FBC Manby Bowdler announces new Partner appointments

Award-winning Wolverhampton law firm FBC Manby Bowdler has appointed two new partners to its litigation and family departments.

The promotions for Sara Morton and Gareth Ruddock are two of the latest appointments made by the firm as it continues to strengthen its teams across the Midlands.

Sara is now a Partner in the firm’s family department, which has been ranked in Band 1 of the family and matrimonial category of national law guide Chambers UK Directory 2014. She obtained her LLB (Hons) in 2004 and was admitted as a solicitor in 2006. Sara is  experienced in all aspects of family law, including cohabitation matters and dealing with high net worth cases.

Gareth was appointed Partner within the litigation department in April this year, and specialises in commercial litigation with a particular bias towards property disputes and insolvency law. He is also head of the firm’s debt recovery team, working closely with its specialist advisors to provide a debt recovery and insolvency service for commercial clients across the West Midlands and Shropshire.

Also receiving a promotion is Suzanne Tucker, who becomes an Associate in the planning department of the firm. Suzanne, who trained with FBC Manby Bowdler and qualified in 2008, undertakes all aspects of planning, including applications, appeals, statutory challenges to appeal decisions, enforcement, development agreements and planning obligations.

Senior Partner Niall Blackie said: “We are very pleased to be making these appointments, and delighted to promote Sara, Gareth and Suzanne from within our own award-winning firm.

“We are committed to ensuring our solicitors, and all of our staff, have the opportunity to progress their careers. It is great that we have such exceptional talent within the firm and I’ve no doubt each will continue to contribute to the growth and strength of our practice.”

The solicitors work across the West Midlands and Shropshire, with the two partners based at FBC Manby Bowdler’s Wolverhampton offices and Suzanne Tucker based at the firm’s offices in central Telford.