We are an independent firm with no connection to any large organisation whereby we have work referred to us for a fee that we pay; we do not pay commission to any other organisation to be included in a list of preferred firms.

We are pleased to say that most of our clients are referred to us by other clients, from our website or other direct, personal contact.  This means that we ensure we are acting only for you and have no other reason to advise you on a particular course, except in your best interests. If we recommend other organisations, such as financial advisers or other solicitors, it is because we have recommended them in the past and are confident that they have the high level of expertise that you would expect.  We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and are required to act in accordance with the code of conduct.

The firm’s professional indemnity insurance is restricted to the United Kingdom and is arranged through Howden Group.  Our liability to clients for a breach of your instructions shall be limited to £3million, unless we expressly state a higher amount in the letter accompanying these terms of business.  We will not be liable for any consequential, special, indirect or exemplary damages, costs or losses or any damages, costs or losses, attributable to lost profits or opportunities.  We can only limit our liability to the extent the law allows.  In particularly we cannot limit our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.  Please ask if you would like us to explain any of the terms above.

Joanne qualified as a solicitor in September 2003 and became Partner in April 2010.

She deals with all areas of work within the practice but specialises in:

  • Wills
  • Administration of Estates
  • Inheritance Tax planning
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney – both property and affairs and health and welfare
  • Court of Protection applications and related issues
  • Elderly Client issues

Joanne is an Accredited Lifetime Lawyer – one of the most qualified lawyers in the country supporting vulnerable and older people.  She is also a member of the of the Private Client Section of the Law Society.

In her professional capacity Joanne acts as Attorney for number of clients, assisting them with the day to day management of their affairs and has also acted as deputy for those who are under the jurisdiction of the Court of Protection.  She also regularly acts as Executor or Trustee for clients in their wills.

Joanne is the COLP (Compliance Office for Legal Practice) for the firm.

Julie has been associated with the firm since 1998, qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2015 and became a Partner in April 2016.

She deals with the all areas of practice management of the firm as well as providing advice to clients on:

  • Lasting Powers of Attorney – both property and affairs and health and welfare
  • Managing client’s financial affairs
  • Tax return preparation
  • Elderly Client issues
  • Court of Protection cost drafting

In her professional capacity Julie acts as Attorney for a number of clients, assisting them with the day to day management of their affairs and regularly acts as Executor or Trustee for clients in their wills.

Julie is the firm’s practice manager and COFA (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration).

Julie works four days a week; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Keira qualified in December 2007 after training with the firm and works four days a week.  She is  a fully accredited member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers and is experienced in Will drafting and advice relating to estate planning, and also deals with the administration of estates, Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection matters which are her particular area of expertise.

Applications to the Court of Protection are required when a decision needs to be made on behalf of someone who does not have the capacity to make the decision for themselves and there is no authority in place to enable someone to make that decision for them. This may be an application to appoint a Deputy to make general, ongoing decisions on someone’s behalf who lacks capacity; to make a statutory will on behalf of a person who lacks the required capacity to make a will; to make a lifetime gift from a person’s estate; or to sign a Deed of Variation relating to an inheritance the person who lacks capacity is due to receive.  Keira understands the anxiety and uncertainty felt by relatives helping someone who has lost the capacity to manage their own affairs.  With her extensive experience she is able to offer guidance, gathering the relevant evidence and preparing application papers and statements for the Court. 

Keira’s usual days of work are; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Since qualifying in 1997, Emma has worked full time as a solicitor and partner/Head of Property, before joining the firm in 2017.

Even after more than 20 years in practice, Emma finds every client and matter is different and she enjoys building on her experience, getting most satisfaction from dealing with clients’ matters in an efficient, yet friendly way.

When she is not working, Emma is chief cook and bottle-washer for her husband and teenage children, and a selection of animals

Emma works 4 days a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Kelly joined the firm in 2007 as Front Office Manager and has a busy and varied role dealing with clients and fee earners alike. She has over 30 years’ experience of working in a legal environment. Kelly enjoys socialising in her free time.

Alison joined the firm in 2005 and works on a part time basis covering a wide variety of administrative duties including managing reception. Alison is involved with the Alzheimer’s Association.

Jenny joined the firm in November 2009 and works on a part time basis doing various office administrative duties.  She is married with two children.

 

Diversity and Inclusion

In accordance with the SRA requirements we bi-annually carry out equality and diversity surveys on our employees from anonymous data that is provided by them.  Employees are free to decline to complete the survey or have the option to choose ‘prefer not to say’ to any of the questions.  From the anonymised date we are able to conclude they fall into the various protected characteristic types as defined by the Equality Act 2010 (sex, age, race, religion, disability etc).

Due to the risk of employees being identified through this anonymous data and the staff profiles set out on our website we are unable to publish more specific details without breaching the Data Protection Act 2018.