Nicola Brown > Mills & Reeve LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

The Cambridge office of Mills & Reeve LLP is a key hub nationally for the firm’s employment work. The ‘open and friendly‘ David Mills leads the practice, wherein Nicola Brown heads up the firm’s work for national higher education, and charity clients, specifically. Stuart Craig focuses on advising health sector clients in the East of England and London, and Melanie James is a key adviser to large private employers. James Kidd leads the employment, pensions and immigration practice in the Norwich office, where ‘expert in his field’ Alex Russell focuses on supporting educational institutions; Russell notably acted for Royal Veterinary College in the successful defence of an unfair dismissal claim.

The charities and social enterprise practice at Mills & Reeve LLP advises an impressive array of charity clients, among them the Francis Crick Institute, The Children’s Trust and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. ‘Exceptional lawyer’ and practice head Neil Burton, charity finance-focused Sarah Seed, fundraising specialist Dona Ardeman, and employment expert Nicola Brown are some of the key practitioners to note in the Cambridge office. The team stands out for its ability to ‘clearly identify risks and best approaches’. Principal associate Nathalie Jacoby-Danesh moved to Browne Jacobson LLP in April 2023.

Notably capable in both education and health sector work, Mills & Reeve LLP provides ‘expert advice in a timely way‘. Gary Attle in Cambridge, who is known for his ‘calm expertise and excellent focus on the relevant issues‘, is joint head of the education and research sector group, working with partners in Leeds, while the health and care sector group is led from Birmingham. Attle advises numerous universities on contentious and governance issues. Partner Richard Noble and principal associate Kimbra Weston, both based in Cambridge, are key advisers to education and charity clients on property matters and are ‘always available and willing to discuss any issue with great expertise‘. Health and care M&A specialist Natalie Wade in Norwich and, in Cambridge, employment partner Nicola Brown and principal associate Poppy Short also play pivotal roles in the practice.