WSP Solicitors hired two lawyers on 27th May with a combined 53 years of experience, responding to surging demand across its commercial and family law practices.
David Ashcroft brings 40 years in commercial property. Jessica O’Shea specialises in representing children in care proceedings. The appointments couldn’t be more different—yet both reflect where the Gloucestershire firm is growing fastest.
Commercial property work climbed 30% year-on-year. Family law rose 6%. Those figures explain why managing director Camella Cephas moved to strengthen both teams simultaneously.
Ashcroft’s background reads like a Cold War thriller. He holds high-level Ministry of Defence security clearance, having worked on security and defence contracts. His CV includes acting on leases for a major Swedish household goods retailer—almost certainly IKEA, though the firm won’t name names—and advising on the privatisation of nationalised industries across Slovenia and wider Europe during the post-communist transition.
That’s an unusual pedigree for a Cotswold town practice.
“WSP Solicitors has a strong reputation for delivering practical, client-focused advice,” Ashcroft said. “I’m keen to build on the team’s existing expertise and develop relationships with both new and longstanding clients in the region.”
He added: “The firm’s clear ambition was a key factor in my decision to join. With my background in commercial property, company and commercial matters, as well as defence-related work, I’m looking to bring that experience into the team and contribute to the continued strength of the practice.”
The 30% surge in commercial property work mirrors patterns across regional legal markets, where demand for lease negotiations and development work has intensified following two years of reshuffling in retail and industrial sectors. Gloucestershire’s position between Bristol, Birmingham and the M5 corridor has made it a hotspot for distribution centres and commercial development.
Meanwhile, O’Shea joins from another practice where she’d worked alongside Cephas and WSP lawyer litigator Amy Caddick. She’s Child Panel accredited—a specialist qualification for solicitors working in one of family law’s most sensitive areas.
With 13 years’ experience, she represents children in legal proceedings involving social services. Care proceedings. Kinship care. Special guardianship and child arrangement orders. Cases where outcomes reshape young lives.
“Having previously worked with our Managing Director, Camella Cephas, and Lawyer Litigator, Amy Caddick, and hearing what a great place WSP Solicitors is to work, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” O’Shea said. “The firm has a clear direction for the future and a strong client focus. I’m joining a highly experienced Child Law team and am keen to contribute to the continued development of its services.”
She acknowledged the emotional weight of the work. “We work in a hugely emotive area of law. I’m looking forward to working closely with our clients, understanding their individual circumstances, and supporting them every step of the way.”
The 6% growth in family law work, whilst more modest than commercial property, still represents steady demand in a field where capacity constraints often limit case intake. Child law specialists with Panel accreditation remain in short supply across the South West.
WSP Solicitors operates from two sites: the market town of Stroud and Elmbridge East Business Park on Gloucester’s outskirts. That positioning gives access to both Gloucester and Cheltenham whilst maintaining a base in the Cotswolds.
The firm’s roots stretch back to 1758. It formed through the merger of three local practices—Winterbothams, A E Smith & Son, and Penleys, which was established by the Vizard family. William Vizard once represented Queen Caroline when George IV attempted to divorce her, a piece of legal history that still features in the firm’s promotional material.
Today WSP employs 65 legal professionals and support staff across private client work, residential conveyancing, family law, commercial property and corporate law. That’s a significant presence in a regional market where national firms increasingly compete with independent practices for both talent and clients.
Cephas framed the appointments as strategic investment. “We are delighted to welcome both Jessica and David to the firm,” she said. “Each brings a wealth of experience and specialist expertise that will further strengthen our Commercial and Child Law teams.”
“Their appointments reflect our ongoing commitment to making life less complicated for all our clients and investing in talented people who share the same values as our firm,” she added. “We’re looking forward to seeing their contributions, not only in delivering excellent service to our clients but also in supporting the continued development of colleagues across the business.”
The firm was a finalist in the Customer Excellence category at the 2025 SoGlos Gloucestershire Business awards, recognition that matters in a market where reputation drives referrals.
For Ashcroft, the move represents a shift from the international scale of his previous work—Slovenian privatisations, MOD contracts—to a regional practice with 265 years of local knowledge. For O’Shea, it’s a return to familiar faces and a chance to build on relationships established earlier in her career.
Whether the 30% commercial property growth sustains into 2027 will depend partly on development activity across the county. What’s certain is that WSP now has the capacity to handle increased volume across two very different practice areas.
By summer’s end, both hires will have absorbed caseloads that reflect Gloucestershire’s peculiar mix: property deals that require MOD-level discretion, and family proceedings where a solicitor’s skill can determine a child’s future. Not many law firms need both skill sets simultaneously.
