Gateley Legal has bolstered its construction offering in the South East with the appointment of legal director Maria Coker at its Guildford, Surrey office.
Maria brings more than 10 years of industry experience to the team, including in-house roles with Equans and Ardmore Group, and specialises in both non-contentious and contentious construction matters.
Coker’s hire is part of continued growth plans following the appointment of partner Andrew Keeley, who joined 15 months ago to spearhead Gateley Legal’s construction offering in the South East. The expansion also includes newly qualified solicitor Joseph Martin.
The team services its London and South East-based clients out of Gateley Legal’s Guildford, London and Reading offices, covering a broad spectrum of construction work.
It also works closely with the construction consultancies within the wider Group, including built environment specialists Gateley Vinden, to provide a seamless offering of combined legal expertise, quantity surveying and expert witness services.
Maria said: “Gateley Legal’s construction team has an outstanding reputation in the industry. I’m looking forward to being a part of the thriving team and its varied and interesting workload.”
Andrew Keeley added: “It’s great to have Maria onboard with us. She brings a wealth of valuable in-house experience and commercial awareness which provides an advantage in understanding our clients’ needs and pressures.
“Since joining Gateley Legal, it’s been brilliant to play an active role in developing the construction team in the South East in terms of strength and depth, with both junior and senior appointments, as well as its enhanced offering to clients through collaboration with the wider Group’s construction consultancies.”
