New year, new hires for Mills & Reeve’s Oxford office
William Downing and Dominic Jones join the firm’s partnership to strengthen and grow Mills & Reeve’s recently opened office in Oxford.
William joins from Blake Morgan and is a leading employment and benefits lawyer, with 16 years’ experience of the Oxford market.
He is recognised in Band 1 by Chambers and Legal 500, with his Chambers ranking noting: “William is extremely accommodating and has supported us with extremely sensitive employment advice and guidance” showcasing his understandingof excellent client service.
Dominic also joins from Blake Morgan and will support Mills & Reeve’s construction practice. He is a recognised expert in construction and engineering law, having been quoted in Building, Property Week and UK Construction Law.
His diverse practice covers transactional and contentious work for public, private and third sector clients primarily in the education, science & technology, leisure and infrastructure sectors. Also ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Legal 500, one of Dominic’s strengths is noted by Chambers as his “strong legal advice but Dominic Jones’s commercial awareness and market knowledge also meant that we could quickly find pragmatic solutions to those matters that would be material to the market.”
William and Dominic will support Mills & Reeve’s growth in Oxfordshire, the wider Thames Valley region and the Oxford to Cambridge arc, after opening their seventh UK office in Oxford last year.
Peter McLintock, head of Mills & Reeve’s Oxford office, said: “I’m so pleased to welcome William and Dominic to the team. Both bring great energy and enthusiasm, and their arrival will support our ambitions to create a strong presence here following the successful work we have done in the region over recent years.
“Our central focus for Oxford is delivering outstanding service to our clients in sectors where we have deep rooted expertise and where the region has world leading capabilities. William and Dominic joining Mills & Reeve provides a really exciting opportunity for our newest office and I look forward to working with them both.”
William said: “I am very much looking forward to being part of Mills & Reeve and helping to build on the firm’s formidable reputation. It is really exciting to be bringing Mills & Reeve’s nationally recognised, top-tier legal services and exceptional client care to our clients in and around Oxford.”
Dominic said: “It is fantastic to be joining such a dynamic and highly-regarded firm, to help clients navigate complex and forward-looking projects. There is a real buzz around innovative development schemes in Oxford, the Thames Valley and the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ (Oxford, London and Cambridge) — particularly in the science & technology, education and infrastructure sectors — and I’m very much looking forward to working with brilliant colleagues and clients from the new Oxford office.”
For further information contact:
Fay Colegate, senior communications executive, Mills & Reeve
Tel: 07818 667604
Fay.colegate@mills-reeve.com
More in Solicitors
Freeths sets 2040 net zero pathway with release of first firm‑wide...
Leading law firm Freeths has just published its first Net Zero Transition Plan, marking a major step forward in the firm’s long-term commitment to responsible business. The plan sets out a clear, science-aligned pathway to achieving net zero across the value chain by 2040, underpinned by newly validated near and long-term targets from the Science […]
TalkTalk Business expands managed services portfolio with addition of Planet IT
Leading law firm Freeths has advised the selling shareholders of Planet IT on the sale of the business to TalkTalk Business, supporting TalkTalk Business’s expansion of its managed services portfolio.
Freeths Spotlight: A Young Apprentice’s Path to a Career in Law
Freeths has been working with an outstanding legal apprentice who has shared her story about carving out a successful career in law via the apprenticeship route. She’s currently part of the team at Freeths in Oxford, and her experience offers a really strong example of the opportunities apprenticeships can provide in the legal sector.
From this author
End of 2025: Business reflections from Mills & Reeve
As we wrap up 2025, it’s a good moment to pause and reflect on what’s been an eventful year for Oxfordshire and to look ahead at what’s on the horizon for 2026.
Innovation gap opening due to varying AI adoption – Mills &...
An innovation and governance gap is opening up between businesses that realise the potential of GenAI and those that see its impact as limited, our new report has found.
According to The Critical AI Window, organisations that don’t find ways to capitalise on the potential of AI to drive innovation and growth run the risk of being left behind. As a result, competitive edge is at risk.
Our report shows that less than a third of businesses (31%) are using GenAI, with only one-fifth (22%) seeing it as high value.
Paul Knight, partner at Mills & Reeve said: “There is a clear divide amongst businesses – between those that have bought into AI and are building systems and processes around it, and those that are still unsure of its impact beyond mid- to low-value tasks, such as reducing administration and improving efficiencies and productivity.
“This divide is opening up an innovation and governance gap, as early innovators seize on the opportunities that AI presents. While our research shows that the number of businesses using GenAI is likely to rise to 72% by 2027, the lag in performance between then and now could become insurmountable.”
The report highlights the biggest concerns felt by businesses over AI adoption. The majority (90%) are concerned about inaccuracy, more than eight in ten are worried about safety risks (85%), such as cyber attacks, with the impact on future employment also a cause for concern. However, despite 83% of respondents stating that are worried about regulatory compliance, only 31% of businesses have a risk mitigation strategy in place.
Paul added: “The explosion of GenAI has seen a raft of regulations introduced across the world, with more likely, and all of them subject to change as AI understanding develops. In the UK, the regulation of AI relies on existing legal frameworks such as intellectual property, data protection and contract law, highlighting the growing need for these frameworks to be adapted to address the novel risks and complexities introduced by AI technologies. All this suggests that there will be no steady state for regulation for some time.”
However, the risk of not complying is significant, both reputationally and financially. Within the EU, under the EU AI Act, for example, violations can cause administrative fines of €35 million or 7% of total global turnover, whichever is greater.
“There is a real need for businesses to set their own guardrails as legislation in the UK catches up. If they don’t fully understand the legal and ethical boundaries – whether around data protection, intellectual property, or equality law – the consequences could be profound. A single misjudgement could expose the organisation to group litigation.”
Mills & Reeve announces record turnover of £181m as new head...
Leading UK law firm Mills & Reeve has announced turnover growth of £13 million over the 2024/25 financial year, resulting in a new high annual turnover of £181 million. Its Oxford office has seen standout success, with 55% fee growth and a new head of office appointed to lead its next chapter.


