Farrer & Co

Adele originally qualified at Farrer & Co, specialising in employment and education law. She was Secretary of the Schools Group and a regular speaker on school (independent sector) issues. Adele then spent four years at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) as a Senior Policy Specialist. During this time, she gained extensive experience in the education (state - primary and secondary), child protection and mental health sectors. Adele researched and authored two CSJ policy reports: No Excuses: A Review of Educational Exclusion (published in 2011), and Enough is Enough: A report on child protection and mental health services for children and young people (published in 2014). She was a member of the Independent Review Panel appointed to advise the Department for Education on the allocation of £59M funding for families, children and young people. Following No Excuses, Adele was invited to be a member of the Office of the Children's Commissioner of England's School Exclusions Enquiry Year 2 steering group looking at illegal exclusions. During her research for Enough is Enough, she spent two years on secondment at the charity Kids Company. Having re-joined Farrer & Co, Adele specialises in child protection. She brings wider experience into the team having developed a detailed and robust understanding of education, child protection and mental health issues in the state and voluntary sector, and builds on her prior experience in the independent sector. Adele also offers a broad knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation and frameworks.

Adrian Parkhouse

Adrian is head of the art and heritage group. He has broad experience of all aspects of dispute resolution. He also has leading experience of art-related disputes. Adrian is a CEDR accredited mediator. He has led teams in a number of major commercial cases this year, acting both for claimants and defendants on a range of matters.

Alan assists with a wide range of IP and commercial matters, primarily for clients in the knowledge and technology-based economies, the creative industries and the cultural sector. He has a diverse practice advising on copyright, trade marks and general commercial contracts, with a particular interest in technology law, software agreements and IP rights in an IT context. Alan also advises on data protection law, electronic commerce and the use of IP rights as business assets.

Alexandra Hollingshead

Alexandra specialises in providing advice to trustees and UK and international individuals and family offices on wealth structuring and complex inheritance tax and capital gains tax planning. Alexandra has experience of using offshore trusts, companies and foundations together with Wills and estate planning.

Alexis specialises in providing advice to UK and international individuals, family offices and trustees on wealth structuring and complex inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax planning. She has experience advising on matters relating to residence and domicile and cross-border succession issues, with a particular focus on US/UK tax and estate planning. Alexis also advises on tax disclosure regimes.

Alice joined the Family Department as an associate in November 2017 after qualifying as a solicitor in 2013.Alice works hard to help clients achieve the best possible result on a wide range of family matters, including divorce, financial remedy and issues relating to children.

Alice advises individuals, institutions and corporate clients on a wide range of contentious matters. She advises both claimants and defendants at all stages of the litigation process from pre-action to trial. Alice recently co-authored Deathbed gifts: at a crossroads, which appeared in Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal in December 2015.

Alice advises clients on a wide range of employment matters, both contentious and non-contentious. She has experience of conducting Employment Tribunal litigation (including a number of high-value claims) from the initial presentation of a claim through to a hearing or settlement. She is experienced in providing day-to-day advisory support to clients, giving prompt advice on issues as they arise. She also assists clients embarking on longer-term projects such as redundancy exercises. Alice regularly advises employers and employees on employment contracts, compromise agreements, policies and procedures and other employment-related documents.

Alice is a Partner in Farrer & Co’s Employment Team. She is an experienced employment lawyer, advising both organisations and senior executives on complex employment, partnership and regulatory issues. Alice frequently advises on employee competition matters, including confidential information and post-termination restraints in the context of team moves. Alice advises C-suite executives, senior employees and partners on all employment and partnership matters including: negotiating complex joining arrangements and departures including the implications for equity and incentive awards, particularly in the private equity context; advising those subject to misconduct investigations, often with regulatory considerations; advising on high value discrimination and whistleblowing complaints and on disputes concerning the enforceability of restrictive covenants. Alice represents employers in a range of sectors including insurance, financial services, corporate, legal, and education. She advises on the full range of employment issues, including complex restructuring exercises, workplace investigations (including those with regulatory implications), TUPE, negotiating employee entrances and exits, and advising on the drafting of and enforcement of restrictive covenants. Alice has extensive litigation experience when advising both senior executive and employers, and is adept at handling and defending complex and high-value discrimination and whistleblowing claims in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal. Alice also has substantial experience in High Court and Court of Appeal litigation, including on employee competition matters. Alice also has an extensive practice in the education sector and regularly advises schools on safeguarding issues, pupil-related matters, special educational needs, the full range of Equality Act 2010 issues, parental complaints and complex investigations (including staff misconduct matters involving DBS and TRA referrals and hearings), alongside her employment work for schools.

Alicia advises on all aspects of high-value residential property, for both domestic and overseas clients, including purchases, sales, re-finances, acting for private lenders and other associated matters. Alicia’s clients are predominantly high-net-worth individuals, private companies and trusts. She also has experience of acting for private banks on secured lending transactions. The nature of her clients’ transactions means she often works closely with other teams across the firm if they need advice on related matters, for example, planning, stamp duty land tax, family and private client. Prior to joining Farrer & Co, Alicia trained at a regional firm in London which had a core real estate practice. During her training she regularly acted for buyers on several well-known new-build developments across London and gained experience in the prime central London market. Alicia qualified as a solicitor in March 2023. She approaches her work in an efficient and commercial manner and is committed to keeping her clients regularly updated to make what she appreciates can often be a stressful process as streamline as possible for her clients. Alicia enjoys working in the fast-paced environment that residential property transactions often demand and building close-working relationships and rapport with all parties involved.

Amy is a Senior Counsel and Knowledge Lawyer in the employment team, providing expert technical legal support to the team and leading its know-how function. Given the fast-changing nature of employment law, Amy ensures the team is at the forefront of all legal changes and can provide the best possible advice to our clients.

Amy joined Farrer & Co in 2018 from a Tier 1 central London family department. Clients seek her advice on the full range of family law matters.Amy has extensive experience advising clients on all aspects of relationship breakdown and wealth protection, including financial claims on divorce, international and jurisdictional issues, and issues relating to children. She has a particular interest and expertise in drafting and negotiating pre- and post-nuptial agreements and in cross-border children work.

Andy advises a wide range of financial institutions, including asset managers, private banks and pension providers on non-contentious matters, including: regulatory capital issues; collective investment schemes; financial regulatory compliance issues; the Consumer Credit Acts 1974/2006; and transfers of financial services businesses.

Anisha is an Associate in the Intellectual Property & Commercial team. She advises clients across a number of sectors, with a particular focus on the not-for-profit and higher education sectors. Her experience includes advising on a wide range of intellectual property assets, commercial contracts and commercial regulatory issues, including a keen interest in state aid law.

Anna Birtwistle

Partner at Farrer & Co since June 2019.

Annabel Spearman

Annabel is a Senior Associate in the Private Client Services team. Annabel advises both international and UK clients on wills, trust law, tax, and estate planning. She also advises on the use of wealth-holding structures, including the use of trusts and offshore companies.

Annabel advises individuals, families and institutions on all aspects of property law and its financing. She is known for her technical skill and ability to translate this into pragmatic and strategic advice, which enables her to solve problems quickly and to help her clients navigate the property market intelligently. Annabel acts for clients based in and outside the UK. She is well known for the work she does for clients in and from the Middle East and she travels regularly to the region. Annabel’s particular skill is in drawing together teams from across the firm to deliver bespoke advice for each client which covers the client’s particular concerns, whether this be a complicated property investment project or as a more general wealth management plan. Clients praise Annabel's diligence and responsiveness as well as her calm, measured advice under pressure.

Annabelle Allen

Annabelle advises clients on a broad range of property transactions, including sales and acquisitions, developments and landlord and tenant management matters. Before joining Farrer & Co, Annabelle trained and worked at two international law firms and has experience acting for a variety of investors, funds, developers, and corporate occupiers. Annabelle qualified as a solicitor in February 2019.

Anthony is a partner in the corporate team. He advises both corporate and individual clients on the full range of company law and corporate transactions including acquisitions and disposals, restructurings, equity investments and joint ventures. Anthony is a member of the firm’s international private wealth group and has particular experience advising trusts and trustees on corporate matters. He also advises on admissions and fundraisings on AIM. Anthony is recommended by Legal 500 as a corporate lawyer. He is a contributor to the Butterworths Corporate Law Service, a member of the Legal Committee of the Quoted Companies Alliance and he regularly lectures on corporate law matters.

Antonia specialises in intellectual property, commercial and data protection law. She has a particular interest in advising clients in the technology, media, culture, education and sport sectors. Antonia advises clients with issues relating to the management, protection, transfer and commercialisation of IP rights, including copyright, trademarks and other registered and unregistered rights. She also assists with a wide range of issues related to commercial contracts.

Athalie Matthews

Athalie is highly experienced in all aspects of the law surrounding reputation management, particularly from a claimant perspective.

Barbara Beasley

Barbara advises a broad range of corporate, institutional and private clients on commercial property matters, focussing on acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters and general commercial property investment.

Ben advises corporate clients, high net worth individuals and not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of complex contentious matters. His practice focusses on high-value disputes arising out of commercial contracts, post M&A issues, shareholder disputes, professional negligence and civil fraud. His recent experience includes advising a large international business on a multi-million pound High Court civil fraud and breach of contract claim, defending the sellers of an educational business against substantial warranty and indemnity claims and advising an international software company pursuing a multi-million pound breach of contract claim. Ben advises both employers and employees on High Court claims arising out of large-scale team moves and allegations of misuse of confidential information. He also has a busy practice advising independent schools on disputes with suppliers, parents and overseas partners. Ben is often instructed at the pre-action stage to provide strategic advice to help put clients in the best possible position. He has extensive experience of resolving disputes through negotiation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, particularly mediation. He also has significant trial experience in the High Court and the Court of Appeal and of making and responding to applications for injunctive relief.

Ben advises both claimants and defendants on all aspects of commercial litigation and dispute resolution. In particular, he has experience of all stages of the litigation process from initial pre-action advice to trial. Ben has assisted on a number of complex civil fraud disputes.

Bethan assists on a wide variety of banking matters. She works with both lenders and borrowers (including charities and institutions) on secured and unsecured banking transactions and also has experience of international syndicated and bilateral lending (both in traditional and emerging markets) and asset, art and property financing.

Blue is a Senior Associate in the Disputes team. Blue assists on a wide variety of contentious matters for individual, institutional and corporate clients. She advises both claimants and defendants on all stages of the litigation process from the pre-action stages of litigation up to and including trial.

Bryony specialises in mainly onshore work including complex inheritance tax and capital gains tax advice, succession and estate planning, administration of estates (including international probate), asset protection work, trusts and some contentious probate and trust matters. She has particular experience advising on matters involving vulnerable people, where the issue of mental capacity is central. This includes people suffering from dementia, the after-effects of stroke or Alzheimer’s, depression or other mental illness, or addiction. She works closely with individuals and family members to guide them through what are often challenging circumstances. Bryony has contributed articles to a range of titles and websites including eprivateclient, Family Business United and Kleinwort Benson’s magazine, most recently writing pieces on issues of mental capacity and digital assets.

Caroline Tatham

Caroline is a Senior Associate in the Banking and Finance team.

Caroline Vollers

Caroline has experience working with both international and UK-domiciled clients needing advice on wills, lasting powers of attorney (LPAs and EPAs), trusts and succession planning. She also has experience advising in relation to wealth and property holding structures using offshore companies and trusts and providing advice to trustees.

Caroline Holley

Caroline advises a diverse client base on both contentious and non-contentious matters, with a particular focus on cases involving an international element. Her practice ranges from drafting and negotiating pre-nuptial agreements to advising in complex financial disputes arising out of all aspects of relationship breakdown. She also has considerable experience advising in private law children matters, including in relation to contact disputes, relocation applications and abduction. Her practice involves a significant level of international work and she has particular expertise in complex cross-jurisdictional cases. She speaks French and Italian and frequently uses her language skills and experience to assist clients whose cases involve international elements. She has also spent time on secondment with a top family law firm in Los Angeles, California. Caroline recently advised in the important case of Prest v Petrodel which was heard in the UK Supreme Court. The extremely complex case, the importance of which extends beyond family law and into important aspects or trust and company law, was ultimately decided in her client’s favour.

Caroline specialises in planning, drafting, establishing, troubleshooting and restructuring UK and international trusts and other wealth-holding structures. She also undertakes estate, succession and capital tax planning for high net worth individuals, often with international and cross-border elements.

Charles Anderson

Charlie has over 30 years’ experience of advising on commercial property investment development and asset management. Clients include owner-managed property companies, international trustees/private offices and prominent UK institutions including charities and livery companies. Charlie’s practice particularly covers equity-share investment leases in the City/West End, community developments and capital projects for charities and institutions. Recent experience includes: leading the team for an international investor’s private office in the acquisition of a portfolio of commercial and residential properties (prime and secondary) in excess of £200m; acting for the Duchy of Cornwall on the Poundbury and Nansledan development; advising The British Library on its St Pancras Transformed project and advising in relation to the development of a Bishopsgate Tower in the city and the promotion of a leading University Biomedical campus. Charlie has contributed material to the Estates Gazette, The Princes' Foundation, Policy Exchange, The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and RIBA. Charlie lectures regularly on aspects of property law, including presentations on investment and development in the Channel Islands, Switzerland and Hong Kong.

Charles Fursdon

Charles advises private, commercial and institutional clients on a wide range of contentious matters. He advises both claimants and defendants on all stages of the litigation process from pre-action up to trial. He has experience assisting on multi-million pound cases in the High Court as well as smaller matters in the County Court.

Charlotte Black

Charlotte is Counsel in the Tax team. Charlotte advises on all direct taxes, stamp duties and VAT. Her client base comprises individuals, corporates, charitable institutions and investment funds. Charlotte has experience in transactional, advisory and HMRC dispute resolution work including in the areas of employee incentives, M&A and property tax.

Charlotte Fraser

Charlotte has broad experience acting for both private and corporate clients on a wide range of commercial disputes including breach of contract and fiduciary duty as well as fraud. She also regularly advises on trusts and estates disputes both offshore and in England and Wales, acting for both trustees and beneficiaries. Charlotte has particular experience of will and probate disputes to include claims for proprietary estoppel, validity, capacity and construction issues as well as claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and in the Court of Protection. She has also assisted on a number of complex multi-jurisdictional trust disputes on issues involving breach of trust, beneficiary rights of information and jurisdictional issues. Charlotte has been recognised as a 'Rising Star' by Thomas Reuters in its 2014 London Super Lawyers list.

Charlotte Freeman

Charlotte advises on a variety of banking and financial transactions acting for both lenders and borrowers (including financial institutions, public and private companies, trustees and private individuals) on secured and unsecured lending transactions. She also has experience of advising insolvency practitioners, creditors and stakeholders on a broad range of restructuring and insolvency matters, including enforcement of security.

Charmaine Pollock

Claire advises UK and international clients on their estate and tax planning affairs. She is recognised for her ability to find practical solutions to complex issues involving UK taxation, including for individuals moving to or back to the UK, and UK resident individuals setting up or benefitting from offshore structures and investing in the UK. Claire also has experience in making tax disclosures and settlements with HMRC.

Claire Sheppard

Claire has over 25 years’ experience in environmental law. She advises clients on environmental issues in a transactional and regulatory context. Claire has acted on a wide range of transactions including corporate sales and acquisitions, privatisations and project transactions. She advises on legal due diligence and the identification of environmental liabilities and the contractual allocation and apportionment of environmental risk. In the real estate context, her experience includes advising on environmental issues in relation to property sales and purchases, leases and developments.

Claire enjoys a diverse client base and an extensive caseload involving all aspects of family law for high net worth individuals, covering divorce, financial settlements, private law children matters, enforcement, civil partnership matters and unmarried couples. She also has considerable experience of drafting and advising upon pre and post-nuptial agreements. Her cases regularly include very complex financial, business and international matters, often involving offshore assets and trusts. Claire is a collaborative lawyer and a mediator and regards both practices as valuable alternative means of settling disputes.

Clare works for a wide variety of clients on private family law matters, both contentious and non contentious. This includes resolving complex financial disputes and children matters, often with an international element, following relationship breakdown. Clare also has experience of advising on civil partnerships, pre and post nuptial agreements and cohabitation.

Clare is a specialist construction lawyer advising on matters such as regeneration, mixed use development, and the refurbishment and fitting out of commercial property.

Daisy Tarnowska

Daisy works on a broad range of family law matters, both contentious and non-contentious, and often with an international element. These include divorce, complex financial disputes, pre-nuptial agreements and cohabitation. Daisy also deals with issues of child contact and residence.

David advises a broad spectrum of clients from the education, sports, banking, commercial and charity sectors on a full range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues. He also acts for individuals in relation to contract and exit negotiations and team move and restrictive covenant issues. He is a member of the firm’s Higher Education and Sports Groups.

Corporate tax expert David Gubbay works across the firm's sectors to help clients through some of the most complex issues they face. He is known for his considered style allied with a grounded pragmatic manner.

David is head of the Employment team. He has wide experience of advising commercial and institutional clients including newspapers, magazines, banks and academic establishments. David advises on restructuring and redundancy programmes and on the complexities of the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations, as well as handling industrial disputes, team moves and individual cases. He is a regular author of Croner’s publications and writes chapters for both Butterworths Commercial and Tolley’s Personnel precedents. David was runner-up in the Employment Lawyer of the Year award sponsored by the Insiders Guide to Employment Lawyers and is given a four star rating in the same guide. He is rated as a leading expert in the field by both Chambers and Legal 500.

David is the Head of the Higher Education Group. He specialises in non-contentious intellectual property and commercial law, predominantly advising clients operating in IP rich sectors such as media, culture and higher education. David regularly advises clients on a range of issues relating to the acquisition, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights, including in relation to trade marks, copyright, and other forms of registered and unregistered rights. His principal areas of focus are complex collaborative projects involving the creation and/or exploitation of intellectual property, and IP considerations arising in corporate transactions, research collaborations and joint ventures. In terms of more general commercial work, David has expertise in relation to technology contracts, IT and business process outsourcing, supply and distribution agreements and a range of other contractual matters. Recent experience includes: advising a number of London universities on significant strategic collaborations in India, Singapore, China and Hong Kong; advising Historic Royal Palaces on the joint venture arrangements relating to the poppies at the Tower of London, voted London’s top cultural attraction of 2014; coordinating IP due diligence on one of the UK’s premier music publishing catalogues for a private bank; advising the RFU on a joint venture and outsourcing arrangement relating to the provision of hospitality and catering at Twickenham Stadium; advising the Institute of Cancer Research on its ground-breaking agreement with BACIT Limited, an innovative LSE listed fund-of-funds established to help fund the battle against cancer; constructing and analysing complex EU funded research consortia under Horizon 2020, including Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs)

David is a corporate partner and advises on a broad range of commercial transactions involving corporate bodies, partnerships and individuals. David has acted for private equity investors, financial institutions and company directors. David is also a licensed insolvency practitioner and has worked on a number of corporate restructurings, as well as advising on insolvency processes.

Diana advises on all aspects of trust law, including onshore and offshore taxation. She also advises on capital taxation of wealthy individuals and non-domiciliaries. She is a trustee of several trusts and has extensive experience of restructuring trusts for tax and family reasons, particularly offshore trusts. Diana trained as a barrister and went into the accountancy profession as a specialist in estate planning for landowners and family businessmen. She spent six years at the Office of the Solicitor of The Inland Revenue advising on capital taxes, stamp duty, Schedule E and Revenue fraud.

Edmund Fetherston-Dilke

Edmund advises several major estates on the full variety of legal issues including residential, agricultural and business tenancies, rights of way, sporting rights, agri-environmental schemes, riparian issues and planning and environmental matters. He is well connected in the residential and rural property markets and regularly works with a number of buying agents acquiring countryside and London properties for clients where transactions often need to be executed to brisk timetables. Often these acquisitions will involve offshore ownership structures and complex financing issues. Edmund has been dealing in high value residential property work for more than 20 years and has substantial experience in all matters whether freehold or leasehold, listed or new build/off-plan. As part of his residential practice he regularly deals with lease extensions and enfranchisement matters for both landlord and tenant. Edmund also assists his clients with their significant refurbishment projects dealing with the associated planning and construction issues. He looks after a number of clients who have diverse commercial property interests on the granting and surrendering of leases, service charge issues and dilapidations.

Edward advises on all family law issues, helping clients resolve the financial issues that arise on separation, arrangements for children and marital and relationship agreements. His cases often involve high-value, multi-jurisdictional assets, including trusts and his clients include high net worth and highly compensated individuals.

Edward Banyard Smith

Edward has significant experience of advising on all aspects of construction and property development. In addition to advising construction clients, funders, contractors and consultants on procurement contracts, he advises on the construction aspects of real estate and finance transactions. He also advises on the resolution of disputes arising from construction projects. Edward regularly contributes articles to construction law publications, and has contributed chapters to two books on construction law.

Eleanor Rowswell

Eleanor is an experienced employment lawyer who advises both senior executives and a range of employers, including clients in the financial services sector and law firms. She has particular experience in advising senior individuals in regulated environments, including FTSE directors, senior bankers and directors of private companies. She has an established track record in advising both individuals and employers on complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims in the Employment Tribunal and appellate courts and on restrictive covenants and team moves in the High Court. Eleanor is a member of the firm's Professional Practices and Private Banking and Investment Management Groups. She is a regular speaker at external seminars and conferences, for example, recently speaking on the impact of the Senior Managers regime on the financial services sector and delivering a number of Lexisnexis webinars on restrictive covenants.

Elena has nearly 10 years' experience in Immigration Law. She built up her expertise at a specialist immigration firm and more recently at a multi-family office. She has particular experience in providing strategic immigration advice to high net worth individuals, professionals and family offices in respect of relocation to the UK. This includes personal immigration matters as well as family and staff migration. Elena also has vast expertise in complex immigration matters, including political asylum claims and immigration appeals. She has acted for clients before the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, in Judicial Review applications and in applications to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. She advises clients from a broad range of jurisdictions, including Russia & the CIS regions, the Middle East, Far East and the USA.

Elizabeth Jones

Elizabeth is the practice head for Charities at Farrer & Co. Elizabeth has extensive experience advising charities on governance and constitutional issues, re-structuring, fundraising, equality law (in relation to charitable trusts), charity mergers and regulatory matters. She also advises on grant-making, trading subsidiaries and endowment trusts. Elizabeth is a member of the Charity Law Association's taxation sub-committee and co-authored 'Structuring-not-for-profits in the UK'. In May 2015, she was named as one of Charity Finance's Top 25 Rising Stars in the charity sector.

Elizabeth Sainsbury

Elizabeth advises on a wide range of commercial, trust and private wealth disputes, acting for individuals, schools and higher education institutions, and businesses. She has a particular interest in advising individuals and families in contentious trust and estate matters and Inheritance Act claims. Elizabeth was recently involved in the Supreme Court case HMRC v Forde & McHugh ([2014] UKSC 14). This case concerned the treatment of NICs in respect of an employer company's contributions to a Funded Unapproved Retirement Benefits Scheme (FURBS).

Emily specialises in reputation management and dispute resolution across a broad spectrum of privacy, defamation, tech and data protection issues. Emily provides bespoke legal advice to a wide range of clients, including high-profile individuals, schools, charities, corporations and executives. She has a wide experience of litigation, advising both claimants and defendants at all stages of the litigation process, and has worked on a variety of complex disputes. She is experienced in acting in very sensitive matters and clients appreciate her calm and reassuring approach in what can be highly stressful situations for the client. Emily is particularly experienced in advising on defamation, privacy and data protection, including right to be forgotten requests. Emily holds a law degree from Trinity College Dublin and undertook her training contract at a Magic Circle firm. Emily was admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales in 2021.

Emily is Counsel in the Corporate team. Emily advises corporate and commercial clients on a broad range of corporate matters. Her experience includes mergers and acquisitions, fundraisings, joint ventures, shareholders' agreements and re-organisations. She has experience working with a wide range of clients including public and private companies and individuals.

Emily Zethraeus

Emily is familiar with the issues which can arise in relation to rural land (for example adverse possession, transfer of single farm payment entitlements and unregistered title issues). Emily often deals with agricultural tenancies, wayleaves and sporting leases. Emily's workload includes many aspects of commercial landlord and tenant work. In addition to leases of commercial buildings and units. She has experience in minerals leases and overage agreements.

Flora works on a broad range of family matters, both contentious and non-contentious, for a wide variety of clients. These matters include divorce, complex financial disputes, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements and cohabitation. Flora also deals with issues of child contact, residence and leave to remove children from the jurisdiction permanently. Flora has sat on the YRes committee since October 2012, and was appointed Treasurer in August 2013. Flora is also the Website Coordinator for the Family Law Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA)

Francesca Steel

Francesca is a residential property specialist experienced in working on high-value residential transactions including freehold and leasehold sales and purchases as well as acting for a number of private banks on secured lending transactions. In addition to this, Francesca also deals with transfers of equity and property management.

Fred is in the Commercial Property team and advises on a wide variety of property work, focusing principally on landlord and tenant matters, commercial property investment and corporate occupancy. He acts for a range of clients with particular emphasis on charities, livery companies, private investors and investment funds.

Frederick Tatham

Freddie works on a broad range of family law matters, both contentious and non-contentious, and often with an international element. These include divorce, complex financial disputes, pre-nuptial agreements and cohabitation. Freddie also deals with issues of child contact and residence. Freddie was part of the team advising in the landmark case of Prest v Petrodel in the UK Supreme Court. It was an extremely complex divorce case, the importance of which extends far beyond family law and into vital aspects of company law. The case was recently selected by the President of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, as one of the five most significant cases heard since the Supreme Court was established. Freddie recently spent three months on a Family Law secondment in Hong Kong.

Georgia specialises in commercial dispute resolution, regularly advising corporate clients on a broad range of commercial disputes, including breach of contract claims; civil fraud and professional negligence. Georgia also advises clients in matters which require reputation management, with a particular focus on high profile and sensitive internal investigations, particularly within the sport sector. Georgia was admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales in 2021 and joined Farrer & Co in December 2022. Georgia holds a law degree from the University of Bristol.

Georgina James joined Farrer & Co as a Partner in Private Wealth in February 2020.

Gerard specialises in managing and resolving disputes and contentious regulatory issues in the asset management, investment funds and wealth management sectors. Through a dedicated focus on the commercial and regulatory environment in which clients involved in these sectors operate, he helps clients to prevent contentious issues arising and to resolve those that do in a way that maximises value and reflects clients’ goals and sector considerations.

Graham Anderson

Graham advises a broad range of clients including national and international businesses, institutional clients, estates, managing agents and private individuals. His practice encompasses all aspects of commercial and residential contentious property work. His commercial practice includes advising landlords and tenants on dilapidations, business lease renewals, forfeiture, service charge disputes and property related insolvency issues. Graham's residential practice includes service charge issues, disrepair and all aspects of enfranchisement. In addition, he advises on other real property disputes such as boundaries, easements, adverse possession and covenants.

Grania advises asset managers, private banks and other financial services firms on all aspects of financial services law. Grania's work covers both regulatory advice as well as advising on the structuring and set up of investment funds and other products. Grania acts for both established institutions as well as start-up FCA and PRA-regulated businesses.

Hannah deals with a range of clients including charitable trusts and companies, non-departmental public bodies and schools. Her work includes charity formation and registration, incorporations, mergers, advice on the responsibilities of charity trustees and general constitutional issues.

Hayley advises clients on all aspects of commercial property, ranging from high value investment acquisitions and disposals to development, portfolio management, financing and landlord and tenant matters. Hayley joined Farrer & Co in 2020 as a Senior Associate in the Commercial Property team. She had previously trained and worked in the commercial property team of an independent Scottish firm before moving to a global law firm based in London in 2017.

Hendrik Puschmann

Hendrik is co-head of Farrer & Co's Arbitration group. Sources praise his "exceptional technical skills" as a lawyer, the "commercially savvy advice" he delivers to clients and his "proactive leadership" of complex cases.

Henrietta Mason

Henrietta specialises in disputes about trusts and wills and has been consistently praised in the directories for her technical and strategic excellence.

Henry is head of the media, entertainment and technology group. He specialises in significant and complex commercial work, with a particular focus on the exploitation of IPR, but also in the related fields of IT and information law (including data protection and freedom of information).

Henry is experienced in acting in a wide variety of commercial real estate matters including investment sales and acquisitions, development transactions, insolvency matters, portfolio management, all aspects of landlord and tenant work and corporate M&A transactions. He acts for a range of clients, from international and institutional investors and banks to corporate occupiers, administrators and supermarket groups across all property asset classes.

Isabel advises predominantly UK-domiciled Private Clients and Charitable Organisations on a wide range of legal issues including wills and estate planning, ownership of chattels and Charity administration. She has a particular interest in art transactions and heritage matters and advises on the sale, purchase, loan and financing of heritage assets as well as heritage taxation issues. She is a member of the firm's Art & Heritage Group.

James advises a broad range of charities and other organisations, including grant-making charities, museums, higher education institutions, faith-based organisations, sports governing bodies and livery companies. He gives advice on issues such as the formation and registration of new charities, charity mergers, constitutional matters, governance, fundraising and trading. James is a regular member of CLA working parties responding to Charity Commission consultations, most recently on charities and investment (for which he acted as secretary) and on the advancement of amateur sport. He is a charity trustee and regularly speaks at conferences and seminars on issues affecting the sector.

James acts for private and institutional landowners in relation to the management of their rural property, including landlord and tenant issues, sporting and minerals, rights of access and manorial law. He specialises in the sale and purchase of rural estates and agricultural land. He is the Editor of the firm’s Agricultural Estates Newsletter.

James is a Senior Associate in the Tax Team. He has experience providing tax advice to clients on a range of tax-sensitive matters including property and corporate transactions, restructurings, investments and wealth management decisions. James has particular expertise advising on property, finance, VAT and international tax issues. He is a member of the VAT Practitioners Group and the International Business Structuring Association.

Jane assists in a variety of contentious and non-contentious intellectual property and commercial matters for individual, institutional and corporate clients. She has a wide practice advising on general commercial contracts, in particular IT and outsourcing contracts, and assists in the registration and protection of IP rights.

Jenna focuses on acting for both purchasers and sellers of high value residential property. She also acts for lenders in relation to the financing of residential property. Jenna is an senior associate in the Residential Property team at Farrer & Co.

Jennifer Ridgway

Jennifer acts for a wide range of international and UK-based families, individuals and trustees, advising on estate planning, wealth structuring and trust issues. She is committed to working with families, and those that advise them and their often complex structures, to achieve successful succession between generations. A significant part of Jennifer's practice is advising UK and offshore trustees on their duties and decision-making, and providing UK tax advice in connection with complex trust structures. She helps trustees and families with the creation, management and reorganisation of structures with a focus on ensuring successful transfer of wealth between generations. She is frequently involved in providing succession advice in a broad sense, including working with families in relation to good governance and philanthropic concerns. A large number of the families she looks after are multi-national and typically own properties, businesses and hold investment across a number of countries. Jennifer assists families and individuals who are non-UK domiciled in relation to pre-arrival planning and pre-deemed domicile planning. She also has experience of acting for individuals involved in the literary and entertainment worlds, and the particular issues that arise in connection with their estates, both in terms of lifetime planning and after their death. Jennifer has extensive experience in acting for large landed estates. She works with estate owning families and trustees, with a key focus on managing succession. She works collaboratively with property and other colleagues to provide forward-looking commercial advice, and regularly assists with complex inheritance tax issues, trust restructuring, and helping resolve trustee-beneficiary issues for large estates. She particularly enjoys working as a team with other professionals involved with landed estates, working together to find proactive solutions for families who want to see their inherited wealth prosper for future generations. Her experience of trust matters and advice to trustees and families means she is frequently involved in aspects of UK and offshore trust litigation and non-contentious applications to court, and works closely with the firm's contentious trusts and estates team. She has particular experience in acting as independent administrator or trustee following a probate or trust dispute. Clients look to Jennifer as a trusted adviser and appreciate her sensitive and thoughtful approach to complex family matters, including difficult issues such as capacity, family breakdown and reputation concerns, as well as her technical expertise.

Jeremy Isaacson

Jeremy qualified as a solicitor into the Intellectual Property & Commercial team in September 2013 and assists in a variety of contentious and non-contentious intellectual property and commercial matters for individual, institutional and corporate clients. He has a wide practice advising on general commercial contracts and assists in the registration and protection of IP rights as well as data protection and FOI matters. He advises clients on their relationships with customers and suppliers, and in particular on ensuring compliance with consumer protection legislation. Jeremy has developed a particular focus on working for universities and IP-rich institutional clients, advising on collaborative activity, QAA compliance, student matters and education policy in general. He has gained experience of advising on a number of different research funding models, and the accompanying IP arrangements.

Jeremy advises clients both private and corporate on a wide range of problems that reflect the broad-based nature of the firm’s disputes practice. In addition to having advised on a wide range of commercial disputes, Jeremy has been particularly involved in trusts and estates disputes in recent years, acting for both trustees and beneficiaries. Jeremy frequently advises on matters involving mental capacity issues, working to protect vulnerable people who may be affected by mental illness, addiction or dementia. He has handled claims in various jurisdictions and has extensive experience of representing clients and resolving their claims in arbitration and mediation as well as in High Court litigation.

Jo assists on a wide variety of contentious matters for individual, institutional and corporate clients. She advises both claimants and defendants and provides advice from the pre-action stages of litigation up to and including trial. Jo also works with the media team assisting in a broad range of claims representing both the press and those subject to media attention.

Joanna is a member of Farrer & Co's specialist Contentious trusts and estates Group. Joanna advises on the full range of onshore and offshore contentious trusts and estates matters. Her offshore work includes international succession disputes and asset protection work including third party attacks against trusts on grounds such as sham. Her recent case load has involved jurisdictions such as Switzerland, Jersey, Cyprus, BVI, the Cayman Islands, Italy, Luxembourg and the US. Her onshore work includes applications to the court of protection, validity challenges to wills and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. Joanna has contributed to specialist publications in the field such as Trusts and Trustees and STEP Journal and is also a contributor to the second and third edition of Tolley’s Inheritance Tax Planning.

John qualified as a solicitor in 2013 and works on a broad range of family matters, both contentious and non-contentious. This includes divorce, complex financial disputes and children matters. A high proportion of John's caseload involves an international element. John was promoted to Partner in May 2023.

John is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team. John is highly regarded in the field of fraud and asset tracing and arbitration and has represented a wide range of clients including state institutions, public listed companies, banks, private businesses and individuals. Much of John’s work is complex, multi-jurisdictional and cross-border. John has extensive experience in coordinating multi-disciplinary teams of lawyers, forensic investigators and expert witnesses. John’s fraud-related experience covers the full range of fraud and asset tracing processes, including: worldwide freezing orders, disclosure orders, search and seize orders. John also has extensive arbitration experience, having conducted arbitrations under numerous rules including LCIA, ICC, LMAA, UNCITRAL and ICSID.

Jolyon advises individuals, companies and institutions on a wide range of contentious matters. His practice includes disputes arising out of breaches of duty, civil fraud, commercial contract disputes and enforcement actions. He has experience of all stages of the litigation process and significant trial experience before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Jolyon also has experience of alternative forms of dispute resolution including arbitration and numerous mediations. He has particular experience of complex, high value commercial disputes involving financial institutions and investment funds (both international and domestic) and the complex issues surrounding those claims, including claims involving constructive trusts. He has also advised on several disputes involving alleged breaches of duty by agents and institutions.

Jonathan advises employers and senior executives on the full range of legal issues connected with employment, including large-scale redundancies, TUPE, team moves, contract changes and employment litigation. His employer clients include media organisations, charities (including schools), NDPBs, galleries and museums and professional firms (including other law firms, accountancy practices and barristers chambers).

Jonathan is head of the professional practices group at Farrer & Co. He specialises in partnership and Limited Liability Partnership law, advising a broad range of partnerships and individual partners, including other law firms, surveyors and architects, on their structure, mergers, acquisitions and disposals.

Julian heads Farrer & Co's reputation management practice. He has more than 20 years' experience of advising high profile individuals, corporations and institutions who find themselves the subject of attention, whether from mainstream media, online attacks or campaigning/ obsessed individuals. Often Julian will work with public relations advisers, in-house and external, to achieve the best outcomes. This recognises that the law has its limitations, but also that there is a need to take account of the client's long term business and strategic interests, as well as dealing with immediate issue. Having also represented major UK media organisations throughout his career, Julian knows the "art of the possible" and how best this is achieved.

Julian has specialised in advising charities since 1994, and acts for a wide range of foundations and functional charities, including organisations established by statute or by Royal charter. He has particular expertise in the areas of governance, tax, investment, re-organisation and merger. He co-authored "The Charities Act 2006, a Practical Guide" and contributes to the current edition of Tudor on "Charities”. Julian is the current Chair of the Charity law Association, and lectures on charity law at the Cass Business School. He is also a trustee of six charities.

Karen has extensive experience in a wide range of planning matters including the drafting of complex planning obligations and other infrastructure agreements. She acts for a broad range of clients including developers, landowners, schools and charities. Karen also has an expertise in compulsory purchase and compensation. Recent projects include planning advice in relation to an urban extension, the redevelopment of a site in London for new medical research facilities and advising on judicial review.

Kate has a varied litigation and arbitration practice, acting for corporations, institutions and individuals. Her practice encompasses: the handling of high value commercial disputes, both in the High Court and through arbitration. Often Kate becomes involved at the pre-action stage, providing strategic advice to ensure that her clients are in the best possible position in the event that they need to advance, or respond to, a claim for breach of contract or negligence. She also supports clients through informal dispute resolution processes and in the negotiation of exit strategies; civil fraud: Kate has advised in relation to claims for fraudulent misrepresentation, and breach of duty by directors and co-contractors, many of which have involved freezing injunctions, search orders, and international parties; advising on disputes in an insolvency context against former directors in relation to historic transactions, wrongful and/or fraudulent trading, and breaches of duty; dealing with significant High Court employment disputes involving claims by senior executives for compensation following alleged wrongful termination, and injunctions to prevent large scale team moves and the use of confidential information; and acting for trustees in ultra-high value contentious trust claims in various jurisdictions; and representing Higher Education institutions and schools in relation to their disputes with students; advising sports organisations on contentious issues, including selection and disciplinary matters and their disputes with commercial partners.

Kate advises individuals and estates in relation to a wide range of urban and rural property issues, including high value residential conveyancing. In particular Kate advises both landlords and tenants in connection with their rights under the enfranchisement legislation. She also advises landed estates on various issues such as easements, restrictive covenants and first registrations.

Kate deals with a wide range of property matters including the sale and purchase of commercial and residential property, landlord and tenant work and secured lending. She also has experience on the property aspects of PFI/PPP projects and insolvency-related situations.

Kathleen Heycock

Kathleen is a Partner in the Employment Team who is recognised for her pragmatic and commercial advice. Her national and international practice focusses on resolving high level complex employment law issues for senior executives, individual partners, employers and partnerships. She is experienced in advising and negotiating on contractual issues, employee relations, employee regulatory issues, mediation and litigation. Kathleen has particular experience in advising senior partners and partnerships and is a member of the firm’s Professional Practices Group. She has hands on experience of working in a large international professional services firm during a year-long secondment. She advises senior executives across the City negotiating their entrance and exit, including issues relating to post-termination restrictions. She regularly advises partnerships and employers across sectors on issues such as discrimination, mediation, employee relations, contracts, TUPE transfers and large scale redundancies. Kathleen also focuses on the education sector and is a member of the firm’s Higher Education Group and Child Protection Unit. She is a regular speaker at external national and international conferences and is a member of the Union Internationale des Avocats.

Katie Fudakowski

Katy has extensive experience in financial services law, both in-house and in private practice. Although familiar with a broad range of financial services issues, her specialisation primarily relates to the legal issues surrounding wealth management. Katy's clients include investment managers, private banks, family offices and entrepreneurs and the common theme of her advice is how the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and the regulations made under it, affect financial service providers. She regularly advises clients on drafting terms of business, obtaining new authorisations, establishing, restructuring and marketing UCITS funds, financial products (both retail and institutional) and regulatory compliance, including drafting compliance and risk management policies. A second aspect of Katy's practice extends to advising clients on the regulatory issues relating to loans. This area covers both regulated mortgages, under MCOB, and loans or overdraft facilities and other credit facilities regulated under CONC. In this area Katy has a particular experience on advising schools and universities on credit issues affecting fee payment arrangements.

Katy advises a range of institutional and private landowners on agricultural and rural property matters. She provides advice on tenanted land issues such as Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 succession and modern Farm Business Tenancies, as well as advising on residential and commercial landlord and tenant matters. She also advises on sales and acquisitions of farms and rural property.

Laetitia Ransley

Laetitia is a Partner in the Charity and Community team. Laetitia advises charities, philanthropists and not-for-profit organisations on a broad range of issues, including the formation and registration of new charities, governance and constitutional matters, tax, fundraising and the management of charitable assets. In early 2013, Laetitia spent four months in-house with a leading Higher Education Institution, during which her work included advising on the management of trusts and endowment funds. Laetitia is a charity trustee and a member of the Charity Law Association. In May 2015 Laetitia was named as one of Charity Finance's Top 25 Rising Stars in the charity sector.

Laura is an expert transactional lawyer working on some of the fastest paced and highest value residential property sales and purchases in the Prime and Super Prime London and country house markets. She advises individuals, families and developers and acts for clients buying their first home as well as experienced investors. She also acts as separate representation for lenders on property finance matters. Laura has an excellent track record for delivering quality advice and exchanging transactions under time pressure. Laura’s network spans agents, surveyors, architects, bankers, mortgage brokers and beyond and she curates a team for her clients where needed. Laura has a collaborative style and approaches transactions with a solutions-focussed attitude.

Laurie’s practice covers a wide range of matters relating to residential and commercial property. He focuses principally on the acquisition, disposal and financing of prime residential properties acting for individuals, corporate entities and other purchasing vehicles. He also acts for a number of leading private banks in connection with these transactions and has particular expertise advising on the property aspects of financing transactions. His individual client base is drawn from both individuals resident in the UK and also non-UK residents purchasing prime property, typically in London, for investment or to establish a UK base. In addition, Laurie has acted on a number of matters involving the enforcement of security over property and other insolvency related situations.

Lindsay Cunningham

Lindsay deals with a wide range of residential property matters, in particular the sale and purchase of high-value property. She also acts for lenders and borrowers on property finance matters and has experience advising on the property aspects of family and private client work.

Lucy is an Associate in the Disputes team. She acts for both claimants and defendants, and advises on all stages of the litigation process from pre-action through to trial. She assists with settlement options where appropriate in order to achieve the most desirable and commercial outcome for clients.

Marc has a broad banking and financing practice advising individuals, corporates and financial institutions on a wide range of financing transactions, including general bank lending, property finance, leveraged finance, restructuring, and project finance.

Maria advises clients including not-for-profit organisations, independent schools, sports clubs and faith-based organisations on employment and safeguarding matters. She also acts for senior executive clients, particularly in the context of investigations or inquiries that they may be involved in. On the employment side, Maria’s typical caseload involves advising employers on the handling of sensitive cases and investigations often into alleged misconduct, harassment, bullying or discrimination. Maria has guided employer clients through many complex matters ranging from one off cases to issues that may involve or impact many staff members. She also advises HR teams (from all sectors) on more routine areas of employment law, such as performance management and staff exits. Maria was one of the founding members of Farrer & Co’s Safeguarding Unit. She advises all types of organisations who work with children on their legal obligations and has helped clients embed safer cultures through audits and support with policies and procedures. As well as advisory work, Maria has advised on a significant number of safeguarding cases. This involves working with clients and statutory authorities, advising on (or carrying out) investigations into allegations and guiding clients through external processes such as independent reviews or regulatory proceedings (particularly the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA)). The nature of Maria’s cases means that she often works closely with the firm’s media and reputation management lawyers and data protection lawyers. Maria is a versatile lawyer with excellent knowledge of related legal areas such as GDPR, charity law, disputes and insurance law. Maria co-leads the firm’s investigations practice, she is an ‘Achieving Best Evidence’ trained investigator and is closely involved with the firm’s Tomorrow Together sustainability campaign.

Marie advises on a broad range of corporate matters and commercial transactions for a variety of clients (including companies, individuals and partnerships). She specialises in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other corporate investments (including private equity backed investments) and reorganisations. Marie also advises on general corporate requirements for companies, with a particular focus on corporate governance. She has experience in Asia, having spent two years in Hong Kong at her previous firm and six months on secondment to a Japanese firm as a trainee.

Mark Burgess-Smith

Mark is a senior partner in our London real estate team with over 25 years’ experience. Mark is experienced in all aspects of commercial real estate work, with particular emphasis on the complex scale transactions, structured financing transactions and on transactions involving distressed real estate components.

Mark has a wide range of commercial property experience and he has acted for a variety of clients, ranging from charities and institutions to listed property companies, advising on all facets of acquiring, holding and disposing of investment property. In addition, Mark has advised both buyers and sellers on property aspects of corporate transactions, and he has acted for a broad spread of businesses on the relocation of their premises. Mark also has experience of acting on development projects, a particular feature of which is his continuing involvement in acting for a major landowner on a high profile mixed-use urban community development.

Martin has broad experience in a range of domestic and international banking and finance matters, including general corporate and individual lending, workouts and restructuring, property finance and acquisition finance. Martin advises lenders, borrowers and sponsors on syndicated, bilateral, secured, unsecured and structured financing transactions. He is familiar with dealing with a variety of assets used as collateral, including land, intellectual property, stocks and shares, revenue streams and other contractual rights.

Michael specialises in private wealth disputes and litigation, both onshore and offshore. His clients include beneficiaries, personal representatives, individual and corporate trustees, attorneys, deputies, professional bodies, charities and high net worth individuals.

Nandini Sur is an Associate in our Banking and Financial Services team. She is also qualified to practise in New York. She advises private banks, payment service providers, asset managers and wealth managers on implementing and complying with financial services law and regulation.

Natalie is an Associate in the Intellectual Property team.

Nick's main areas of expertise are tax and trusts, particularly the taxation of foreign domiciled individuals, the remittance basis and offshore trusts. He advises on suitable structures for foreign domiciliaries, tax-efficient strategies for extracting value from them and the tax consequences of their investment choices. Nick's clients include entrepreneurs, directors, individuals with inherited wealth and trustees. Most of his practice has a foreign element (whether foreign residence or domicile or both) but he also acts for entirely UK based clients. Although tax is usually a significant element in his practice, he also advises on structuring and estate planning more generally, and advises on disputes between beneficiaries and trustees before they become litigious. Nick has also successfully represented a number of clients in Revenue enquiries.

Nicola advises trustees, banks and high net worth individuals on tax and trust planning and in particular on international wealth planning structures. She has experience advising on matters relating to the taxation of non-UK entities, residence and domicile, cross-border succession planning and the preparation of wills.

Nina is a knowledge lawyer in the Banking and Financial Services team. She supports the Financial Services team, keeping them up to speed with the latest regulatory developments and providing them with the resources required to undertake client work efficiently and accurately. She trains the lawyers in new law and practice, answers legal queries, and assists with knowledge sharing and resources across the firm’s practice group.

Nyla specialises in corporate insolvency with detailed knowledge of the various formal insolvency regimes and has experience of advising on a broad range of restructuring and insolvency matters dealing with the enforcement of security and companies in financial difficulties. Nyla acts for financial institutions, company directors and for insolvency practitioners. In addition to acting for turnaround professionals, she also acts for purchasers in the acquisition of businesses from insolvent companies.

Oliver Blundell

Oliver is an Associate in the Dispute Resolution team. Oliver advises corporate clients, institutions and individuals on a broad range of contentious matters. His work includes complex civil fraud, contractual and trust disputes, and often has an international element. He also handles regulatory investigations.

Oliver advises individuals and institutions on all matters relating to the formation, administration and restructuring of UK and offshore trusts and other wealth holding structures. He also specialises in capital tax planning, will drafting and cross-border estates.

Owen joined Farrer & Co in 2014 having spent five years at a boutique West End media firm, specialising in intellectual property matters (both contentious and non-contentious) and commercial contracts across the arts, technology and sports sectors, and experiencing a broad range of matters at a senior level, including high-value litigation, trade mark procedure, and regulatory work. Since joining he has been seconded to both the Lawn Tennis Association and the Natural History Museum. Owen works regularly with clients in the arts and cultural sectors, schools, and sports governing bodies. A significant part of his practice at Farrer & Co is data protection law, in both preparatory and reactive contexts.

Patrick Hammond

Patrick advises a range of individual and institutional landowners on matters relating to the management of their rural property holdings, including sales and acquisitions, landlord and tenant issues, and the grant of rights. He advises his clients on all elements of their rural property portfolios deals: Commercial, residential and agricultural. He acts on a very wide variety of acquisitions and disposals of both agricultural and residential property, including development sites. Recently, he has acted on the acquisition of more than 100 hectares of forestry in the South-west. Patrick has a wide experience of dealing with agricultural tenancies (both Farm Business Tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act Tenancies) and all of the issues they entail. He has also has experience in dealing with commercial lettings and also advises on a variety of landlord and tenant issues, particularly those with an agricultural flavour. Patrick has been instructed on a number of first registrations. Other work includes the grant of easements, sporting rights, variations of restrictive covenants and matters relating to minerals.

Paul Jones is a commercial contracts expert with an exceptional track record of delivering complex, business-critical projects for high-profile clients operating in the worlds of media, sport, education and culture. A dedicated contracts expert, Paul specialises in advising on contract law and in undertaking work related to a wide variety of commercial contracts across both the public and private sectors. His client base spans a broad range of industries and features large blue-chip organisations, as well as high-profile household names. He has particular expertise in acting for international media and publishing companies, sports governing bodies, schools and universities and internationally recognised cultural institutions. Paul manages large, transformational projects for clients, and typically where the commercial contracts underpin business critical infrastructure changes or complex, large-scale transactions. These are some of the core contracts that enable the way these organisations operate. He regularly advises on supply, agency, distribution and services contracts, business process outsourcing (BPO), IT and technology contracts as well contractual joint ventures, collaborations and other strategic alliances. He has notable experience of broadcast, licensing, acquisition, publishing, exhibition and sponsorship contracts within all of this. To complement his work and advice on the contracts being awarded, Paul also has significant expertise in advising on public and private sector procurement processes (including compliance, in the public sector, with the public procurement regime). Paul develops close relationships with his clients and enjoys the privilege and responsibility of becoming part of the team helping to deliver some of the most challenging and exciting phases of their growth and development. Alongside his own technical expertise, clients benefit from Paul’s skill in project-managing the work across typically more than one key contract and coordinating teams of experts from across the firm to resource complex projects often featuring elements of employment, corporate or charity law. Working as he does with many in-house teams Paul is closely attuned to the needs of, and pressures put upon, in-house lawyers. He co-ordinates and runs regular training and update sessions for in-house lawyers, spanning the likes of contract, employment, information and corporate law, as well as themes such as litigation, governance, compliance and regulation. He plays an active role in the wider legal sector and is a member of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA), the Society of Computers and Law (SCL) and the Procurement Lawyers' Association; as well as a regular speaker at events for the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) and the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA). Within the firm, Paul supports his colleagues through his role in the firm’s graduate recruitment programme, amongst a range of other responsibilities.

Paul’s main area of practice is in advising private and institutional clients with landed estates on agricultural, commercial and residential property matters, including landlord and tenant issues, sporting, minerals, development options and overage. He has particular experience in telecommunications and the sale and purchase of, and the granting of security over, rural property.

Rachel provides advice across a full spectrum of employment issues to a diverse range of clients. She acts both for employers and for senior employees. Rachel has run significant employment tribunal claims involving complex discrimination and whistleblowing issues, and also has experience of mediation as an alternative to litigation. She has particular expertise in large scale redundancy exercises and restructurings, and has a strong pedigree in public sector work. She has won praise from clients and legal directories for her pragmatism and the commerciality of her approach, focusing on finding effective solutions to seemingly intractable problems. This fits with her track record of building up strong, long term working relationships with her clients' HR and management teams, enabling her to understand and add value to their business. Rachel also writes and lectures regularly on employment law issues.

Rachel provides technical legal support and lectures (both internally and externally) on charity law issues. She has special expertis in social enterprise and the Charities Act 2006. Rachel is co-author of "The Charities Act 2006: A Practitioner's Guide" and regularly writes for Farrer-branded and sector publications.

Rebecca Heyworth

Rebecca is a Senior Associate in the Family team. Rebecca deals with all aspects of family law, in particular, divorce, matters involving high value/complex financial issues for both married and unmarried couples, pre- and post-nuptial agreements and cohabitation. She works for a variety of clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters, often including those with an international element. Rebecca also deals with issues of child contact, residence and leave to remove children from the jurisdiction.

Richard advises on a broad range of corporate transactions including acquisitions, disposals and investments. His clients are both public listed companies as well as fast growing private businesses. Richard is the head of the firm's entrepreneurs and family business group. In addition to advising public listed companies Richard has extensive experience in working with entrepreneurial and family owned businesses and has a particular interest in the media, technology and publishing sectors. His recent experience includes advising Mantle Diamonds Limited on its simultaneous US$25 million fund-raising from Australian private equity fund Pacific Road Capital and the acquisition of the Lerala Diamond mine in Botswana from Australian listed company Diamonex Limited and BMJ Publishing Group Limited on its acquisition of Informatica Systems Limited.

Richard McDermott

Richard advises on all aspects of trust law, wills, tax and estate planning for UK domiciled individuals and probate matters. In particular, Richard advises on matters involving mental capacity issues, working to protect vulnerable people who may be affected by mental illness, addiction or dementia - which can often include applications to the Court of Protection. He also advises and has published articles on cross-border incapacity, contentious trust and probate disputes.

Rose Spencer-Longhurst

Rose works on a wide range of family matters, contentious and non-contentious and often with an international element; including divorce, complex financial disputes further to a marital or relationship breakdown, pre-nuptial agreements and cohabitation. She also deals with issues of child contact, residence and leave to remove children from the jurisdiction.

Rose is a Senior Associate in the Rural Property team. Rose’s experience includes acting for private individuals, landed estates and charities on farm and other rural property sales and purchases. Rose also advises on tenanted land issues including Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 succession, Rent Act tenancies and modern Farm Business Tenancies as well as commercial landlord and tenant matters.

Russell advises on all aspects of tax planning, estate planning and trust structuring. He frequently lectures, chairs and presents seminars on trust and tax matters. He is also responsible for the firm’s Immigration practice.

Sally is familiar with all legal aspects of a sale and purchase of residential property for leasehold and freehold. Sally's work includes acting for offshore investors acquiring properties off plan in new developments. She has frequently worked on behalf of developers of residential property for the on sale of large numbers of flats and houses, usually in London and the south east. In addition, she specialises in the property aspects relating to dissolved companies' assets which have reverted to bona vacantia for either the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy of Cornwall.

Sam is the Head of the Schools Group. He advises charities and other not-for-profit institutions on all aspects of UK charity law and related tax law. He also advises philanthropists on structures for giving and the establishment of charities, and overseas organisations on their engagement with the British and European charitable sectors. Sam represents the firm on the Charity Tax Group and the Charities' Property Association, and is a member of the Charity Law Association.

As the Knowledge Lawyer for the family team at Farrer & Co, Sara provides expert, technical legal knowledge to the team. Family law is constantly evolving, as the changes we see in society are reflected in reported cases. Sara keeps the team up to speed with the latest developments ensuring that they are at the forefront of family law and practice so that clients receive the very best advice and most efficient service.

Sarah Hutchinson

Sarah is a partner and family mediator. She works on a broad range of complex private family law matters, both contentious and non-contentious. These include resolving complex financial issues further to a marital or relationship breakdown, disputes relating to children, pre and post nuptial agreements and co-habitation disputes. Sarah acts for a wide variety of clients including landowners, entrepreneurs, bankers and other professionals as well as their partners, with an equal balance of men and women. Sarah is rapidly developing an impressive children law practice alongside her broader financial practice. She has extensive knowedge of the law relating to children, as well as the impact on children of relationship breakdown. She was named as a “Young Turk” in the Rising Stars section of the Family Law index 2015 by Spear’s Wealth Management magazine and has written articles for the Resolution Review, Family Law and Farrer & Co’s Family LIFe briefing. She has extensive experience of litigation but is also committed to achieving solutions outside of the court setting where appropriate and possible. Sarah trained as a family mediator with the Family Mediators Association in 2015.

Sarah has experience of a variety of commercial property matters including acquisitions, disposals and a wide range of landlord and tenant and management issues. Sarah acts for private, institutional and commercial clients but has particular experience in advising charities, foreign investors and schools. She deals with a wide range of commercial property including offices, shops, restaurants and pubs.

Sarah von Schmidt

Sarah specialises in advising wealthy individuals and their families, entrepreneurs and landowning families on personal tax, trusts and succession planning. She also advises executors and trustees on their duties and powers and works closely with family offices, wealth managers and private banks. Sarah is a member of the firm’s Entrepreneurs and Family Business groups and has a particular interest in advising owner managers of growing companies and family businesses on the personal wealth issues that affect those in these sectors. Sarah is recommended in the Legal 500 directory, described as a "dynamic personality" and "particularly good". She is included on the Honours List for lawyers in the Citywealth Leaders List 2015 and on the Power Women listings having previously been shortlisted as "Woman of the Year" at the Citywealth Magic Circle Awards 2013.

Serena Nicholls

Serena provides advice to corporate, institutional and senior executive clients on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues. Her work includes advising in relation to the conduct of employment litigation (including discrimination, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal claims), disciplinary and grievance procedures, settlement agreements, team hires and restraints of trade, and redundancy. Serena's employer clients include media organisations, charities and academic establishments. She also has a wealth of experience providing bespoke advise to high-net-worth clients on their staff arrangements.

Sian’s practice covers the full range of property disputes across both residential and commercial property interests, acting for property owners, investors, developers and occupiers. In relation to commercial property Sian advises on a range of landlord and tenant issues, including lease renewals and breaches of obligation such as dilapidations. Her residential practice includes advising on contractual and real property rights and obligations, easements, covenants, neighbourly and boundary matters and a range of landlord and tenant disputes including possession claims, service charge issues and disrepair. Sian looks to explore the various options available to clients outside of formal litigation, in particular to explore settlement through alternative dispute resolution. Sian qualified as a solicitor in 2021.

Simon has looked after high net worth individuals and families for more than 40 years, working in international accountancy firms, law firms, private banking and trust companies. He now focuses on advising UK and worldwide clients and family offices, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East. His work includes not only strategic advice, perhaps on succession or family governance, but also support on a wide range of operational matters and wealth management issues. He liaises with other advisers to provide informed and co-ordinated solutions.

Simon is Head of Private Wealth at Farrer & Co and has over 30 years’ experience advising major institutions, charities, and private estates on all aspects of property law. Renowned for his strategic thinking and practical approach, Simon guides clients through complex property transactions with clarity and confidence.

Simon advises on private company acquisitions, disposals and fundraisings. Simon specialises in acting for businesses backed by venture capital and private equity including advising on management buy outs and buy ins, raising expansion capital and private equity exits. Simon is a member of the firm’s Entrepreneurs and Family Business groups and International Private Wealth group. He has a particular interest in advising on inward investment into the UK, acting for both private investors and UK businesses.

Simon is head of the Banking practice. He advises lenders and borrowers on a range of finance transactions (syndicated and bilateral, multi-tranche and layered acquisition, trade, development, and property finance). Simon also acts for clients (debtors, creditors, boards of directors and appointment takers) in formal and informal insolvency work, advising on a broad range of insolvency matters involving corporate bodies, partnerships and individuals.

Siobhan specialises in all aspects of property related litigation and dispute resolution. Her clients include commercial and residential property owners and developers. Her expertise includes commercial and residential landlord and tenant disputes, property related insolvency (i.e. administration, liquidation, CVAs and pre-packs), disputes relating to interpreting and enforcing land contracts, possession claims, beneficial interests in property, leasehold enfranchisement, lease extensions, and professional negligence. Siobhan has substantial experience of court proceedings, property tribunals and alternative forms of dispute resolution, and is often instructed in an advisory capacity to pre-empt and avoid possible disputes.

Sonal's work focuses on landed estates, high value probate matters with cross-border issues and long-standing trust matters. She advises individuals, families and trustees on tax and estate planning with a focus on UK-domiciled clients. In September 2015 Sonal was named one of Private Client Practitioner's top 35 private client professionals aged under 35. Sonal has also recently passed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Families in Business with distinction

Sophie predominately advises UK-domiciled private clients on wills and estate planning. She has been particularly involved on trust law and matters relating to powers of attorney, many often involving mental capacity issues or vulnerable people. Sophie also has a wide experience of probate and the administration of estates.

Susanna O'Leary

Susanna specialises in the sale and purchase of residential premises and the refinancing of residential and commercial premises. She also advises on landlord and tenant issues relating to residential and commercial property. Susanna acts for individuals and a number of private banks and charities.

Tasneem Bhindarwala

Tasneem advises employers and employees on both contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Her clients include businesses, schools, faith organisations, and senior executives.

Tom advises landowners on a wide range of rural matters, with a focus on agricultural issues. His experience includes farm sales and purchases; acting for clients, including Landed Estates, Charities, Educational Institutions, and both Investors and Commercial Farmers. He has advised on tenanted land issues including Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 succession, and modern Farm Business Tenancies. Tom also provides advice on Landlord and Tenant issues, including residential tenancies, commercial leases and the grant of rights.

Toby is head of Farrer & Co's Contentious Trusts and Estates group. He specialises in contentious trusts and estates, usually of high-value with international elements. He has been involved in trusts disputes before courts in England, The Bahamas, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman, Cyprus, Guernsey, Jersey, Singapore, Switzerland and TCI. He has experience of a broad range of disputes such as third party claims; validity issues; breach of trust; Hastings Bass; applications for approval under VTA; disputes over investment performance; Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; validity challenged to wills. Toby is co-editor of Trusts & Trustees published by Oxford University Press; a member of the editorial board of Wills & Trusts Law Reports; a co-editor of “A Practical Guide to the Transfer of Trusteeships” (2nd ed) published by STEP and is the author of the course notes for the STEP Certificate in Trust Disputes.

Tom is a Senior Associate in the Contentious Trusts & Estates team. Tom advises on a broad range of contentious matters for individuals, institutions and corporate clients. He has experience at all stages of the litigation process from pre-action advice to trial. Tom recently co-authored Shepherd v Fox Williams LLP and others, which appeared in the E-Commerce Law Reports, volume 14, issue 03 in August 2014

Tom is an Partner in Farrer & Co's Reputation Management practice, and is also a member of the firm's Sports Group. Tom provides reputation management, contentious media and IP advice to a full range of the firm's clients, including individuals, corporates and institutions. He has experience advising both claimants and defendants on defamation, privacy, contentious data protection, cyber security, harassment, and copyright and trademark law. He works alongside communications advisers, investigative firms, and IT and cyber security specialists to help devise strategies on, and responses to, sensitive issues where the reputational risk is significant. Tom frequently advises sports organisations and individuals on contentious, regulatory and commercial matters. His clients include international and national sports governing bodies, as well as a number of professional sportsmen and women and other sports organisations. Tom's experience includes advising Farrer & Co's sports clients on various forms of dispute resolution (comprising litigation, arbitration at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and mediation), internal investigations, disciplinary and selection issues, and the drafting of key policies (such as those relating to anti-doping and the selection of athletes for major events). Tom has spent time in-house on two separate secondments at the Lawn Tennis Association.

Tom advises corporate and commercial clients on a broad range of corporate matters. He specialises in corporate transactions, advising private and public companies and investors in connection with share and business acquisitions, disposals, fundraisings and re-organisations. Tom has particular experience in advising owner-managed companies at all stages of their growth, from their funding and acquisition strategies through to disposals and sales. He also advises companies on their corporate governance requirements and is a member of the firm's Sports Group.

Veryan has a diverse range of clients and advises on all areas of family law, including divorce and separation (often with an international element), issues relating to children (including applications for leave to remove children permanently from the jurisdiction, disputes regarding contact and residence), pre- and post-marital agreements and more general legal advice in relation to personal affairs.

Victoria Atkins

William Massey is a partner at Farrer & Co and head of the family team. He has specialised in family law since 1991 and has wide experience in money and children cases on relationship breakdown with particular emphasis on complex financial situations. His cases often involve issues covering trusts, companies, tax, pensions and other jurisdictions. His background in commercial law has helped him to build a reputation as a front runner in difficult financial cases.

William Charrington

William advises corporate clients, institutions and individuals on a wide range of contentious matters. His practice includes disputes arising out of commercial contracts, civil fraud, professional negligence and judicial review. He has experience of all stages of the litigation process from initial pre-action advice up to trial, and of alternative forms of dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration. William has particular experience of acting in complex civil fraud disputes relating to banking. He advises on applications for interim relief including freezing and asset disclosure orders. His broad practice also includes advising clients on art related disputes and inquest proceedings.

Francesca Steel

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