Six partners in 12 months. That’s the pace at which Browne Jacobson has been building its London practice, with the latest double hire marking the most visible sign yet of the firm’s aggressive push into the capital.
Christian Major and Phil James joined as partners on 5 February, bringing heavyweight expertise in real estate investment and data protection from K&L Gates and Eversheds Sutherland respectively. The appointments take the firm’s lateral partner count across its UK and Ireland network to 12 over the past year—a recruitment drive that’s reshaping the mid-tier legal landscape.
Major arrives with a Legal 500 ranking as a leading partner for real estate and a client roster spanning investors, developers and corporate occupiers. His work has centred on complex headquarters deals for finance houses, technology firms and fashion brands—the kind of sophisticated transactions that require both commercial nous and technical precision.
James brings 25 years of data protection experience and will co-lead Browne Jacobson’s international data, privacy and cybersecurity group. At Eversheds Sutherland, he headed UK data, privacy and cybersecurity, advising clients on cross-border regulatory challenges that span AI deployment, incident response and fraud prevention.
Declan Cushley, who heads the London office, was blunt about the firm’s intentions. “Christian and Phil are exactly the calibre of lawyer we’re bringing into London right now. These aren’t just strong hires, they’re statement hires. Both are leaders in their fields, both are here because they see what we’re building, and both significantly raise our game in areas where client demand is fierce.”
The moves come 18 months after Browne Jacobson lifted a market-leading technology practice from Ernst & Young, cementing the firm’s positioning in technology and digital advisory work. That hire brought a 25-strong technology and media team to London—a foundation upon which the data practice now builds.
For Major, the real estate investment practice represents an opportunity to compete at a level previously dominated by larger City practices. “The firm is building something genuinely exciting in real estate investment, with the backing and strategic vision to become a real force in the market,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with clients who demand sophisticated advice on complex transactions and help to grow an industry leading practice.”
Rebecca Toates, who heads the real estate built environment team, made clear the strategic intent behind Major’s appointment. “Christian’s appointment gives us significant firepower in real estate investment. This is a market where credibility matters, where clients want proven expertise, and where we’re now positioned to compete at the highest level. There’s more to come.”
That last phrase—”more to come”—suggests the hiring isn’t finished.
James will work alongside Jeanne Kelly, co-head of the international data group, to lead the expanded UK capability. The pairing creates a structure designed to handle multi-jurisdictional mandates—the kind that require coordination across borders and regulatory frameworks.
“Phil will work closely with our team in Ireland and across our network, whilst leading our expanded UK data capability,” Kelly explained. “Combined with our existing 25-strong technology and media group in London, we’re equipped to tackle the most demanding, multi-jurisdictional data challenges our clients face.”
The data practice operates in an environment where regulatory change has accelerated client demand. AI deployment, cybersecurity incidents and privacy governance now require legal teams capable of operating across jurisdictions simultaneously. James acknowledged the complexity.
“Clients are facing unprecedented data and AI challenges that require integrated, holistic, cross-disciplinary advice. Most importantly, advice that is both innovative and actionable, across constantly changing and overlapping regulatory frameworks, often in multiple jurisdictions,” he said. “I’m thrilled to help lead this offering and work with some exceptional lawyers across the network.”
Beyond London, the recruitment pattern extends across the firm’s seven-office network. Dublin gained Marie-Claire Scullion as head of employment. Nottingham added Matthew Kemp, Su Kemp and Will Thomas to real estate. Manchester brought in Colette Withey for commercial and technology work.
In London specifically, the past year has seen financial services partners Adam Culy and Adam Berry arrive, followed by Chris Holder in commercial, technology and life sciences, Danielle Carr in international litigation, and Bernhard Maier in arbitration. Each hire targets a practice area where client demand has outstripped capacity.
The physical expansion matches the recruitment pace. Three offices opened in three years: Dublin, Manchester and Cardiff. Last week, the Cardiff team moved into a 9,500 square foot permanent space at One Central Square, having grown from seven people to 40 since establishing the office.
That growth trajectory—from seven to 40 in Cardiff alone—illustrates the speed at which the firm is scaling. The expansion relies on attracting lawyers from competitors whilst simultaneously building practices capable of competing for the same work those competitors chase.
Richard Medd, managing partner, framed the strategy in terms of interconnected capability across the network. “We are absolutely committed to growing and developing market-leading capability across our seven-office network. Our ambitions in our newest offices, London, Dublin, Manchester and Cardiff, are particularly strong, and these appointments demonstrate our determination to build interconnected practices that can serve our clients’ needs wherever they do business, across the UK & Ireland and internationally.”
The firm now employs around 1,300 people and ranks within the UK’s top 50 legal practices. It operates across sectors including technology, retail, financial services, energy, construction, insurance, education, public sector and healthcare—a breadth that requires depth in multiple practice areas simultaneously.
For a firm pursuing what amounts to a multi-city expansion strategy, the recruitment challenge is twofold: attract partners capable of competing with established City and regional practices, then integrate them into a network that can deliver coordinated advice across jurisdictions. The London appointments suggest Browne Jacobson is achieving the first part.
Whether the network integration delivers the seamless cross-border capability clients increasingly demand will become clear as the newly expanded practices begin handling the complex, multi-jurisdictional mandates they were hired to win. By that measure, the six London partners hired over the past 12 months represent not just growth, but a bet on a specific model of legal service delivery.
The question facing competitors isn’t whether Browne Jacobson can attract talent from larger firms—the past year has answered that. It’s whether the pace continues, and which practices get targeted next.
