Stevens aims to grow

SURREY firm Stevens & Bolton has appointed a new managing partner to mastermind the firm's development.

Commercial property partner Michael Laver says the firm, with offices in Guildford and Farnham, is poised to expand.

"We saw the need for commercial expertise earlier than other provincial firms in time to benefit from the boom years at the end of the 80s.

"We have more than compensated for the decrease in work from some clients in the recession by expanding our client base."

Laver says Stevens & Bolton, which has six partners in Guildford and five in Farnham, is well placed to expand in all areas of commercial law.

"People show a greater willingness to take their business outside London and we've invested heavily in experts to cope with this," he says.

"London firms have begun abandoning their private client departments, and that has also helped us."