Lodders strengthens corporate team with promotion of new head

Lodders has promoted highly respected corporate law and M&A partner, Steve Halkett, to head of Corporate. Steve’s promotion follows another year of double-digit growth for Lodders’ corporate practice and wider Business Services group and near trebling in revenues over the past five years.

Having joined Lodders in April 2025 following a tenure of more than 18 years at Wright Hassall, Steve has quickly established himself as a key figure in shaping the direction of both the corporate team and the wider firm. His promotion to Head of Corporate, where he will lead a team of 10 lawyers, is a natural evolution of the significant contribution he has already made and reflects the firm’s continued growth and ambition.

The corporate team has advised on a range of significant domestic and international transactions over the last 12 months, including advising listed Swedish conglomerate Karnell Group AB on a number of UK acquisitions, including Warwick SASCo, a global supplier of plastic medical devices; acting for the sellers on the sale of regional oil distribution business Sweetfuels; and advising on the sale of packaging foils business Foilco to Japanese acquirer Washin Corporation.

Under Steve’s leadership, the corporate team will continue to focus on merger and acquisition activity and complex corporate reorganisations, acting predominantly for privately owned businesses and entrepreneurs. The team now operates on a truly national platform, advising clients across the UK while retaining particular strength in South Warwickshire and Birmingham – markets where Lodders has established a strong presence and deep client relationships.

Graham Spalding remains head of Lodders’ Business Services group, which brings together the Corporate, Commercial, Commercial Litigation and Employment law teams.

Commenting on Steve’s appointment, Graham said: “Steve has had an immediate and impressive impact since joining Lodders. He has a rare ability to build trust quickly with clients, with referrers and with the team, and has already become a real magnet for new client work. Handing leadership of the corporate team to Steve is something I do with enormous confidence. He’s the right person to take this practice to the next level and I’m looking forward to supporting him in doing so.”

Steve added: “I’ve been fortunate to get to know this team over the past 15 months and it really is a talented group – but more than that, it’s a happy ship. Graham has built something special here: a culture that’s collegiate, ambitious and client-focused in equal measure. My role is to build on those strengths, maintain that culture, and drive the continued growth of the practice.

“Many of our clients are business owners who are selling or buying a business for the first, and often the only, time in their lives. Our job is to explain the complex, clearly and honestly. It’s genuinely rewarding work.”

Lodders advises businesses and investors on high-value corporate transactions across the UK and internationally, combining genuine local market knowledge with city-quality legal advice delivered at a sensible rate.

Our corporate law team can provide expert legal advice to help protect, support and grow your business, offering support with business sales and purchases through to reorganisations, management buy-outs, and shareholder agreements. Get in touch with our team today to find out more.