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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired former Wilberforce Chambers practice director Suzanne Cosgrave to lead its real estate department alongside head of department Robert MacGregor.

Cosgrave, who joins BLP after four years as a director at Ernst & Young, is to focus on financial and personnel administration within the firm’s real estate team. Despite heavy investment in corporate and finance in recent years, property remains BLP’s biggest practice, accounting for fees of £42.5m in its latest financial year.

Cosgrave’s former roles include acting as chief executive officer of Worthing Priority Care NHS Trust between 1995 to 1998 and director of Wilberforce between 1998 to 2001, where she was regarded as one of the few successful non-legal practice heads at the Bar. The appointment of such a senior non-lawyer professional to help run a legal practice is still relatively unusual at UK law firms, although in recent years a number of firms have hired senior chief operating officers.

Cosgrave’s appointment comes less than a year after the recruitment of MacGregor from Clifford Chance to head BLP’s property arm.

A spokesman for the firm said: "Bringing in Robert was incredibly important to us and this allows us to take it to the next level."

MacGregor told Legal Week: "We believe that as much partner time as possible should be spent client-facing and doing things partners are naturally good at."

BLP’s lateral partner hires, meanwhile, continue unabated. Last week the firm hired Dewey Ballantine projects partner Jonathan Simpson, who will head the projects group’s new international projects team, and DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary partner David Hughes, who will head BLP’s banking litigation team.

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