Bevan Brittan Leeds Promotes 11 in Record Year

Bevan Brittan Leeds promotes 11 team members as the national firm matches its record for partner promotions and hires its sixth new partner of 2026

National law firm Bevan Brittan has promoted 11 Leeds-based team members in its latest round, including two new partners – Alex Dunne in property and Andrew Uttley in employment, pensions, and immigration. The Leeds promotions form part of a record-matching year for the firm, which has promoted 33 lawyers including six to partner and hired six new partners externally. Bevan Brittan Leeds is one of the firm’s four UK offices alongside Birmingham, Bristol, and London, and the volume of Leeds promotions, a third of the total, reflects the growing importance of the office to the firm’s national practice. Separately, Kuldip Dhanoya has joined as the firm’s sixth new partner hire of 2026, leading its Central and Local Government offering with more than 25 years of public procurement experience from TLT.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Eleven promotions from one Leeds office, including two new partners, adds to a legal sector developing senior talent at scale. Bevan Brittan’s public sector specialism – NHS, local government, housing, procurement – positions it at the intersection of investment flowing through Leeds. Combined with Clarion (17 promotions), Walker Morris (26), and Addleshaw Goddard (five partners), Leeds law firms have promoted over 80 lawyers this year.

Who Was Promoted at Bevan Brittan Leeds

The two new Leeds partners are Alex Dunne in property and Andrew Uttley in employment, pensions, and immigration. They are joined by three senior associates – Gemma Graham, Gary Wales, and Eleanor Smith, all in property – and six associates: Grace Watson (commercial and infrastructure), Daniel Sammon (employment), Nicola Williams (health and care), Tadhgh Keating, Kajal Patel, and Ella Watson (all property). The concentration of property promotions in Leeds reflects the strength of the firm’s real estate practice in the city.

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“These promotions demonstrate the depth of talent at Bevan Brittan and recognise our ongoing commitment to investing in our people. Congratulations to all our promoted colleagues who have delivered meaningful outcomes to clients across our markets and will continue to help us drive our ambitious growth and success.”

— Duncan Weir, Managing Partner, Bevan Brittan

A Record Year for the Firm

The 33 lawyer promotions sat alongside 11 business services promotions. Nationally, the six new partner promotions matched the firm’s record. Bevan Brittan Leeds and the wider firm have also hired six new partners externally in 2026, including Oliver Wright (litigation), Perveen Akhter (construction and infrastructure), Ben Gorner (employment), Bharti Moore (corporate and healthcare), Nick Fothergill (corporate and energy), and Kuldip Dhanoya (central and local government). Kuldip Dhanoya, who joined from TLT where she led the public procurement team, will lead the firm’s central and local government offering – advising government departments, agencies, and local authorities on procurement, outsourcing, and public-private partnerships. Senior partner Jodie Sinclair described the hires as reinforcing the firm’s standing in the market. Bevan Brittan is an appointed supplier on the Government Commercial Agency’s Legal Panel for Government framework.