Legal practice Squire Sanders has boosted its asset-based lending (ABL) practice with the promotion of London-based senior associate Gareth Timms to its global partnership. A specialist litigator, Timms is one of 17 lawyers to be admitted into the partnership worldwide. The promotion, which took effect from May 1 2012, strengthens the firm’s distinguished contentious ABL practice, widely regarded as the pre-eminent in the UK.

Timms, who joined the firm in 2005, has over 12 years of experience working for asset-based lenders on contentious issues. He regularly represents banks, invoice discounting companies and other financial institutions handling claims from complex fraud actions, often with an international aspect, to contested guarantee and warranty actions. Gareth’s work often involves obtaining injunctions, both in this jurisdiction and overseas. Noted as a specialist in the field of asset recovery from guarantors, warrantors and indemnifiers, Timms also has considerable expertise in advising financiers in relation to claims brought against them. Timms also handles larger and more complicated debt claims both domestically and overseas and as a result he works regularly with other offices of Squire Sanders.

Recent cases which Timms has handled include acting for a major bank in a complex £10.5 million fraud, which involved the obtaining of freezing orders and led to substantial recoveries; and dealing with a multi-jurisdictional £1.7 million fraud for a major independent discounter, obtaining additional security to support the sum due under the pressure of legal proceedings resulting in a full recovery for the client

Speaking about the promotion, London office managing partner Robert Weekes said: “We are delighted to welcome Gareth into partnership. He is an extremely skilled litigator whose know-how and technical ability are matched by his hard work and by his easy rapport with clients. Gareth continues to contribute enormously to the ongoing success of our specialist ABL litigation team, the largest in the UK.”