UK top 50 firm converts to LDP status as trio join partnership

Mills & Reeve has added a barrister to its partnership in the firm's annual promotions round, becoming the latest UK top 50 practice to convert to Legal Disciplinary Practice (LDP) status.

Richard Sykes, the head of the firm's public law and regulatory team, has become a member of the equity partnership after the firm converted to LDP status on 1 May.

LDPs, a key aspect of the reforms ushered in by the Legal Services Act, allow non-lawyers to form up to 25% of a law firm's partnership. The changes came into force in March 2009, but to date only a handful of firms including Halliwells and Irwin Mitchell have taken up the option.

Mills & Reeve senior partner Mark Jeffries (pictured) commented: "We were not able to promote Richard to the equity partnership last year due to our limited liability partnership status. We are very happy to welcome him on board this year – the changes were long overdue."

The move comes at the same time as Mills & Reeve's annual promotions round, which has seen two solicitors made up to the partnership, taking the total number of partners at the firm to 92.

The new partner promotions include Amanda Tagg, whose practice focuses on agricultural real estate. Tagg trained at Slaughter and May and joined Mills & Reeve's real estate group in Cambridge in 2005, transferring to the agricultural real estate team in 2008.

The other new partner is banking specialist Zak Virgin, who joined the firm as a trainee in 1999. He spent his first five years as a solicitor in the corporate team before moving to the banking team in 2006.

Jeffries added: "These two talented individuals will enable us to extend the reach of our real estate and banking practices."