The latest moves and appointments in wealth management in the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and other select locations.

Mourant 
Mourant, a law firm-led professional services business, promoted this week James Cousins from the firm's Guernsey corporate practice, and Will Burnell, a member of the firm's Jersey-based international trusts and private client team, to partner level, starting in August. 

Cousins joined Mourant in 2022 and specialises in investment funds, the firm said in a statement. Prior to joining the firm, he spent over nine years in the investment management industry, latterly as a partner and general counsel in a financial technology business and before that in the legal teams of Brevan Howard and BlueCrest (both global macro hedge funds). He began his career at a US law firm in London and Silicon Valley. His practice, which has a particular interest in hedge funds and other alternative investments, spans all aspects of asset management, the firm said.

Burnell relocated to Jersey in June 2016 having previously worked in the BVI and England, the firm said. He advises corporate, charitable and private clients from a range of jurisdictions on the creation, management and termination of BVI, Cayman and Jersey trusts and other wealth and succession planning vehicles.

“Both these colleagues have made outstanding contributions to their respective practices and also more widely across Mourant since joining the firm. They bring extensive experience, technical expertise, and a commitment to delivering high quality client service through collaboration and teamwork," Mourant global managing partner, Jonathan Rigby, said. 

Lindemannlaw
Lindemannlaw, the Zurich-headquartered law firm operating in a number of jurisdictions, has appointed Lionel Patrick Serex, LLM. 

Serex has more than 15 years’ experience in litigation before civil, criminal as well as administrative courts in Switzerland, in arbitration, regulation and financial authorisations with FINMA and other bodies. He has also worked in areas involving blockchain, crypto and fintech including token and distributed ledger technology regulation in Switzerland, Liechtenstein.

A native French speaker, he is fluent in German and English.

Lowry Legal
Specialist high net worth divorce law firm Lowry Legal has appointed matrimonial solicitor Lesley Smythe as a partner.

Smythe’s addition to the firm’s senior team is the latest step in its plans to bolster its breadth of expertise across complex family law issues. An expert family lawyer, Smythe is respected for her candid, supportive, and personable approach to clients, essential in providing high-quality family law services, the firm said in a statement.

Smythe, who has 25 years’ experience across the full range of divorce law, previously headed up the family and matrimonial department at DTM Legal. Before DTM, she worked at both DWF and Stowe Family Law, where she honed her specialisms in disentangling complicated financial assets following relationship breakdowns and assisting clients in the negotiation and drafting of pre- and post-nuptial agreements.