Law firm Birketts has lured three top operators from fellow Cambridge UK firm Taylor Vinters to join its Corporate & Commercial team as partners, Business Weekly can exclusively reveal.

Taylor Vinters is also about to unveil a new international growth strategy of its own as the local legal sector continues to underline its dynamism.

Birketts, which has major operations in Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich and Chelmsford, is rightly trumpeting the three hires, which are highly significant on the local legal scene.

James Allen trained in the City and joined Taylor Vinters as a partner in 2001, becoming head of the corporate team in 2003. He is noted in the Legal 500 guide for his considerable banking and finance expertise and strong reputation in that field.

Laurence Weeks has been head of litigation at Taylor Vinters since 2010. He has a particular specialism in corporate insolvency and between 2008 and 2011 served as the chairman of the Eastern Region Committee for R3, the association of business recovery professionals. He continues to sit on the Council and is hailed by the Chambers UK 2012 director as “a very good lawyer” who is “excellent at dealing with his clients.”

Quentin Golder has wide corporate and commercial experience both in New Zealand and the UK. He is regarded as being particularly skilled at dealing with early stage and technology clients.

Birketts senior partner Nigel Farthing said: “We are thrilled to welcome James, Laurence and Quentin to Birketts. Their arrival will help us to maintain and build upon our already impressive client base and reputation for corporate and commercial work. It is another exciting development for the firm as we continue to strengthen the quality and scope of our legal services.”

Birketts is a top UK law firm with a turnover of £27m. These new appointments will bring partner numbers to 57.

Taylor Vinters CEO, Matt Meyer, wished the trio a successful future and hinted at his firm’s own plans for growth.

He said: “We are some way down the road in implementing an ambitious strategy that is centred around our key client groups and about growth in Cambridge, London and internationally.

“Our priority is to have a team of leaders within the business that are committed to delivering that strategy and making Taylor Vinters a Cambridge success story.

“We continue to bring senior talent in to our business in Cambridge, London and Singapore to ensure that happens. It is always disappointing when friends and colleagues choose to move on.

“All of them have been long-standing, valued and successful members of our business. When the moves take affect later in the year we will wish them well.”

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: James Allen