UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson has appointed Simone Ketchell as a real estate litigation partner, the latest appointment in what has been the most ambitious real estate expansion in the firm's history.

Simone joins from global firm CMS and has twenty-five years practising real estate litigation. She is trusted by FTSE 500 Real Estate businesses as their 'go to' litigator to solve complex and business critical problems.

Record real estate expansion

Simone’s appointment marks 23 specialist real estate lawyers joining the firm in the last 12 months, including six partners. The recruitment drive represents a significant expansion of the firm’s real estate capability based across its eight-office UK and Ireland network and reflects an accelerating strategic commitment to the practice.

The most recent, and substantial, group of new arrivals has joined the firm’s Nottingham office. The recent appointments include six partners – Simone Ketchell, Matthew Kenwood, Christian Major, Matthew Kemp, Su Kemp and Will Thomas – alongside Principal Associates Natalie Alread, Rhodri Glyn and Sian Reynolds, Senior Associates James Bryce and Josh Stephenson, and Associate Misha Bryce from firms such as Shoosmiths and K&L Gates.

The additions have taken Browne Jacobson's full-service real estate team to more than 130 specialists. Together, they advise both the private and public sectors – commercial developers, investors, housing associations, retailers, leisure operators and public authorities on the full range of real estate matters, from planning and financing to construction, development and estate management.

Simone Ketchell said: “I’m excited to join such a highly regarded and forward-thinking firm. I look forward to working alongside such a dynamic and talented real estate team. Browne Jacobson continues to be a growing force in real estate and increasingly visible in both the private sector and public sector market, with further expansion in the last year in line with client demand.”

Sarah Parkinson, Partner and Head of Real Estate at Browne Jacobson, said: “Recruiting Simone is a reflection of our long-standing commitment to real estate and to being at the forefront of our clients' most important projects and aspirations. We now have a team of over 130 dedicated real estate specialists. Collectively, these appointments send a clear signal about the direction of Browne Jacobson's real estate practice, and the standard this team is setting speaks for itself. She brings the additional firepower our clients need when the stakes are highest.”

James Coles, Head of Property Litigation, added: "The property litigation team has seen significant growth over the past 12 to 18 months, and Simone's appointment is the clearest statement yet of our ambition. With four senior lawyers joining the team in the last year alone, we are building a property litigation offering that matches the scale and quality of our wider real estate practice."

Strengthening power in legal disputes

Simone's appointment deepens an already robust disputes and litigation practice. Browne Jacobson is a full-service disputes firm which spans commercial litigation, arbitration, insurance, property, construction, health, data and public law across domestic and international matters. 

Property litigation sits within that offering, led by partner James Coles, handling some of the largest and most complex real estate disputes in the country, including matters involving cross-border ownership structures, offshore holding vehicles and multi-jurisdictional enforcement. Its Ireland presence adds a further competitive dimension, bringing particular strength to disputes involving EU-based entities or assets governed by EU law. 

Simone’s appointment brings Browne Jacobson's lateral partner recruitment to 14 across its UK & Ireland network. Other appointments include Matthew Kenwood (Real Estate), Marie-Claire Scullion (Head of Employment in Ireland); Bethan Parry (Health and Litigation), Colette Withey (Commercial and Technology), Antony Woodhouse (Insurance), Christian Major (Real Estate), Philip James (Data and technology), Adam Culy and Adam Berry (Financial and Professional Risks), Chris Holder (Commercial, Technology and Life Sciences) and Bernhard Maier (Head of Arbitration).

The appointments also underpin the firm's broader growth strategy: operating at the forefront of society's biggest issues and acting as a connector across sectors, bringing together multidisciplinary expertise to deliver solutions for clients.