Leathes Prior Announces Promotions for 2026

Leathes Prior Solicitors is pleased to announce a number of promotions across both its legal and operational teams, effective from 1 April 2026.

Legal promotions include one new Partner, Chris Goodwin, two senior associates in Kate Smith and Danny Turpin and one promotion to Associate, Jo Henderson. Within the firm’s operational team, Anastasia Panova, Matthew Chaplin, James Molyneux and Peter Lambert have been promoted to Head of People, Facilities, IT and Business Development & Marketing respectively.

Legal promotions

We are extremely proud to welcome Chris Goodwin to the Partnership, boosting the number of Partners at the firm to 20.

Chris Goodwin has displayed the highest level of ability as a litigator, often working on complex and high-value cases, and becoming a core part of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team.  In addition to being a fantastic litigator and an impressive fee-earner, Chris has played a key role in a number of firmwide initiatives. Chris now follows in the increasingly familiar footsteps of many lawyers who have progressed from the trainee solicitor rank to sitting around the Leathes Prior Partnership table. 

Senior Associate Promotions

Kate Smith has been promoted to Senior Associate. Kate is part of the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team and spearheads our personal injury and clinical negligence offering within the wider Dispute Resolution Team.

Danny Turpin has also been promoted to Senior Associate. Danny is an accomplished litigator able to cover a broad range of contentious work within the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team but with a predominant focus on property litigation and construction.

Associate Promotions

Jo Henderson has been promoted to Associate. Jo joined the firm in July 2024 and has played a key role in the delivery of our Regulatory and Criminal Defence work at both our Ipswich and Norwich offices, acting for clients facing investigations and prosecutions by the police and local authorities, including complex regulatory allegations.

Operational Promotions

Alongside these legal promotions, Leathes Prior has also recognised the key functions that underpin the firm’s continued growth and the individuals who have played an important role in developing these core pillars of the operational side of the business.

Anastasia Panova has been promoted to Head of People

Matthew Chaplin has been promoted to Head of Facilities

James Molyneux has been promoted to Head of IT

Peter Lambert has been promoted to Head of Business Development & Marketing

Commenting on the promotions, Managing Partner Dan Chapman said:

“Congratulations to everyone on these well deserved promotions. Each of them has made a significant contribution to the firm and it is fantastic to see their commitment and hard work recognised.

Chris’ promotion to Partner is particularly pleasing and reflects the strength of talent within the firm, which we seek to identify as early as possible in a legal career and support all the way through to partnership. Chris has made it easy for us to offer that support.

These promotions also highlight the importance of the operational teams that sit behind the scenes and support our lawyers in delivering the high standards of service our clients expect. As Leathes Prior continues to grow, investing in both our legal expertise and the size and strength of our operational teams will remain a key part of our future.”