A law firm has bolstered its expanding Sipp department with the appointment of a new associate.

Liona Beckham has joined the Birketts Sipp team at the Ipswich office, transferring from the firm’s residential property team after eight years there.

Birketts’ Sipp team deals with commercial property transactions on behalf of various leading Sipp and SSAS providers and sits on the panels of Suffolk Life, Talbot & Muir and Liberty.

Birketts employs 523 partners and staff in total, with an 8 strong Sipp team.

Ms Beckham’s new senior role entails dealing with all elements of commercial property transactions involving Sipps and SSASs to include acquisitions, dispositions, leases and mortgages.

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It also involves maintaining and developing relationships with existing and new clients to include Sipp/SSAS providers, financial advisers and pension investors and also providing support to junior fee earners.

She said: “I am delighted to be joining such a progressive and dynamic team. Having spent eight years in Birketts’ residential team, I am looking forward to transferring and developing my career in its Sipp team.”

She will be working alongside team leader Oliver Crichton and lawyers Sam Froud, Sarah Smith and David McLaughlin.

Mr Crichton, partner and head of Birketts' Sipp team, said: “Liona is a fantastic addition to the team and adds to our already considerable firepower. We are seeing our client base and volume of transactions continue to increase.

“Liona has the skills and enthusiasm to deliver the high quality levels of service our clients have come to expect.”

Asked about the biggest challenge coming this year regarding its Sipp work, Mr Crichton said: “The new capital adequacy rules are presenting challenges particularly to the smaller Sipp providers and further consolidation in the market is likely.

“With fewer providers in the market place running larger books of properties, there is more need than ever for Sipp providers to be appointing solicitors that understand the sector and can provide a high quality, expert and swift service. Collectively, Birketts’ Sipp team has over 30 years’ experience of actually working within the Sipp industry so we are acutely aware of and fully understand the regulations faced by the industry and also the day to day challenges.”