Ipswich law firm Barker Gotelee has expanded its team with three recent new additions, including Lindsey Sharples who has joined the private client department.

Having trained in Norwich from 2005 to 2007, she has worked as a solicitor and then associate in the private client team at a solicitors since then. A student member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Lindsey specialises in wills, administration of estates, Court of Protection work, powers of attorney, tax and trusts.

She said: “I am very excited to have joined the private client team at Barker Gotelee who already has such a great reputation for providing high quality advice to a range of clients. I pride myself on being very approachable and personable and I am hopeful of being able to complement the existing team and the firm and build on their success.”

The firm has also expanded its company commercial team with the appointment of a new associate solicitor, Elaine Mann. Elaine specialises in providing businesses and investors with legal advice on all aspects of their structure and transactions they are involved in. Elaine has experience in buying and selling companies and assets, setting up new companies and in preparing the necessary agreements and documentation to protect business owners and investors investing into businesses. Elaine will also be working alongside John Bradshaw to strengthen Barker Gotelee’s insolvency and business recovery team, providing advice and assistance to insolvency practitioners and businesses in financial difficulties.

Elaine said: “I am looking forward to working with the team to expand and develop the services Barker Gotelee can offer to its business clients. Barker Gotelee is an expanding well respected firm, but is not so large that the personal touch is lost.”

Lyndsey Banthorpe has joined the commercial property department, working as a paralegal. Lyndsey graduated from the University of Southampton in 2013. Lyndsey will be studying the Legal Practice Course (LPC) with combined Masters in London at the University of Law, and will be completing her training contract with Barker Gotelee on completion of her LPC. Lyndsey said she was “delighted” to be back in her home town and training with such a reputable firm.

: : James Prince from financial advisers KPMG’s indirect tax team is one of 29 people across the UK firm to be promoted to partner.

James has worked in the East Anglian practice of KPMG for 13 years, having joined the firm in 1999. He specialises in indirect tax, working with local businesses on a range of issues including VAT and customs duties, and has spent the last few years helping local companies achieve efficiencies in their indirect tax accounting, helping to reduce costs, promote cash flow and enhance compliance.

Steve Muncey, senior partner for KPMG in East Anglia said: “Being promoted to partner is an incredibly tough process at KPMG and I am absolutely delighted that James’s specialist technical expertise, industry knowledge and hard work has been acknowledged with his promotion. James is very popular with our staff and clients and has had a number of very successful years in helping local companies with their indirect tax agenda through the recession.

“Recruiting, retaining and promoting talent is essential to any large, growing business and James is a great asset to our business here in the region. His promotion is also a reflection of how important our local offices are to the UK firm.”

Dan Crowther from KPMG’s private client team was also promoted to partner. Dan, who is London based but has worked with local businesses over the last few years, will spend some of his time based in the East Anglian practice, working with the KPMG team, in particularly the family business team.

: : Chris Barker, a tax manager at Scrutton Bland, has scooped an award for his VAT exam after achieving the top mark in the country in the Institute for Indirect Tax’s (IIT) July 2013 paper.

Having already qualified as a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser, Chris undertook the indirect tax exams as part of Scrutton Bland’s growth in the area of Indirect Tax advice.

He has now completed his IIT examinations having passed his first paper in October 2012 and is now awaiting confirmation of his admission as an Associate of the Institute of Indirect Tax.

Chris said: “I am delighted to have won this award and completed my Indirect Tax qualification. Indirect Tax, in particular VAT, is such a complex area of tax law, often overlooked by businesses, so it is great that Scrutton Bland are in a position to help ensure that our clients are fully aware of how VAT affects them. I am happy to be an important part of that service and I am looking forward to continuing to provide Scrutton Bland’s clients with top tax advice, be that VAT, Income Tax, or any other tax.”

Chris, whose exam result also merited a distinction, will receive his award at a special presentation this month.

: : Chartered accountany firm Ensors has welcomed 11 new student accountants to their offices across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Eight of the students join the firm having just completed A levels and will study for AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) whilst three join as graduates and will study to become a Chartered Accountant with ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).

Senior partner Robert Hatch said: “We are really pleased to welcome the next generation of accountants to the firm.

“We have a long history of exam success with our student accountants and look forward to further successes with our new intake.”

: : Accountancy firm Lovewell Blake, which has offices in Lowestoft, Bury St Edumunds, Halesworth and Long Melford, is celebrating the success of 11 members of staff who have received qualifications from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The students have all passed their exams, advancing their knowledge and practical accounting skills through the AAT and to gain chartered status with the ACCA.

The firm won praise from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW), the professional membership organisation that supports chartered accountants worldwide, awarding the company a personal development accreditation for Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) student training.

Douglas Young, partner at Lovewell Blake, said: “I am delighted to be able to congratulate our students on their success. Career development is something we pride ourselves on and to see this group excelling at the beginning of their professions in accountancy is fantastic.

“As an organisation it is gratifying to gain recognition from the ICAEW in acknowledgment of the on-going support that we provide to students whilst they are training. We already hold a similar accreditation with ACCA and this further demonstrates the value to students of training with Lovewell Blake.”

: : The commercial property team at regional law firm Fisher Jones Greenwood has expanded with the appointment of experienced commercial solicitor Geraldine Pigot to its Chelmsford office.

Geraldine joins the firm with more than 10 years’ experience working for a top firm in the city and has particular expertise in joint venture agreements, development agreements, sale contracts and asset management agreements.

She brings a wealth of experience to add to an expanding team of commercial property experts at the firm which has recently once again been recommended in the latest edition on legal directory, the Legal 500.

She said: “Joining a growing, Legal 500 team is a fantastic proposition and one I am extremely excited about.

“I can now look forward to using my experience to help drive the team forward, expanding on the already excellent reputation and developing our client services.”

Ellen Petersen, partnership member and head of commercial property at the firm, added: “I am delighted to be expanding and strengthening the commercial real estate team by bringing Geraldine on board. Having someone of her calibre join the team is testament to our ambition and success.”

: : Motor vehicle paint technician Paul Reeder has scooped a top industry award.

Paul, a paint shop supervisor from Hammonds in Halesworth, competed against the UK’s top industry professionals, and was crowned the UK’s “Paint Technician of the Year 2013”.

The 17th Annual Bodyshop Event took place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, following a rigorous two-day practical assessment at Thatcham, the motor insurers’ automotive research Centre in Berkshire.

“I have been very close to winning this award on several occasions in the past, and to be honest I’m thrilled to have finally done it,” he said.

Accident Repair Centre Manager Kevin Vokes said: “We are all delighted for Paul, he really is a model professional. We had no doubt that his skills and attitude would shine through and he would be bringing this prestigious award back to Suffolk.”