Together, the new partners will strengthen Edwin Coe’s ability to advise across the interconnected interests of private clients and families, entrepreneurs, family offices, investors, lenders, businesses and property owners in the UK and internationally.

Independent London law firm Edwin Coe has made five lateral partner hires across its private client and real estate practices as the £44 million (£59.64 million) firm continues to invest in its private capital, property and disputes capabilities.

Judith Millar and Elizabeth Neale have joined the firm’s private client practice from Broadfield Law, and Paul Henson has joined the property disputes team from Irwin Mitchell. They will be followed by Andy King from Mills & Reeve and William Bethune from Harold Benjamin.

Millar has extensive experience advising UK and international private clients on tax, trusts, estates and succession planning, including work with internationally connected individuals and families.

Neale’s brings experience across tax, trusts, probate and estate planning, includes the administration of complex and international estates and inheritance tax matters.

Henson has has a background in property disputes for commercial and individual clients across sectors including development, retail, housing and corporate occupiers. He advises on freehold and leasehold disputes, residential and commercial landlord and tenant matters, complex and conditional break clauses, dilapidations, restrictive covenants and the recovery of rent and service charges. Henson also works closely with private banks, LPA receivers, liquidators and administrators.

King has worked for more than 15 years in advising lenders and borrowers on complex UK and cross-border real estate finance transactions. His practice covers investment and development finance, acquisition finance, refinancing, restructuring, distressed real estate situations and security enforcement. Andy has advised on high-value and complex financing mandates involving multi-party negotiations, tight timelines and cross-border structures, adding extra strength to Edwin Coe's real estate finance capability and complementing the firm's wider real estate offering.

Bethune, who he is partner and head of leasehold enfranchisement at Harold Benjamin, was formerly at Trowers and Hamlins. He advises landlords, investors, developer and leaseholders bringing further specialist expertise across enfranchisement and commonhold to Edwin Coe’s residential property offering. In recent matters, Bethune has been dealing with large-scale complex Right to Manage claims, rights of first refusal claims under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 and commonhold advice in anticipation of upcoming reforms.

Millar and Henson joined Edwin Coe on 17 August, with Neale joined on 24 August. King will be joining on 28 September and Bethune on 2 October.

The appointments will take Edwin Coe’s partnership from 46 to 51 partners and add expertise spanning international private wealth and succession planning, property disputes, banking and real estate finance and leasehold enfranchisement. Together, the new partners will strengthen Edwin Coe’s ability to advise across the interconnected interests of private clients and families, entrepreneurs, family offices, investors, lenders, businesses and property owners in the UK and internationally, the firm said.

“Bringing five new partners into the firm represents a significant investment in our leadership and adds considerable experience in areas that are central to our continued growth,” Alison Broadberry, managing partner at Edwin Coe, said. “Our clients’ legal, commercial and personal interests increasingly cross traditional practice boundaries, particularly across private capital, property, finance and disputes. These appointments strengthen our ability to be collaborative in how we bring together expertise across the firm, committed to delivering the judgement and service our clients expect, and connected to the markets, sectors and international networks that matter to them.”