the agreement reached.

Prettys has also promoted two outstanding lawyers, Vanessa Bell and Emma Loveday-Hill, to associate level. The two associates work from the Ipswich office and will strengthen and support the firm’s employment team.

Ian Carr said: “Having recently announced very strong revenue performance it is equally important to focus on our great emerging talent pool that has helped Prettys reach and surpass its targets, it has always been our policy to attract and retain exceptional talent.”

Vanessa Bell joined Prettys’ employment services team in 2014. She advises public and private sector clients on the full range of employment related issues, including defending complex employment tribunal claims and works across the education, leisure, aviation and retail sectors.

Emma Loveday-Hill has also been part of the employment services team at Prettys since 2012 and advises both public and private sector clients within a variety of sectors including healthcare, transport and logistics, not for profit, finance and property.

James Brown, partner and practice leader at the Ipswich office of financial and business advisers Grant Thornton, has expanded his role to join the firm’s national leadership team, taking overall responsibility for its eight offices across the central and eastern region.

James has played a lead role in the development of Grant Thornton’s Ipswich office, as well the firm’s Norfolk and Essex operations, and will continue to maintain a strong presence across East Anglia, retaining the majority of his current client base.

In his new role as managing partner for Grant Thornton’s central and east region, James will be responsible for strategically overseeing the firm’s offices in Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Northampton, St Albans and Leicester, plus Grant Thornton’s new site in Chelmsford which opens for business in September.

As part of the move, James will now hand over the reins as practice leader of the Ipswich office to fellow partner Paul Naylor who currently heads Grant Thornton’s operations across Cambridgeshire.

Paul has worked with Grant Thornton for more than 20 years, providing expert advice to privately held and AIM listed corporates, including those with international operations, as well as leading the 90 strong team at the Cambridge office.

James said: “This is an exciting time for Grant Thornton as the firm continues with its strategy for growth and I am delighted to take a lead role in this process.

“Over the years we have built strong, successful relationships with a good number of the dynamic, growth focused businesses we are lucky enough to have in this region and I will continue to remain very much part of that, retaining most of my existing clients.

“We have established a robust and positive leadership team at the Ipswich office which is in very capable hands. My move is very much about empowering the team to continue driving the business forward, under Paul’s experienced direction, and provide both new and existing clients with the expert advice they need to fulfil their own growth ambitions.”

A new auction house, Bishop & Miller, based at the Charles Industrial Estate in Stowmarket, has hired a new full time member of staff.

Jo Howard joined Bishop & Miller, which opened in February, in June to assist with managing the office function of the busy auction house. She joins the existing team of two full time and two part time staff.

Managing director Oliver Miller said: “To be able to expand our team at such an early stage of our business is fantastic. Our business is really growing at a rapid rate and we now have had two fantastic auctions this year where we have seen such an increase in buying and selling and our prices realised.

“The Bishop & Miller name is now getting known in the local community and further afield and people are realising that there is a local auction house to them, offering a high quality customer service.”

Jo said: “I am really looking forward to working with a fantastic team and becoming part of Bishop & Miller. It’s so exciting to think I will be able to grow with this company and contribute to its continued success.”

Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has strengthened its mid-markets team in East Anglia with two new appointments to support local businesses with ambitions to accelerate their growth plans.

Janet Banner becomes business development director, while Tracy Cotton joins as business development associate. They will work with both new and existing clients with annual turnovers between £25million and £750million, providing banking and tailored funding packages to help businesses access the right support in order to capitalise on growth opportunities both domestically and internationally.

Based at the bank’s Endeavour House office in Histon, Cambridge, Janet and Tracy bring more than 20 years’ banking experience to the team. Janet boasts a track record of providing specialist support to a host of businesses within the corporate mid-market sector.

Mark Amis, area director for East Anglia and Essex at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Business confidence is on the rise and firms looking to make investments in equipment, technology or premises need the backing of a committed banker.

“Janet and Tracy bring a wealth of experience to our team to help us deliver this support to businesses in East Anglia.”