James Batt
Director: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0932
Mobile: 07803 624338
email: jamesbatt@bcllegal.com
James graduated in law in Manchester in 1996. Following 2 years as a professional rugby player at Sale Rugby Club, now Sale Sharks, James managed the legal team of an international recruitment business in Manchester. For over 10 years James has recruited lawyers within private practice, particularly at senior level.
He is well known by lawyers in the North West for his strategic input and has been involved in team moves and merging practices.
Victoria Clark
Director: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0930
Mobile: 07780 706024
email: victoriaclark@bcllegal.com
Vicky trained with niche commercial law firm Wilde & Partners in London, now part of Hammonds, before relocating to the North West to join Halliwells where she practised as a commercial litigation solicitor. In 2000 she made the transition to legal recruitment and helped to establish the North West legal office of an international recruitment business.
Vicky specialises in recruiting for private practices in the North West particularly within contentious disciplines.
Mark Levine
Director: In HouseDirect Line: 0845 241 0934
Mobile: 07979 527 412
email: marklevine@bcllegal.com
Mark completed a degree in Business in 1997 and on graduation joined the London office of a global recruitment company. Since returning to Manchester in 2001 he has been placing solicitors, heads of legal and company secretaries in various legal departments in businesses across the North West, Yorkshire and the North East.
Mark is the leading specialist in house legal recruiter in the region with over 9 years' experience in the sector. BCL Legal are the leading sponsors of the Commerce & Industry Group Annual Dinner in the North West and Mark works closely with senior counsel and company directors of some of the largest companies in the country. Clients include AstraZeneca plc, BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty plc, British Nuclear Group, Co-operative Financial Services, HBOS, Matalan, MoneySupermarket.com, Siemens and United Utilities plc.
Michelle Field
DirectorDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: info@bcllegal.com
Michelle completed a degree in Business Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. On graduation in 1997 she began her recruitment career in London working for one of the largest recruiters in the world where she was outsourced to a leading City bank to coordinate their huge volume of recruitment.
On her return to Manchester in 2001 she joined a professional services business focusing particularly on marketing. Michelle deals with a range of projects for BCL Legal, primarily within marketing and PR.
Sarah Thomas
Training & Operations DirectorDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: sarahthomas@bcllegal.com
Sarah is responsible for training and development and how that interfaces with the day to day operations at BCL Legal.
Having worked for a multi sector international recruitment organisation for over 15 years and in the latter years leading the training of that business across Europe, Sarah brings a wealth of recruitment experience to the team.
Most of Sarah's recruitment experience has been in providing solutions to financial and other professional services organisations and private practices.
Matt Neary
PR & Communications ConsultantDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: info@bcllegal.com
Matt is our retained PR and communications consultant. He works closely with the business to raise its profile within both the print and online press. He also ensures our latest news, thoughts and opinions are communicated to our clients and candidates.
Ruth Taylor
Senior Consultant: In HouseDirect Line: 0845 241 5637
email: ruthtaylor@bcllegal.com
Ruth completed the GDL and LPC at the College of Law in Chester. She trained as a solicitor at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert in London and qualified in 2005. Ruth then returned to the North West and joined the legal team of an international recruitment business where she specialised in the recruitment of solicitors into private practice across the North West. Ruth joined BCL Legal in 2007 as a consultant in the in house legal team placing solicitors and company secretaries in businesses across the North.
Victoria Moore
Consultant: In HouseDirect Line: 0845 521 3468
email: victoriamoore@bcllegal.com
Victoria completed the CPE and LPC at the College of Law in Chester before spending several years in private practice as a corporate solicitor at Eversheds LLP.
Victoria joined BCL Legal in 2008 and has quickly established the Midlands in house legal recruitment team. She places solicitors and company secretaries in businesses across the Midlands.
James Brewster
Associate Director: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 521 3450
email: jamesbrewster@bcllegal.com
James graduated from St.Mary's College in 1997. In 1998 he began his career within recruitment consultancy. He gained 3 years' recruitment experience working in IT before moving into legal recruitment in 2001 where James recruited and managed a team of legal recruiters within an international multi sector recruitment organisation.
James has considerable experience in the recruitment of solicitors at all levels. James joined BCL Legal in February 2008 and manages a team of consultants recruiting for private practices across Birmingham and the Midlands.
Paul Duffy
Senior Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 521 3496
email: paulduffy@bcllegal.com
Paul graduated in law in 2001 and went on to complete the LPC. He began his career in legal recruitment in 2002 recruiting lawyers into private practice in the Midlands. He now places solicitors at all levels from newly qualified to partners including some very successful commercial team moves. Since joining BCL Legal Paul has developed an impressive client base and regularly sponsors events in conjunction with the lawyers and trainees in the region.
Mary Nowell
Managing Consultant: Temporary & Contracts SolutionsDirect Line: 0845 241 2186
email: marynowell@bcllegal.com
Mary graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree in 2005 and her career in legal recruitment started within an international recruitment consultancy specialising in providing temporary and contract solutions to law firms and in house legal departments across the North West.
Since joining BCL Legal in 2007 Mary has continued to source temporary opportunities for many lawyers and provides temporary solutions for private practices and public sector organisations across the North West.
Daniel Hogan
Senior Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 521 3476
email: danhogan@bcllegal.com
Daniel graduated in law in 2003. For two years Daniel worked for a national organisation recruiting within IT and Engineering. Since 2006 he has recruited solicitors of all levels within private practice across the Midlands. Daniel joined BCL Legal to develop the East and West Midlands private practice team recruiting qualified lawyers into firms in Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby and surrounding areas.
Gareth McGhee
Senior Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 4579
email: garethmcghee@bcllegal.com
Gareth has 10 years experience of working in private practice in Merseyside in varied disciplines of law including Crime and Conveyancing. Since joining BCL Legal in 2004 Gareth has increased his already extensive knowledge of private practices in the region and developed his contacts. Gareth is ideally placed to advise candidates at all levels in the North West.
Tom Crampton
Managing Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0939
email: tomcrampton@bcllegal.com
Tom graduated in law and french from the University of Leeds in 1997 and studied the LPC at the College of Law in Chester. He trained at Beachcroft LLP and joined the defendant litigation department of Praxis Partners on qualification in 2000. He later moved to a national legal recruitment consultancy, specialising in the recruitment of solicitors into private practices across Yorkshire.
Tom joined BCL Legal in 2005 and now manages a team advising law firms and lawyers in Yorkshire and the North East.
Claire Watt
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0965
email: clairewatt@bcllegal.com
Claire graduated in law from the University of Liverpool in 2005 before completing the BVC at Manchester Metropolitan University. She joined BCL Legal in 2007 and is responsible for the recruitment of paralegals, legal executives and solicitors into private practice across the Yorkshire area including Leeds, Sheffield and York.
Layla Jackson
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0936
email: laylajackson@bcllegal.com
Layla has over 15 years' recruitment experience gained predominantly within the legal private practice sector. She has experience of recruiting for niche practices as well as regional and national firms. Layla specialises in recruiting qualified solicitors within private practice across the North West including Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Matthew Porter
Senior Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0937
email: matthewporter@bcllegal.com
After completing the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Chester, Matthew worked as a paralegal and then transferred to recruitment.
Matthew joined BCL Legal in 2005 and specialises in recruiting solicitors for private practice in Manchester.
David Carr
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0935
email: davidcarr@bcllegal.com
David studied at York University before completing the CPE at the College of Law in York. He then returned to the North West where he completed the LPC at Manchester Metropolitan University. David qualified as a solicitor in May 2003. Throughout his training contract and following qualification David worked in private practice within a variety of disciplines including employment law, litigation and insurance. David joined BCL Legal in 2006 and works for private practices in the North West, particularly focusing on legal recruitment in Manchester and Lancashire.
Joanna Marklove
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 521 3494
email: joannamarklove@bcllegal.com
Joanna graduated in law in 2003 and then completed the LPC at Liverpool John Moores University. She went on to spend a year in private practice specialising in criminal law. Joanna has worked in recruitment since 2007 and joined BCL Legal in 2008 to specialise in the recruitment of paralegals and legal executives including costs draftspeople, accredited representatives, claims handlers and law graduates into the North West including Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.
Ify Okpalugo
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: ifyokpalugo@bcllegal.com
Ify graduated from the BPP Law School in Manchester in 2009. She previously gained a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and Law. She decided not to pursue a career in the legal profession after her experience of working for an overseas property investment company where she worked with agents, investors and property developers.
Ify works in the North West team advising paralegals and legal executives looking to work in private practice.
Ben Gates
Consultant: Temporary & Contract SolutionsDirect Line: 0845 241 2185
email: bengates@bcllegal.com
Ben graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree in 2008 and joined the graduate scheme of Procter and Gamble where he worked as a Business Development Manager. He was responsible for managing accounts, selling products, ensuring customer satisfaction and helping them develop their own businesses.
Ben joined BCL Legal in 2009 as part of the interim and temporary contracts team where he sources temporary opportunities for lawyers acting for private practices, in house legal departments as well as public sector and not-for-profit businesses across the Midlands.
Joe Gregory
Consultant: Private PracticeDirect Line: 0845 241 0938
email: joegregory@bcllegal.com
Joe graduated from the University of Manchester in 2006. He began his legal career as a Barristers’ Clerk before joining a niche legal recruitment business where he acted for a wide range of private practices.
Joe places solicitors within private practices across Yorkshire and the North East. He particularly works with firms in Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull and Durham.
Benjamin Hartridge
ConsultantDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: benhartridge@bcllegal.com
Ben graduated from the University of Manchester having studied Law & Accounting and joined an international insurance broker negotiating professional indemnity insurance for small and medium sized law firms.
Ben joined BCL Legal as part of the in house legal team and focuses on placing solicitors and company secretaries in businesses across the North
Gillian Hughes
AdministratorDirect Line: 0845 241 5624
email: gillianhughes@bcllegal.com
Since 2005 Gillian has been an integral part of the office management. She maintains the IT and support systems as well as assisting consultants in their day to day operations.
Wendy Connelly
Office ManagerDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: wendyconnelly@bcllegal.com
Wendy has several years' experience of working in both the recruitment and insurance professions. She is an invaluable member of the BCL Legal team ensuring that the recruitment process for both lawyer candidates and their potential legal employers runs smoothly.
Jo Hickie
AdministratorDirect Line: 0845 241 0933
email: johickie@bcllegal.com
Jo is well known to the directors of BCL Legal as she previously worked with Mark and James for four years. They were reunited in 2009 when Jo joined BCL Legal. Jo has worked in recruitment since 1998. She still enjoys a pivotal role supporting consultants and directors with their many tasks as well as assisting candidates and clients with day to day queries.
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