Manches has lost its head of social housing to Bristol firm TLT in the latest in a string of departures to hit the firm.
Paul Butterworth is the tenth partner to quit Manches in the past 18 months. The departures have largely been from the firm’s property department. However, Butter-worth is only the second of those partners to leave the firm’s Oxford office, which has been much more stable than London in recent years.
Butterworth has consolidated Manches’ social housing practice since joining the firm in 2000 from Burges Salmon. He will now set up a new social housing unit for TLT within the firm’s seven-partner property practice as part of a strategy to develop into specialist areas.
Managing partner David Pester said the hire was timely given the Government’s commitment to a major expansion in the number of homes available for key workers. Plans to build 120,000 new homes were unveiled by Tony Blair last week in the first stage of a massive new housing drive in London and the South East.
“This is an excellent fit for our existing housebuilder clients and a number of housing associations we already act for,” said Pester.
Manches Oxford head of property Richard Shaw said the firm had already put newly made-up partner Giles Clifford in charge of the practice until a more senior replacement could be found.