This is what they said
Law firm, Shakespeare Martineau strengthens its existing Brexit taskforce with the appointment of two business immigration specialists, Tijen Ahmet and Rachel Harvey.
Tijen Ahmet makes the move from London/Hertfordshire-based SA Law LLP following a three-year stint as head of immigration and Rachel Harvey ended her 10-year tenure with East Midland-based Cartwright King.
Although the pair will be working closely together, Tijen Ahmet, associate solicitor, will be supporting the existing Brexit team and clients from the West Midlands to the South and Rachel Harvey, associate solicitor, will cover the north and East Midlands.
Responding directly to clients’ concerns over immigration and global workforce mobility, Shakespeare Martineau has taken action to ensure the firm has specialist expertise to support clients, no matter what the challenge.
Such sentiments were also echoed by the wider business community who stated that challenges around immigration were a top concern for businesses over the next year. Independent research conducted by Shakespeare Martineau, revealed that almost two thirds (63%) of the 500 leaders surveyed expect the flow of skilled workers into the country to decrease and more than half say that migration restrictions will make the UK labour market less flexible to demand.
Adam McGiveron, head of Brexit at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Ensuring that we are continuing to listen to our clients’ challenges and take action to shape our teams now, to support their futures, is crucial.
“With global workforce mobility quickly becoming a crucial issue for many businesses and with the end of free movement on the horizon, there has never been more of a need for specialist immigration advice and the addition of Tijen and Rachel to the Brexit team at the firm will no doubt be invaluable to our clients.”
Tijen Ahmet, associate solicitor at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Business owners are likely to begin to feel the talent squeeze as more information about Brexit negotiations are released.
“Being able to recruit talent from overseas has always been a successful way for businesses in the region to fill the skills gap however, this doesn’t come without its challenges. Business owners need to take action now to safeguard their existing workforce and elect the most suitable route to secure residency and facilitate future work assignments. Taking early action can help businesses maintain access to their current overseas workforce and navigate the increasingly stringent immigration laws.”
Rachel Harvey, associate solicitor at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Shakespeare Martineau’s ability to listen to client concerns and act quickly is what makes the firm perfectly placed to support clients through the continually changing Brexit landscape. As the last year has confirmed, nothing is definite and having advisers that are not only prepared to help now, but are attune to future market fluctuations is what attracted me to the firm in the first instance. I’m looking forward to carving out a niche at the firm and supporting the existing Brexit team.”
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