For over 14 years Alexandra has been advising wealthy individuals and business owners on estate planning and succession matters, including complex inheritance tax and capital gains tax issues. Alexandra is also experienced in advising trustees, drafting and administering trusts, and dealing with estate administration. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Chris is a very experienced commercial and technology lawyer advising on a wide variety of trading arrangements, including complex manufacturing and distribution arrangements, procurement, service provision and supply and licensing arrangements. Chris’s technology and e-commerce advice includes hardware procurement, software development, licensing and support, including SaaS/PaaS agreements and data protection issues. Chris is recognised as a key lawyer in the Legal 500 for both commercial and technology work. Prior to joining, Chris worked for major international and city law firms advising businesses from small owner-managed businesses to major multi-national conglomerates. Chris has considerable experience in advising on logistics and warehousing issues having spent 6 months working on secondment with one of the UK’s major retailers and advising some of the UK’s major supermarket chains. Chris also has specific expertise in sports related work, having advised the UK’s premier motorsport venue, a premiership rugby team and one of the world cup organising bodies on a variety of contracts including licensing, sponsorship, hospitality, merchandising and outside broadcast agreements.
Having previously trained with the firm, Faye re-joined Howes Percival in March 2023 as a Director in our Banking and Finance team. Faye has a wealth of experience of advising both lenders (including banks, funds, alternative lenders and private capital) and borrowers on all aspects of banking and finance transactions including general corporate banking and acquisition, leveraged and real-estate finance. Faye’s experience spans both domestic and cross-border banking transactions. Faye joined Howes Percival in March 2023.
Hannah has considerable experience of providing contentious and non-contentious employment law advice to a broad range of clients. She has particular expertise in tribunal litigation, including complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Hannah is experienced in contentious senior exits and gives “good, down to earth advice”. She also delivers in-house training for clients and is responsible for delivering training on Equality & Diversity and Anti-Bullying & Harassment for staff within Howes Percival. Hannah is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
James helps clients with intellectual property law and media issues. With a particular focus on contentious matters, he has extensive experience of disputes involving trade marks, passing off, copyright (whether artistic, literary or software), database rights, design rights, patents and domain names. His practice also regularly features work involving defamation, privacy and data protection issues (including interim injunction applications and the ‘right to be forgotten’). James has acted for major corporations, SMEs and private individuals in various forums including the High Court, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, the UK Intellectual Property Office and WIPO.Having trained as a lawyer after a career in publishing, James joined the IP/IT team at Howes Percival as a partner in October 2015. He is primarily based in the firm’s Milton Keynes office, but looks after clients in locations across the UK.
Jennie has extensive experience in acting on sales and purchases of farms and estates, including equestrian properties, overages, and tenanted land. Jennie also deals with secured lending on agricultural land, auctions, entitlements and rural land generally. Jennie has a particular interest in dealing with charity property and compulsory purchases, particularly relating to HS2. Jennie qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and joined Howes Percival in April 2023.
Jennifer is an experienced contentious probate and trusts specialist. She is ACTAPS (The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists) qualified and has over 20 years’ experience in advising clients in Will disputes, claims against Estates, challenges to Will validity and issues arising from the administration of Trusts. Jennifer has also represented clients in a rare Presumption of Death application. As well as acting for Executors or Trustees and beneficiaries in Wills and Trusts disputes, Jennifer has been appointed as Trustee on a number of multi-million pound Trusts and can act as an Independent Trustee. Jennifer works with her clients to achieve realistic and pragmatic results, ensuring that disputes are dealt with as cost-effectively as possible. She has a wealth of experience advising clients in complex Wills and Estate disputes and has dealt with claims taken all the way to trial as well as those settled following successful mediation. Clients say she is “very clear, focused and helpful” and that her advice is “invaluable”.
Leanne advises on a wide range of contentious property issues, involving residential, commercial and agricultural land. Leanne advises on commercial landlord and tenant disputes including dilapidations, 1954 Act claims, forfeiture and other breaches of covenant claims. She also advises on land issues such as adverse possession, trespass and rights of way. Leanne is a member of the Property Litigation Association.
Partner Marcus has recently joined our Milton Keynes office from local firm EMW where he headed up the Occupiers and Investment Team. Marcus’ specialism is acting for corporate occupiers of commercial property and dealing with investment acquisitions and disposals. He has significant experience in working with clients on expanding their portfolios or managing their existing portfolio and enjoys working with clients as part of their team to achieve his client’s goals. Marcus has worked with a number of household names during his career to date but also enjoys working with local business either starting out or moving premises. Marcus’ advice and approach to any transaction will be driven by the client’s aims and wishes and he prides himself on offering not only sound legal advice (which is probably a given) but advice which is commercial and practical. Based in our Milton Keynes office Marcus acts for clients based both locally to MK but also nationally.
Simon is a partner and advises on all types of tribunal claims, with a particular interest in disability discrimination. He takes a pro-active role in case management, including advocacy at hearings. Simon also advises on redundancy/restructuring, TUPE transfers and corporate transactions, and he provides bespoke advice to commercial clients from the public and private sector. His approach is creative, commercial and pragmatic. Simon regularly delivers training seminars and workshops for clients and also in conjunction with other professionals, such as recruitment specialists, outplacement providers and the Northampton CIPD. Simon is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
Tom is a Director in our Milton Keynes office and is a corporate, automotive retail M&A and venture capital specialist. The only lawyer to have been shortlisted “Emerging Dealmaker of the Year” by Insider Central and East Midlands Dealmakers Awards 2022, Tom has advised on some of the firm’s highest profile transactions. He has experience of advising all types of businesses, from owner-managed through to large, listed multinational groups having spent more than 5 years at international law firm, Dentons. He has considerable experience in complex domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, with notable expertise in buying and selling motor dealerships, regularly acting for several of the UK’s largest automotive retail groups in the top 100. His practice spans a wide range of corporate transactions, including; acquisitions and disposals, private equity transactions, joint ventures, group reorganisations, restructurings and corporate governance matters. Tom’s venture capital work has seen him act for founders, start-ups, scale-ups and venture funds both in the UK and internationally across a myriad of sectors and at all stages of an emerging growth company's development life cycle.