UK Top 50 law firm, Birketts, has further strengthened its planning and environmental team with the appointment of Nicola Gooch as Partner.
Nicola brings a wealth of expertise in mixed-use regeneration and enabling development projects, providing strategic legal advice across a broad spectrum of private sector clients. Her portfolio includes national housebuilders, land promoters and development companies, as well as retail developers, investment funds, care home providers, sports clubs and leisure facilities.
Renowned for her practical approach and in-depth understanding of complex planning frameworks, Nicola also regularly advises on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), guiding clients through its intricacies with clarity and precision.
She has been acknowledged in both Chambers and The Legal 500 for her outstanding contributions and currently ranked joint fourth in this year’s Planning Law Survey. Nicola is also a columnist for The Planner, the official magazine of the RTPI, and a prolific blogger and contributor to the trade press.
Her appointment brings the total number of Partners at Birketts to 138.
Tom Newcombe, Partner and Head of Planning and Environmental at Birketts, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Nicola to our team. She is very well known in the industry as being a fantastic lawyer, very knowledgeable on a wide range of technical planning law matters, and has a wealth of experience in acting in the south-east on some of the most high-profile schemes.
“Nicola is joining us at an exciting time as we celebrate climbing from eighth to third place among the UK’s top 20 planning law firms in this year’s Planning Law Survey.
“The team is looking forward to working with Nicola and introducing her to our fantastic clients and growing further our planning and environmental law offering in the southeast and beyond.”
Nicola said: “I am delighted to be joining Birketts at such an exciting time – both for planning and environmental law, and for the firm. The existing team is highly talented and known for being innovative, client focused and technically excellent. I am really looking forward to working with them as we grow the practice in the south-east and beyond.”
Nicola’s appointment follows the arrival last month (July) of Partner Ian Williamson, Commercial and Technology, and of Partners Barny Croft, Private Wealth Disputes and Stephanie Kingdon, Property Disputes, as well as Legal Directors Lucia Mills, Property Disputes, and Catrin Mills, Employment in June.
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