CMS and Gateley are among nine new firms to have won places on Metro Bank's lending and securities panel.

The firms join alongside incumbents McMillan Williams Solicitors Limited (also known as MW Solicitors), Blake Morgan, Eversheds Sutherland, Dentons and Howard Kennedy. Other new additions include Bates Wells Braithwaite and Charles Russell Speechlys.

The refreshed panel now includes 18 firms, up from 14.

The bank's general counsel Sally-Ann James oversaw the review, which began in November.

Previously, James was head of contract and commercial at The Co-operative Banking Group until 2010. She joined Metro Bank as GC in 2012.

The bank will now begin reviewing its commercial panel, which was first established in 2013, with a view to launching the new panel from 1 May. The commercial panel is currently made up of Addleshaw Goddard, Blake Morgan, DWF, Gowling WLG and King & Spalding.

Metro Bank has five panels in total including commercial, property, employment and litigation as well as lending and securities.

Set up in 2010, the bank has been known to go off-panel and uses Linklaters as one its main corporate advisers. The magic circle firm advised Metro Bank in 2016 on its £1.6bn float on the London Stock Exchange and its £400m equity capital raise prior to the float.

Clarification:  An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that MW Sols had lost its place on the panel. Operating as McMillan Williams, the firm remains a member of Metro Bank's lending and securities panel.

The panel in full:

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang

Charles Russell Speechlys

Bates Wells Braithwaite

DMH Stallard

Gateley

Seddons

Abrahams Dresden

Birketts

Woodfines

Blake Morgan

Hugh James

McMillan Williams Solicitors Limited (trading as MW Solicitors)

Eversheds Sutherland

Dentons

EMW

Herrington Carmichael

Howard Kennedy

Lawrence Stephens