Ward Hadaway appoints tax partner as corporate team expands

Leeds law firm Ward Hadaway has appointed Nicola Williams as Partner advising on corporate tax and share incentives, bolstering the firm’s specialist tax expertise.

She will work closely with clients across the firms national network of offices in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Teesside.

Recognised by The Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner, Nicola advises on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, reorganisations and real estate transactions, as well as employee, director and investor reward structures.

Her work focuses on reducing tax risk for buyers, protecting tax-related value for sellers and advising businesses on tax-efficient structures to retain and reward key people.

Nik Tunley, head of corporate said: “Nicola brings niche tax and share incentives expertise that sits directly alongside the work our corporate department is undertaking. She will also bring her tax expertise to support the work of other colleagues across the firm, including in the real estate, commercial and private client teams.

“Tax advice is a key part of many transactions, particularly where businesses are buying, selling, raising investment or putting incentive structures in place. Her appointment gives us greater technical strength in this area and adds further value to our work supporting growing businesses.”

The move follows continued investment in Ward Hadaway’s corporate team, including its 2025 merger with Teesside-based The Endeavour Partnership which added scale and depth across the firm’s national network, alongside the new partner appointments of Paul Wigham and Alex Cooper so far this year.

Nicola said: “the firm is at an exciting stage in its growth. As the corporate team grows, there is a strong opportunity to extend our integrated tax offering alongside that work. I was attracted by the firm’s culture and the chance to help develop a service that works across our national client base.”

The appointment follows Ward Hadaway’s recent recognition in Experian MarketIQ’s annual M&A review, where the firm was ranked sixth nationally for completed transactions after advising on 119 deals. It was also ranked first in Yorkshire and the Northeast.

Managing partner Steven Petrie said: “Bringing Nicola on board reflects our continued investment in specialist expertise that assists clients across the full life cycle of their business.

“As companies grow and their requirements become more complex, they need advisers who can bring different areas of law together around their corporate and commercial objectives. Nicola’s experience adds to that capability and will be a real asset to our work with businesses, investors and management teams nationally.”