Another round of promotions as Fletchers Group appoints Office Heads

Fletchers Group is pleased to announce the promotion of six talented colleagues to Heads of Office across its various office locations, around the UK. This move reflects the firm’s commitment to leadership development and its dedication to providing exceptional service to clients.

The newly appointed Office Heads are Michelle Heyes, Saima Mazhar, Gillian Lakes, Tim Moulton, Claire Hutchinson, and Emma Semwayo who have all demonstrated outstanding performance and leadership within the firm.

In their roles, the new Office Heads will assume overall responsibility of supporting colleague welfare and the Fletchers culture; they will act as day-to-day senior leader across their respective offices, and will become the office figurehead and role model, raising the profile and reputation of their office across each location and region in which they are located.

• Saima Mazhar, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence, will become Head of Manchester office

Since joining Fletchers in 2017, Saima has supported five clinical negligence teams in Manchester, helping to deliver excellent client care. Her diverse career journey includes experience in both Claimant and Defendant firms, offering her a comprehensive understanding of the legal landscape.

Saima was made Partner in 2022 and was promoted to Head of Department for Clinical Negligence in Manchester in 2023. She has taken an active role building and developing the Fletchers Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) committee, and actively promotes the legal profession in the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire areas working closely with schools and universities.

• Gillian Lakes, Associate and Head of Serious Injury Law, will become Head of Bolton office

With over 25 years of experience in serious injury, Gillian has been with Fletchers specialist serious injury practice, Serious Injury Law, since 2018. When Fletchers acquired the firm in 2024, Gillian was appointed Head of Serious injury for Bolton and was made an Associate in August the same year. Her expertise encompasses cases arising from road traffic accidents, workplace incidents, and military service.

• Michelle Heyes, Partner and Head of Serious Injury, will become Head of Southport office

Michelle Heyes joined Fletchers in 1992 at the start of her legal career and spent more than 25 years dealing with personal injury claims, specialising in complex orthopaedic injuries, before moving into leadership and then becoming Head of the Serious Injury department in 2022. Michelle now leads a team of highly skilled and experienced lawyers who work tirelessly to achieve the very best results for our seriously injured clients.

• Tim Moulton, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence, will become Head of Liverpool office

Tim joined Fletchers in 2018 and supports our overall leadership by managing skilled solicitors across the business. He specialises in claims involving orthopaedic injury & loss of fertility. Throughout his career, Tim has worked on a huge range of claims of from modest value to multimillion pound clinical negligence cases of utmost severity, achieving successful outcomes for the most vulnerable clients and families. He serves as a key point of contact for external partners, developing excellent working relationships with Counsel and Agencies.

• Emma Semwayo, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence, will become Head of Leeds office

Emma joined Fletchers eight years ago as a Clinical Negligence Solicitor in Manchester. She was appointed Head of Clinical Negligence for the Leeds teams in January 2023. She is a Partner and a passionate advocate of women lawyers and leaders. She co-founded the Fletchers Menopause Support Group providing support across the Fletchers Group and was a founder member of Fletchers EDI committee, driving positive change across the business.

• Claire Hutchinson, Partner, will become Head of Cambridge office

Claire is a Partner with over 20 years of experience. Claire’s expertise lies in catastrophic injury cases, including traumatic brain injury, spinal injuries, and amputations. She has a particular interest in client rehabilitation, focusing on ensuring that clients receive comprehensive care and support throughout their recovery process.

In 2022, Claire made the move from our Bolton to Cambridge office to help support the growth of the Cambridge team whilst continuing her catastrophic injury work.

Each new Office Head brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in their respective practice areas. These promotions underscores the firm’s strategy to empower its leaders and enhance its operational effectiveness.

Adrian Denson, Chief Legal Officer of Fletchers Group, said: “I am delighted to make these promotions to such key roles, and they reflect the strength and depth of talent that we have at Fletchers. Fletchers has always built on the strength of our people and invested in their development and I am proud of this latest example of that. Promoting these six individuals recognises their hard work and talent and puts them in key roles which positions us for continued growth and excellence in serving our clients across all of our office locations. We are excited to see how they will lead their teams, their offices and help to drive our mission forward.”

With this new leadership structure in place, and following the recent Managing Director appointments, Fletchers Group is set to strengthen its presence in the legal market and continue delivering quality legal services in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence. The firm remains committed to fostering an environment that encourages growth and collaboration among its staff.