Sean Gibbs takes up the post of commercial litigation partner at Napthens, from a similar role at DWF in Preston.

With 20 years’ experience of working on all types of commercial dispute, Sean deals regularly with boardroom issues as well as shareholder, partnership and professional negligence and general contract litigation. Sean also deals with defamation and issues relating to trademark infringement, breach of confidence and malicious falsehood.

Sean also has extensive High Court experience and often deals with high value cases worth several million pounds. He has acted for both institutional clients as well as owner managed businesses and SMEs, particularly entrepreneurs.

Sean said: “Napthens has always been a firm I have admired, both for the quality of its lawyers and for its strong client base.

“I am keen to be involved with a firm which has a real buzz about it and is obviously going places, and I am looking forward to working alongside some excellent lawyers to provide a commercially focused legal service to the business community across Lancashire.”

Sean, a keen football fan and punk rock music collector, was a partner at both Ricksons and Cobbetts in Manchester for a number of years before moving to Ricksons (now DWF) in Preston.

He is the latest recruit to join Napthens’ expanding ranks. Last year staff including head of Corporate Keith Melling and partner Jane Haymes, both also joined from DWF.

John Whittingslow, partner and head of the Commercial division at Napthens, said: “Sean is a highly-rated litigation lawyer and I am delighted he has chosen to move to work with us at Napthens.”