Harper James welcomes Lottie Hugo as Corporate Partner

We’re pleased to welcome Lottie Hugo to Harper James as a Corporate Partner, strengthening our corporate offering for businesses navigating acquisitions, investment rounds, restructurings, shareholder matters and international expansion.

With more than a decade of experience, Lottie advises management teams, founders and investors on complex UK and cross-border corporate transactions. Her expertise spans private M&A, private equity investments, corporate governance and restructurings, with deal experience ranging from £1m to £500m across sectors including energy, technology, professional services, logistics and retail.

Lottie joins our 16-strong corporate team, supporting founders and senior leaders on transactions, investment and governance. Her appointment reflects the growing demand we’re seeing from scaling businesses for commercially focused legal advice on private equity investment, buy-and-build strategies and expansion into new markets.

Lottie joins Harper James from Freeths, where she was promoted to Partner and played a key role in the growth of the firm’s South West corporate team. Her contribution was recognised with a nomination for Rainmaker of the Year at the 2025 South West Rainmaker Awards.

Her experience supporting private equity-backed businesses through buy-and-build strategies and international expansion, while working closely with boards, investment committees and senior leadership teams, makes her a strong fit for Harper James and the businesses we support.

Commenting on joining the firm, Lottie says:

I’m really excited to be joining Harper James. It’s a real privilege to be part of a firm with such a collaborative and forward-thinking culture, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to a thriving team that is providing exceptional legal support to its clients. I was drawn to Harper James’ strong reputation for doing things differently, with an innovative model that genuinely works for entrepreneurs and businesses at every stage of growth.

Adam Kudryl, Head of Legal Strategy and Operations and Head of Corporate at Harper James, adds:

We’re pleased to be welcoming Lottie to Harper James. From our first conversations, it was clear she would be an excellent addition to our corporate team. She brings sound commercial judgement and deep transactional expertise that will add real value to the businesses we support.