Maxine Heppenstall has been appointed as the company’s Managing Director, taking over from Keith Hardington who remains as one of the Company Directors, and also Senior Solicitor in the Business and Commercial team.

Maxine qualified as a Solicitor in 2002 and joined Walker Foster in 2006. She soon became a Director of the business, and for many years has also been Head of the Private Client department.

Maxine is a keen speaker and has delivered relevant and thought-provoking presentations at events such as the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the ‘Let’s Talk About It’ Ilkley event as part of the Dying Matters campaign week, the U3A group meeting in Ilkley and Carers Resource in both Harrogate and Skipton.

Maxine lives in Skipton with her husband and two children, and enjoys family walks in the Dales and surrounding areas.

Katie Ingham is taking over from Maxine as Head of the Private Client department. Katie qualified as a solicitor in 2009, and joined the firm at the beginning of 2022.

She has many years’ experience advising on all aspects of Private Client Law, including; Will drafting, inheritance tax planning, estate administration, trust creation and administration, Powers of Attorney and Deputyship applications.

Katie works in the Barnoldswick office with Anna Robinson, who last month was appointed as the new Head of Office.

Anna is a qualified Solicitor in 2020, and joined the firm in 2021 in the Conveyancing department. She handles various transactions including sales and purchases of freehold, leasehold, new build, shared ownership, right to buy, unregistered titles, re-mortgages and transfers of equity.

Anna is local and well known to residents of Barnoldswick. She was raised in Kelbrook and went to West Craven High School, before commencing her career in mortgages and then retraining as a Solicitor.

The Board of Directors at Walker Foster are grateful that the growth and success of the firm means the opportunity to offer more career progression for talented female individuals, in what has been a typically male-dominated legal sector in the past.

Commitment to robust recruitment processes, access to professional development and networking, and a commitment to flexible working is at the heart of the firm’s culture.