UK Top 50 law firm Birketts has further strengthened its South East team with the appointment of Nicola Gooch, a nationally recognised planning and environmental legal expert, as partner.
Based at its Sevenoaks office, Nicola brings a wealth of planning expertise in mixed-use regeneration and enabling development projects, providing strategic legal advice across a broad spectrum of private sector clients.
Her portfolio includes national housebuilders, land promoters and development companies, as well as retail developers, investment funds, care home providers, sports clubs and leisure facilities.
Nicola’s move to Birketts follows the firm’s recent success in climbing from eighth to third place among the UK’s top 20 in this year’s Planning Law Survey.
Renowned for her practical approach and in-depth understanding of complex planning frameworks, Nicola also regularly advises on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), guiding clients through its intricacies with clarity and precision.
She is recognised as a leading individual by both Chambers and The Legal 500 and is currently ranked joint fourth in this year’s Planning Law Survey. Nicola is a columnist for The Planner, the official magazine of the RTPI, and a prolific blogger and legal writer.
Birketts’ Sevenoaks office has expanded rapidly since its opening in April 2023, with its workforce growing from 24 to 74 people.
Tom Newcombe, partner and head of planning and environmental at Birketts, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Nicola to our team. She is very well known in the industry as being a fantastic lawyer, very knowledgeable on a wide range of technical planning law matters, and has a wealth of experience in acting in the south-east on some of the most high-profile schemes.
“The team is looking forward to working with Nicola and introducing her to our fantastic clients and growing further our planning and environmental law offering in the southeast and beyond.”
Nicola’s appointment brings the number of partners in the Sevenoaks office to seven and the total number of Partners at Birketts to 138.
Nicola said: “I am delighted to be joining Birketts at such an exciting time – both for planning and environmental law and for the firm.
“The existing team is highly talented and known for being innovative, client-focused and technically excellent. I am really looking forward to working with them as we grow the practice in the South East and beyond.”
