New partner at DAC Beachcroft to lead procurement law offering

Law firm DAC Beachcroft has hired Katherine Calder, a specialist in public procurement and state aid, as a partner.

Calder will join the firm’s Public Law & Health Projects team and will lead its procurement law offering. Her practice is both contentious and non-contentious.

She has previously advised public and private sector organisations across a broad range of sectors and contracting structures, including advising health providers such as Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on its PFI Agreement and GHX Healthcare.

In recent years, Calder has also acted on a number of high profile development and construction projects such as the London Olympic Park, the Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Smart Motorways Alliance.

DAC Beachcroft said Calder would be joined by other procurement experts in the Spring.

Calder said: “DAC Beachcroft’s Public Law and Health Projects team is well known in the public sector and the size and breadth of the practice demonstrates its commitment to supporting its government and local authority clients across all areas. I look forward to developing the firm’s procurement offering further and contributing to the continued success of DACB’s public sector practice.”

Stephen Hocking, partner and Head of Public Law and Health Projects at DAC Beachcroft, said: “The current situation for our public sector clients is an unusual and uncertain one; on one hand, we expect a phase of increased investment and policy initiatives as a result of the pandemic and its economic effects, and on the other, we expect changes to procurement law as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

“Katherine provides the experience and expertise in procurement that public sector bodies will expect from us in the next months and years; with her, we look forward to advising our clients through a potentially challenging period.”