Southampton: Two new partners to head Thrings’ new office

Leading regional law firm Thrings’ plans for expansion in the south have taken a further step forward with the appointment of rural and agriculture specialist Mark Charter and private-client expert Rachel Brooks as partners. Both have joined from regional law practice Blake Morgan, and they will now head up Thrings’ new office in the Southampton International Business Park.

Charter specialises in the sale and acquisition of estates, farms and equine property, landlord and tenant issues, rural business structures, and property work associated with tax and estate-planning arrangements. He also acts for large agribusinesses, landowning organisations and government bodies.

Brooks, who with Charter led the Blake Morgan estates and farms sector team, is a private-client specialist with a focus on agriculture, landed estates and tax planning. With extensive experience of drafting wills and the administration of complex estates, tax planning and trusts, she has also acted as a deputy, executor, trustee and attorney for a range of clients. 

The new partners will use their complementary skills and experience to provide a complete service package to clients requiring legal support in the closely related practice areas of agriculture, landed estates and private affairs. They will also strengthen Thrings’ specialist agriculture team which is the largest of any UK law firm and which serves as a member of the NFU legal panel for seven counties. 

Brooks commented: “Thrings already has a strong presence in London and the South West, and we are tremendously excited to have the opportunity to contribute to its geographical expansion and play a key role in the ongoing provision of specialist legal advice to new and existing clients.”

Simon Holdsworth, managing partner of Thrings, added: “The opening of a new office in Southampton is very much part of the firm’s strategic plan for growth.”