Challinors marks end of landmark year with Chief Executive appointment

West Midlands law firm Challinors has marked the end of a landmark year for the firm with the appointment of a new Chief Executive.

Andy Hodges, 49 from Nottingham, joins Challinors from East Midlands law firm Fraser Brown, where he formerly held the position of Chief Executive. Having spent 13 years in his previous role, and with a career in senior level management spanning 29 years, Mr Hodges has a wealth of highly relevant experience in both law and heading up sizeable firms. Mr Hodges' successful track record in business therefore befits his leading position at Challinors, which is one of the most prominent roles in the region's legal industry.

Mr Hodges' appointment closely follows a change of personnel at senior partner level, with Trevor Lee, a pivotal force at Challinors for more than 45 years, stepping down. Mr Lee's former deputy Paul Griffiths has hit the ground running in his new role as senior partner and with the arrival of Mr Hodges, the firm is set to enter into a new era. This coincides with a time when the legal landscape as a whole is experiencing a significant shift.

Mr Hodges said: "Every law firm in the UK is aware that changes are afoot in the wake of the Carter and Clementi Reviews; and after considering how best I was personally going to face these new challenges, I took the decision to look for a new role with a law firm of considerable size and scale. I wanted to be on board with a firm which also had the necessary forward thinking culture to adapt to changing market conditions, and joining Challinors has not only fitted perfectly with these aspirations, I now have a platform to build on my career in a different geographic region.

"My first major responsibility at Challinors will be to develop a strategic focus that will enable the firm to be flexible and stay competitive. But the aim is not simply to retain Challinors' dominant position in Birmingham and the Black Country, I certainly see the firm as being ripe for growth and expansion, particularly in the area of commercial property, and it is my aim to stay true to the ambitious upwards trajectory that has seen Challinors grow from a small regional practice to having more than 200 employees across four offices.

"Personally I will be investing time in building my personal profile in the West Midlands so that I have a strong presence in the business community and that I am therefore well placed to promote Challinors and the values that set it apart from its competitors."

Mr Hodges succeeds retiring Chief Executive David Higson with immediate effect. Mr Higson had been in post as Chief Executive at Challinors for 19 years.

Senior Partner at Challinors, Paul Griffiths, said: " David Higson's legacy is that of a very successful law firm which is both busy and profiitable and continues to attract and retain staff of the highest calibre. We all wish him well in his retirement and I am looking forward to working with Andy Hodges. He is clearly a man prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that could befall the firm at what is likely to be an exciting yet unpredictable time. Together we will be building on years of Challinors history as we take the firm into this new era."