A young lawyer has qualified as a solicitor at Jacksons, having started her career with the firm as a legal secretary three years ago.
Chloe Thompson took the position of secretary in the firm’s dispute resolution department in May 2022, after completing her undergraduate law degree and a Masters in Law incorporating the Legal Practice Course (LPC). After qualifying as a solicitor she will now continue working in the firm’s wills, trusts and probate team.
She said: “It’s quite hard to get a training contract so I started out as secretary to get some experience within a law firm. I saw that it was a lovely place to work where everyone is supportive, so I was keen to work my way up.”
Helen Milburn, a partner who heads up the private client team, added: “From the start, I just knew how good she was going to be. She had everything you want to see in a trainee solicitor, and we were really keen to keep her on after she qualified.”
RMT Accountants & Business Advisors has promoted Chris Brown to director within its specialist healthcare division. Mr Brown has been with the firm for over a decade and has played a central role in the development of RMT Healthcare. Originally from Northern Ireland, he moved to the North East 13 years ago and joined RMT in 2015.
He has since developed extensive expertise across the healthcare landscape through his work with GP practices, PCNs, GP federations, limited companies, dentists and pharmacies.
Mr Brown said: “RMT has given me the opportunity to grow as part of an ambitious team. We have the right systems, people and expertise in place, and I’m excited to play a more significant role in shaping how we support our clients and continue expanding across the sector.”
North East cyber cluster CyberNorth has appointed Helen Matthews as a delivery manager. The move comes as Danielle Phillips officially steps into the role of CEO following a transition period ahead of the recent retirement of Phil Jackman.
Ms Matthews becomes delivery manager for skills following 18 months at ƵC3, the Ƶ Cyber Cluster Collaboration which exists to support the Cyber clusters in their mission to drive economic growth in the cyber security sector. She will be engaging and working closely with the North East education sector to ensure the cyber workforce of today and tomorrow is skilled and equipped for success.
She said: “I’m thrilled to join CyberNorth at such a pivotal time, collaboration, building relations and bridging connections between academia and industry is of essence for regional growth in the sector and I relish the opportunity to work with Danielle and the talented team here to further impact the cyber security community here in the North East.”
Renewables developer OnPath Energy has chosen Tom Chaplin to take the lead on its community work across England. Mr Chaplin has joined the Sunderland-headquartered firm as its new partnership and community manager and will be working with local residents, community groups, landowners and other stakeholders in the areas around OnPath’s nine English onshore wind farms, as well as in locations where new renewable energy projects are being planned or built.
He began his career in the television industry, working as an assistant director on a range of well-known programmes, including Monarch Of The Glen and Peak Practice, before becoming a scriptwriter on series including Dream Team and Eastenders. He returned to the North East in 2007, moving into the communications sector and has since worked in a number of regional marketing and stakeholder engagement roles, including with the Port of Blyth and the Catapult National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.
He said: “After nearly a decade working in renewables, I’ve found that the stakeholder engagement work I’ve done in that time has been the most rewarding part of the job and the opportunity to do that full time with OnPath Energy is something I’m relishing.”
North East engineering company RWO has appointed Phil Brown as a senior executive. Mr Brown has been appointed geoenvironmental services associate director in a move that will see him working alongside head of department Chris Rudd at the Stokesley office as well as the wider management team based at the firm’s Newcastle office.
Bringing over 30 years’ experience, he will be responsible for a brief that includes coordinating major infrastructure projects, business development, operational oversight, technical compliance and managing a team of geoenvironmental engineers.
He said: “I am delighted to be joining RWO, which has a great reputation for excellence, a strong team culture and positive philosophy, with ongoing ambitions to see its operations expand further across the Ƶ.”
