Shoosmiths hires partner
The law firm has appointed David Matthias as partner in its Manchester planning and environment team.
Matthias specialises in Section 106 agreements, strategic land and compulsory purchase orders, along with major highways schemes.
He joins from his role as a principal associate at Weightmans, and previously trained and qualified at DLA Piper.
He has previously worked on projects including an advisory role for Liverpool City Council on the delivery of its Knowledge Quarter, promoting the highway improvement scheme at junction 10 of the M6 with Walsall Council and Highways England, as well as advising Peterborough City Council on the delivery of 7,500 homes as part of its sustainable urban extension.
This appointment is one of a number of Shoosmiths partner hires over 2019, including Karen Howard and Fraser Mitchell into the planning and environment team, as well as Paul Alger and Choisanne Man into the real estate team.
Lisa Tye, joint national head of planning and environment, said: “Although we are one of the biggest planning and environment teams in the UK, we are extremely ambitious about increasing and improving our offering wherever necessary. David’s appointment is key to this and we are extremely pleased to welcome such a high-calibre planning lawyer to the team.”
Mathias said of his appointment: “Shoosmiths is an extremely exciting firm to be joining with major growth ambitions across the board, not just within the planning and environment team headed by Kathryn Jump and Lisa Tye. I am really looking forward to helping supplement and drive that growth here in Manchester, across the North and nationally.”
