Nicole Curtis has become one of the first barristers to become a partner in a legal disciplinary practice (LDP) after being made up by Penningtons.
The move comes just days after the Legal Services Board approved Bar Standards Board rules to permit barristers to join LDPs (see story [1]).
Ms Curtis, who specialises in professional regulation, was called to the bar in 1992 and spent ten years in independent practice at a general common law/criminal law set before joining Penningtons in 2003. She is a committee member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers.
Penningtons chief executive David Raine said: “We are delighted that Nicole has joined the partnership, particularly as her appointment marks a milestone in the ongoing development of the legal profession. It also reinforces our commitment to providing a broad range of regulatory services to professional bodies.” Penningtons now has 51 partners.
The latest figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority show that there are 186 LDPs, which between them have 210 partners – 83 non-solicitor lawyers and 127 non-lawyers. Legal executives (74) make up most of the non-solicitor lawyers, although there are also licensed conveyancer, patent attorney and costs draftsman partners.