Hugh James

Alan Collins

Alan Collins is one of the best known and most experienced solicitors in the field of child abuse litigation and has acted in many high profile cases, including the Jimmy Savile and Haut de la Garenne abuse scandals. Alan has represented interested parties before public inquiries including the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, and IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse). He was the advocate to the People's Tribunal which presented its report on sexual abuse to the UK Parliament (in 2016). Internationally, Alan works in Australia, South East Asia, Uganda, Kenya, and California representing clients in high profile sexual abuse cases. Alan also spoke at the Third Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok hosted by Unicef and HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law). He also specialises in serious personal injury cases including head and spinal injury claims. Due to Alan’s expertise and experience he is sought after by individuals for high profile and complex cases. These include; seeking compensation for child migrants from the UK sent to Australia and Southern Rhodesia in the 1950’s and 60’s, representing the former residents of Les Chenes secure school for teenagers in Jersey in seeking redress for the abuse they suffered whilst in the schools care, and representing and advising those affected by the widely reported and high profile Windrush scandal. Alan joined Hugh James as a partner in December 2014 and leads a team of specialist abuse solicitors. He qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and later became a solicitor-advocate allowing him to act for his clients in the higher courts in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He has considerable experience of both criminal and civil litigation. Alan is also a qualified mediator. Alan is a regular media contributor on serious personal injury and child abuse issues. He has regularly appeared on BBC and ITN news, ABC, CNN, NBC, and Sky News programmes, also BBC Radio 4's "Today", and "PM"; Radio 5; BBC and ITV regional television and radio, Australian radio, and US, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Danish television. Alan is a regular speaker at conferences on legal issues including: APIL; La Trobe University; National Crime Agency; University of Wales; Law Society of Scotland; Strathclyde University; and Dyfed-Powys Police. Alan is a fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and a director for the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL). ACAL is a support group set up by solicitors and other professionals involved in the field of obtaining compensation for victims of abuse.

Aled Walters

Aled is a partner and is head of the commercial team. Aled has particular expertise within the gaming, tech and media sector having worked in-house at major broadcaster S4C. Aled is also head of the technology, media and telecoms (TMT) team. Aled advises on corporate and commercial matters, often advising on complex and high-value commercial agreements. He has significant experience advising on complex contracts and deals with a multi-jurisdictional dimension. Aled has advised some of the largest media gaming, gambling and betting businesses in the world including Novomatic, Greentube and Avanti. He is widely recognised internationally for his work and is ranked as a ‘Leader in his field’ in legal directories. Aled leads a team which established itself as leading legal advisors for the gaming, TV and Media industry across the UK. Aled takes an active role in the media industries outside of Hugh James. This includes being a member of the Royal Television Society and he is also a Professional Member of Pact. He is also a semi-professional musician. As a fluent Welsh speaker, Aled is heavily involved in the promotion of Welsh heritage and language acting as a Trustee and Honorary Counsel for Urdd Gobaith Cymru and a Trustee for Menter Caerdydd, both companies promote the use of the Welsh language. Aled is also a Director at the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales; a festival that annually celebrates the culture and language of Wales through music, dance, visual arts and literature.

Alison Hartley

Partner

Alun Jones

Alun Jones is Managing Partner of Hugh James, taking the helm in January 2011. He is also chair of the firm’s board of management. In his role as Managing Partner, Alun is responsible for formulating and implementing the firm’s business strategy and day-to-day operations. Alun was integral to the development of our volume-based wealth management services, which we provide to major UK high street financial services brands. He continues to manage relationships with our business clients, work partners and introducers and has considerable experience of developing outsourced workflow systems with robust audit, supervision and reporting structures for financial sector clients. Alun has been at the forefront of developing new methods of delivering legal services and remains integral to the development of innovative and lean operating models at Hugh James. He has designed and implemented highly-engineered technical systems for handling large volumes of instructions, resulting in new business and major contracts with top financial services sector companies. Alun was also responsible for developing and launching a state-of-the-art, integrated online legal services portal for Hugh James and for developing sophisticated management information and extranet reporting facilities for the firm’s clients.

Amber Mitchell

Partner

Andrew Davies

Andrew has been a partner in Hugh James since 1994 and specialises in funding, budgeting and legal costs in high value complex and multi-party litigation both in the UK and internationally. He also specialises in law relating to medical, surgical and clinical practice. Andrew is now part of the Senior Management Team overseeing multi-party group actions and has considerable expertise in legal costs on which he takes the lead. Andrew’s wealth of experience in medical and costs law is drawn on to provide tactical and technical expertise across the multi-party actions department.Andrew’s group actions include ill health claims arising from coke oven employment. He also works within the International Claims Department where his work takes him to Countries as far afield as Africa.Andrew was involved in the high profile Phurnacite works group litigation, the British Coal Coke Oven Workers Litigation and the British Steel Coke Oven Workers Litigation. He has also dealt with Multi million pound brain injury claims and various other high value complex clinical negligence claims.

Bethan Gladwyn

Bethan is head of the housing management team as a result of her capability and specialist knowledge in her field of law, having exclusively practised in the area of social housing and anti-social behaviour since qualification in 2003. A specialist in social housing law and practice, anti-social behaviour and landlord and tenant (residential), Bethan assisted in setting up Wales’s first anti-social behaviour unit at Hugh James. Bethan is recognised as an experienced advocate by clients and peers alike. Bethan has over 15 years’ experience advising local authorities and registered social landlords on all issues of housing management and tenancy enforcement, particularly in relation to measures to combat nuisance and anti-social behaviour. She regularly handles cases involving complex Equality Act defences as well as public law and human rights challenges and advises clients on matters ranging from succession to disrepair. During the final stages of debate, Bethan was approached by Community Housing Cymru to provide advice in relation to the Renting Homes (Wales) Bill 2014 which formed the basis of later legislation. Bethan is renowned within the sector as an accomplished trainer and regularly provides training to social housing providers. She is often invited to speak at events hosted by the Chartered Institute of Housing, Community Housing Cymru and the Welsh Government. Bethan and her team are well known in the sector for acting for some of the largest and well-regarded housing associations in Wales such as Hafod, Merthyr Valleys Homes, Newport City Homes, Trivallis as well as a growing client base of registered providers in England.

Cari Sowden-Taylor

Cari is a partner in our neurolaw team. Representing claimants with traumatic brain injuries and spinal injuries, Cari liaises with her clients and their case managers, treating clinicians, expert witnesses and support teams to ensure that the best possible outcome (both in terms of compensation and rehabilitation) is reached for her clients. Cari is passionate about ensuring that her clients access specialist rehabilitation as early as possible in order to achieve the best recovery. Bringing claims against insurance companies, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and local authorities, Cari has recovered many millions of pounds in compensation for her clients. Cari has a wealth of experience and represents both children and adults throughout England and Wales, and also represents clients with complex claims who have sustained injuries as a result of accidents abroad. Given the nature of her clients’ injuries, Cari liaises closely with our Court of Protection unit for those clients who lack the capacity to manage their financial affairs and property. Cari is accredited by the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel and is a member of APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers).

Caroline O'Flaherty

As a Partner in the Commercial Property team, Caroline O’Flaherty, specialises in acquisitions, disposals, property development and finance. Working across a variety of sectors, from office, retail, and industrial to leisure, Caroline has particular expertise in property portfolio management and leasing work. Highly experienced in all aspects of commercial property and development, Caroline frequently advises on complex, high value acquisitions. A significant player in the housing association sector, she advises clients such as Stonewater Ltd, Pobl Group, Linc Cymru Housing Association and Curo Group on urban regeneration, extra care and mixed use developments. She has recently been recognised for her outstanding work in the sector, winning the title of ‘Consultant of the Year’ at the National Women in Housing Awards, in October 2018. Caroline regularly advises educational institutions and has advised Cardiff University, since 2000, on its estate portfolio. More recently this included advising on the landmark re-development of the University’s Centre for Student Life. She works closely with Coleg Gwent and is heavily involved in their new Newport Information Quarter and Torfaen Learning Zone. Other notable projects include the Wales Millennium Centre, a major regeneration site at Old Town Dock Newport and Mulberry Park - a multi-million pound redevelopment of a former MOD site in Bath. Caroline also frequently speaks at Community Housing Cymru (CHC) conferences.

Catherine Keeley

Partner

Dominic Marshall

Dominic is a partner and head of the banking and finance team. Dominic is a vastly experienced banking and finance lawyer who, since joining Hugh James in 2010 has grown and developed the banking team into a leading player, acting for high street banks, challenger banks, financial institutions and building societies on a full remit of banking issues.Dominic has a very broad range of expertise which spans corporate banking, real estate finance, development finance, acquisition finance and renewable energy finance. His wide range of experience built from his time in the City and whilst on secondment to a major investment bank.Dominic takes the leading role on a number of matters and is relationship partner for several of the team’s most important clients, and is the firm’s LMA contact. Dominic regularly advises lenders, borrowers and investors on bilateral and syndicated debt finance, private equity, asset finance, development finance and structured finance transactions, security and intercreditor matters nationally, in the City of London and across Europe.Dominic is instructed by a range of financial institutions from high-street lenders to challenger banks and also advises public sector clients on large value complex commercially and politically sensitive matters.Dominic has extensive experience of advising commercial lender clients on large scale loan agreement drafting services and security taking functions using bespoke secure portals. This is a unique service blending legal advice with legal process management on commercial loans.

Gary Herbert

Partner

Gemma Osgood

Senior Associate

Gerallt Jones

Gerallt is a partner and head of the corporate and commercial team. Since joining Hugh James in 2005, Gerallt has led the team to be a leading player within the corporate and commercial market, advising clients including the Welsh Government, the Welsh Rugby Union, Princes Gate Water and the Development Bank of Wales. Gerallt’s achievements are reflected by his inclusion in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame, which highlights the law firm partners who are at the pinnacle of the profession. Gerallt specialises in corporate law and has a wealth of experience advising businesses on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt investments, private equity transactions, joint ventures, management buy-outs/ buy-ins, restructuring and general corporate advice. Gerallt’s notable recent deals include advising Welsh Government on the £83.7 million International Convention Centre Wales at Celtic Manor Resort and on the sale of a majority shareholding in Princes Gate Spring Water to Nestlé Waters. This deal was named Insider Wales Dealmakers International Deal of the Year 2018. Gerallt also advised on the sale by Walters Group of Ffos Las racecourse, the first new horse racing venue in Britain for more than 80 years, to Arena Racing Company (Arc). He regularly advises the Welsh Rugby Union on numerous matters including its acquisition of the Newport Gwent professional rugby region and its catering and hospitality joint venture at the Principality Stadium with Compass Group Dragons. He also advised on the £28.5 million buyout of Vista Retail Support by LDC and Cardiff University on the transfer of 300 staff and 3,000 separate training courses to Health Education and Improvement Wales, a new £200 million special health authority within NHS Wales. Gerallt has particular expertise in the sport and food & drink sectors, leading Hugh James’s relationships with clients in these sectors including the Welsh Rugby Union and Braces Bakery. Gerallt is a fluent Welsh speaker. Gerallt is a trustee of the Cardiff Museum Development Trust.

Gill Edwards

Partner

Gwen Morgan-Evans

Gwen is head of environmental claims and one of the UK’s leading environmental lawyers. She has 11 years’ experience specialising in group actions on behalf of communities affected by various forms of environmental pollution. Gwen has successfully concluded a number of large environmental group actions in locations throughout the UK. She has represented many thousands of individuals securing compensation, and more importantly to the claimants, an end to the nuisance. As well as environmental actions, Gwen has been involved in other major group action cases. These include the claim by injured passengers following the Gerona air crash and a multi-million pound claim by former miners for professional negligence against their former solicitors over alleged mishandling of injury claims. Gwen successfully represented the claimants in the High Court group litigation case of Anslow & Ors v Norton Aluminium Ltd. In addition to the high profile cases cited above, Gwen has acted or is currently acting as the lead solicitor in the following group action cases: Parkwood Landfill Group Litigation (158 claims – Sheffield) Fleetwood Group Litigation (130 claims – Lancashire Wildriggs Animal Rendering Group Litigation (90 claims – Penrith)

Hayley Yates

Chartered Legal Executive

Helen Budge

Partner

Hugh Potter

Joint Head of the Manchester Office

Ioan Prydderch

Ioan is head of the firm’s business services division. This division comprises all of the teams which provide transactional, contractual, advisory and dispute resolution advice to businesses and organisations across various sectors. Ioan also is Head of our Construction, Energy and Projects team and has spent almost 20 years advising clients on non-contentious and contentious construction matters. He has extensive experience in the construction and engineering sector and has acted in a number of high value and complicated disputes. Ioan’s role involves advising the firm’s key clients on some of the most significant construction projects and disputes in Wales and the wider UK. Ioan and his team act for a wide range of clients, ranging from government and public authorities to banks, developers and contractors. Some notable projects include advising on: politically sensitive, high value and complex transport and construction projects for the public sector; a supply contract for the supply of steel for the construction of the new nuclear facility at Hinckley Point, Maidenhead, England; a multimillion pound claim brought by one of the UK’s largest energy companies arising from an alleged EWI system failure on a large housing estate in the UK; a high profile dispute arising out of the Mersey Gateway project. Ioan heads up the firm’s public sector practice and manages the relationship between Hugh James and key public sector organisations, such as the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales. Regularly advising on dispute resolution, Ioan is very familiar with adjudication, and, as an accredited mediator, he is familiar with the range of alternative dispute resolution processes. Ioan’s mining practice has also developed further during 2017-8, with Ioan and his team advising SRK, consultants for the resource and mining industry, on a number of international disputes. Ioan has almost 20 years’ experience advising the public and private sectors on issues relating to construction law and is widely recognised as an expert in his field. He advises clients on procurement and the contractual documents involved in construction and engineering projects, including PPP and PFI deals, and more recently the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) as well as high value renewable energy projects. Ioan has particular expertise in arbitration and adjudication, alternative dispute resolution, professional negligence, energy, procurement, project documentation and standard forms of contract (JCT, NEC, ICE, FIDIC, GCWorks, PPC2000, RIBA, BPF, ACE, CIC). Ioan is a member of the following institutions and societies: Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Society of Construction Law Adjudication Society.

James Gratton

Senior Associate

James Pearn

Consultant Solicitor

Jeanne Evans

Partner

Jeremy Smith

Senior Associate

Karl Thomas

Partner and Head of Department

Lesley Herbertson

Partner

Louise Price

A highly specialised lawyer, Louise is a Partner and Head of Employment and HR services. Her expertise includes corporate support work, TUPE, pensions and employee benefits advice. She regularly advises private, public and third sector clients regarding large scale TUPE transfers of staff including drafting indemnities and warranties, advising on potential employment and pension liabilities, information and consultation obligations, and providing best value guidance. Louise has experience working with clients in the media industry such as advising the TUPE transfer of the Songs of Praise contract from the BBC to Avanti Media. She also advises on changing terms and conditions, restructures/redundancies, complex and drawn out grievances and senior management disciplinary/exit strategies. Louise leads on all employment work with the social housing sector, regularly advising on employment issues around the Social Housing Pension Scheme SHPS, exit strategies and remuneration of board members. This has included advising a large housing association in relation to a dispute with an employee involving a multi-party grievance together with disciplinary proceedings and a live discrimination claim. The case was further complicated by the employee going on long term sick leave. Louise has also acted for a large housing association in defending a multi-part tribunal claim arising from changes to terms and conditions of staff. One constructive dismissal claim was successfully defended and the remaining claimants subsequently withdrew their claim. She also has extensive advocacy experience which includes successfully defending two long running whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and employment status tribunal claims on behalf of Chepstow Plant International Limited. Louise has drafted policies and procedures on behalf of public sector bodies and advised the Royal College of Nursing on a wide range of issues. She has also advised large educational institutions and charitable organisations. Louise also defended a high profile race discrimination claim which was appealed to the EAT where the claim against our client was withdrawn. Louise provides support to our commercial and corporate departments when advising on procurements, outsourcing, commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions. This includes drafting due diligence reports, indemnities and warranties as well as directors’ service agreements. Louise also has advised large private sector organisations on site closures and large-scale redundancies. Louise leads the firm’s non-contentious pension’s works on behalf of private and public sector clients including Monmouthshire County Council, Business Wales and Tenneco Automatic UK. As well as providing pensions support to corporate matters handled by the firm, Louise also handles discrete pension mandates on issues such as changing benefits termination of accrual and auto enrolment. Louise has also acted as an Investigating Officer in relation to a complex and highly sensitive matter involving 4 grievances. Louise also acts as legal adviser to Social Care Wales providing advice in relation to Fitness to Practise hearings. Louise conducts in-house seminars and presentations to clients, participates in media discussion and regularly contributes to employment law articles and bulletins. Louise regularly speaks at CHC, CIPD, ACAS and ICAEW events.

Mark Loosemore

Partner

Mark Harvey

Mark Harvey is a Partner in the claimant division. He has obtained compensation for many individual victims of common but defective consumer products as well as victims of accidents overseas and arising out of travel generally. Mark is the court appointed lead solicitor coordinating over 1,000 claimants in a group litigation order (GLO) arising out of the recall and health alert relating to the French manufacturer’s PIP silicone breast implants. He is also the lead solicitor in the Wright Medical Conserve metal on metal hip GLO as well as a member of the claimants’ steering committees in both the Pinnacle and Zimmer metal on metal hip GLOs. He is responsible for leading claims concerning various injuries and complaints from medical devices. He negotiated a settlement protocol for patients who alleged visual problems from their cataract remedial intraocular lenses as well as obtaining compensation for one individual who complained of a defective hip prosthesis, and another who suffered injury from a piece of aircraft furniture in a first class cabin. He is currently investigating new claims relating to hearing implants and two other cataract remedial intraocular lenses complaints. Mark has represented victims in many travel disasters, including Zeebrugge, Clapham, P&O Lifeboat accident in Cherbourg, the Maidenhead rail fire and the Ufton Nervet rail crossing accident. He was a member of the Steering Committees for both the Southall and Ladbroke Grove rail crashes. He is currently representing the passengers and driver of the Edwards’ Coaches bus crash in Switzerland who are pursuing claims against the Swiss insurers of the lorry that caused the accident. Mark successfully concluded claims on behalf of the foreign victims of an air accident concerning four separate countries and obtained Euro compensation for the foreign victims of an explosion at sea this time involving three separate countries and their jurisdictions. He is helping British citizens with accidents they sustained in various European and African countries as well as providing expert advice to and representation of clients of lawyers from overseas jurisdictions. He represented the first professional rugby player to successfully sue another for an incident arising from an international rugby game when he represented Wales professional forward Ricky Evans in suing Oliver Merle of France following a France versus Wales rugby game. He negotiated substantial compensation for another first class rugby player who suffered a career ending injury after losing an eye in a rugby match. He continues to lecture extensively on sports related injuries as well as harmful products and overseas accident law. Expertise Disaster claims Accidents abroad Product liability Professional negligence Group action claims Mark is former President of Cardiff & District Law Society, past member of the Civil Justice Council and is past secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). He is also one of the two UK Governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ); Co-Chair of their International Practice Section and a Fellow of APIL. Mark was recently accredited by APIL as accidents and illnesses abroad specialist and was appointed an assessor to the same scheme.

Mark Wilding

Senior Associate

Mark Robinson

Partner

Martin Jones

As the Head of the Regulatory Department, Martin acts in a wide-range of regulatory crime and professional regulation matters. Martin has built up over 20 years of experience and a wealth of specialist knowledge.He leads the firm’s cross-departmental alcohol and gaming licensing teams. Additionally Martin manages the teams providing a range of outsourced services to local authorities, including court representation of local authorities Adult and Children’s Services Departments.Martin has a wealth of specialist knowledge in the fields of regulatory crime and compliance. With vast experience in fraud, money laundering and financial regulation matters, Martin has dealt with numerous high-value cases, some concerning fraud valued in excess of £100 million.For six years, Martin worked as a Health and Safety solicitor agent. Having advised in criminal health and safety matters throughout his career, he has worked in cases of the utmost gravity, including those arising from multiple-fatalities and disease outbreak.In addition to his defence and advisory practice, he prosecutes on behalf of local authorities and the Welsh Government in health and safety related matters. Complementing his health and safety work, Martin has substantial coronial law experience, appearing in inquests throughout England and Wales for individuals, companies, the Welsh Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).The firm’s gambling licensing practice has grown considerably over recent years. Within this area, Martin advises operators on licensing issues of all types. This includes assisting clients in obtaining licences from the Gambling Commission and advising operators on compliance with their on-going obligations under Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice. Within alcohol licensing, Martin specialises in contested matters.Dealing with Professional Regulation matters on behalf of regulators and regulated individuals, Martin is very familiar with all three roles. That is, advising the regulatory panel or committee, presenting the case for the regulator and presenting the case for the regulated individual. For more than 10 years, Martin has been the lead legal advisor to the regulatory panel of Social Care Wales.

Matthew Evans

Matthew is a partner and heads up the firm’s private wealth offering. He is responsible for the development, implementation and long-term strategy of the team. Matthew has a UK-wide reputation in the field of contentious probate, recognised by his clients and peers in the leading legal directories. Matthew’s expertise lies in all aspects of contentious probate including: contesting a will/defending a will challenge, bringing and defending Inheritance Act claims, estates and trust disputes, Court of Protection disputes and Bringing and defending claims founded in doctrines of equity, such as proprietary estoppel and constructive trusts. Matthew regularly receives instructions from a wide range of clients including lay beneficiaries, professional trustees and executors, company directors, charities, financial institutions, and trust corporations. Matthew has acted in several widely publicised cases including reported cases such as Re: Edwards [2007] EWHC 1119 (Ch) which involved a successful challenge to a will on the basis of undue influence, Iqbal v Ahmed [2011] EWCA Civ 900 a successful claim by a disinherited spouse against her husband’s estate by virtue of the Inheritance (Provision For Family And Dependants Act) 1975. Matthew has also been heavily involved in the development of Hugh James’s volume wills, estate administration and trust administration services which are provided to the customers of banks and other financial institutions. He has considerable experience of working with professional partners to develop and implement such propositions and working closely with them to optimise service delivery. Matthew has developed expertise in tax, trusts and estates disputes arising in the agricultural sector and has acted in many high value and high profile cases, often involving proprietary estoppel. One of his notable cases, Davies v Davies (2016) EWCA Civ 463, a successful proprietary estoppel claim arising in a farming business, has attracted considerable coverage in the national press and within the legal community with his client being termed ‘the Cowshed Cinderella’. The matter was heavily litigated, with two first instance trials, two appeals to the Court of Appeal, to deal with the questions of eligibility and quantum, and numerous interim applications, as well as an appeal to the Supreme Court. Ultimately Matthew’s client was awarded £500,000 with the case reported at each stage of its journey through the courts.

Matthew Hall

Chartered Legal Executive

Matthew Tossell

Matthew is the chief executive of our bespoke volume services business, Hugh James Involegal LLP, which specialises in volume legal outsource solutions for the banking, financial services and corporate sectors across the UK. Matthew is responsible for the strategic management and development of Involegal across all service lines. Matthew was responsible for setting up the firm’s first volume business in 1999, in response to demand from several national lenders requiring a volume financing capability. Matthew went on to establish a number of volume processing operations in various services throughout the firm, and eventually amalgamated these operations into a separate managed services division before transferring the whole into the separate Involegal business. Matthew led the project which saw the firm’s two Cardiff-based offices, including its headquarters, relocate to Two Central Square. Central Square is one of Wales’ premier office environments in the burgeoning business district of Cardiff. Matthew started his careers with Hugh James as an articled clerk and qualified into the firm in 1985. He was promoted to partner in 1987 and worked in the commercial property and banking and finance departments. Matthew was heavily involved in the regeneration of Cardiff Bay and the redevelopment of the Arm’s Park to Millennium Stadium (now Principality Stadium) in the late 1990s. Matthew was the managing partner of Hugh James from 1999 to 2010. During this time the firm grew to become one of the UK’s Top 100 law firms and quadrupled its number of employees. In 2010, Matthew consolidated the firm’s volume services and created Hugh James Involegal LLP, for which he is still Chief Executive. Involegal provides volume legal services to the majority of the UK’s high street banks.

Naomi O'Rourke

Solicitor

Neil Stockdale

Neil is an elected partner on the firm’s board of management. He is also head of the firm’s financial mis-selling team, specialising in handling claims for financial mis-selling relating to pension mis-selling, timeshare purchase, annuities, mortgages and insurance. Neil and his dedicated team of specialist lawyers act on behalf of individuals across the UK in relation to group action cases across a number of sectors including; environmental nuisance and toxic tort cases, claims for property blight and interference relating to highway and airport developments, claims for industrial illness and disease cases including asbestos related illnesses as well as product liability, major accident and disaster cases. Neil also heads up a team that specialises in handling claims for financial mis-selling relating to pension mis-selling, timeshare purchase, annuities, mortgages and insurance. Neil and his dedicated team of specialist lawyers have acted for clients across the UK in several high profile cases include personal injury and property blight claims against major public utilities, government bodies, landfill and composting sites, and a variety of claims against private and public limited companies relating to industrial sites. Neil has also been involved in a number of cases in the Lands Tribunal involving claims for compensation resulting from the development of airports and public highways.

Nicola Mepstead

Partner

Peter Hurn

Peter heads up the fastest expanding real estate team in Wales. He was responsible for negotiating the lease for one of the biggest pre-let office deals in Wales, the firm’s new landmark headquarters at Two Central Square. Peter has recently led the team on the disposal of Ffos Las racecourse for the Walters group, a site in which he has been involved since its original acquisition in 2003. Recognised in The Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a leader in his field, Peter is a thorough, pragmatic lawyer with an excellent grasp of his clients’ business drivers and objectives. With 18 years of experience in commercial property, he is highly regarded in the market for his sector expertise, technical knowledge and commercial awareness. Peter has experience in dealing with both private and public sector clients including Barratt Homes, Bellway Homes, Walters Group, Welsh Water and the Welsh Rugby Union. He has extensive experience in acquisitions and disposals, residential house builders, landlord & tenant, consortiums, planning and infrastructure agreements and renewable energy and regularly advises on complex, multi-million pound transactions Peter is the relationship partner for national companies, such as Barratt Homes and Bellway Homes. He manages the property requirements of some of the firms’ key clients such as Walters Group, Llanmoor Developments, Dwr Cymru and the Welsh Rugby Union. He also has extensive experience in acquisitions and disposals, residential house builders, landlord & tenant, consortiums, planning and infrastructure agreements and renewable energy and regularly advises on complex, multi-million pound transactions.

Peter Renshaw

Partner

Richard Locke

Richard is a Partner and an elected partner on the firm’s board of management. He is also Group Head of the ever expanding dispute resolution team at Hugh James. He conducts major commercial disputes frequently with an international flavour including commercial claims, mining disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, professional negligence claims, contentious IT disputes, injunctive relief and insolvency. Recent cases include; multi million pound international commercial contract dispute, advised on a complex multi million pound government agency IT dispute, recently successfully settled a commercial contract dispute for a waste management company against a local authority LAWDAC, regularly obtains interlocutory injunctive relief for some clients and headed a recent claim against a well known boxing promoter on behalf of the Millennium Stadium Plc. Richard is also an ADR Group accredited mediator.

Richard Green

Richard is a Partner and heads a team of solicitors who specialise in asbestos related disease compensation claims. His team assist those who suffer from mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and pleural thickening. Richard continues to build strong relationships with hospitals and their nurses, and often is referred work because of this. The team is also a supporter of Mesothelioma UK and has paired up with them to host joint events. In the independent legal directory ‘The Legal 500’, Richard has been named as a next generation lawyer and is described as 'fantastic' and 'excellent at asbestos-related disease work'. Richard’s recent successes in asbestos claims include: £195k plus an indemnity for the defendant insurer to directly fund any future treatment required by Mr P relating to his diagnosis of mesothelioma £161k in a case on behalf of a mesothelioma sufferer who was exposed to asbestos when laundering her husband’s overalls which were contaminated with asbestos dust, and £243k in a case on behalf of a mesothelioma victim who suffered extensive asbestos exposure whilst working in a power station Richard is frequently invited to give lectures to respiratory medicine teams throughout the UK and has chaired a number of study days accredited by the Royal College of Nurses and Royal College of Physicians.

Richard Edwards

Partner

Roman Kubiak

Roman Kubiak is a partner and head of the contested wills, trusts and estates team. Roman is responsible for formulating and implementing the department’s business strategy and day-to-day operations, in line with the firm’s overall strategy, alongside running a core caseload of complex, high value and cross-border will, trust and estate disputes. He has been integral to the growth and development of the department and his initiatives have seen it gain recognition as a top-ranked department for this type of work in the UK’s leading legal directories. Roman acts for high profile and high net worth individuals, financial institutions, professional trustees and executors and charities. Roman also manages the relationships with a number of our key clients, partners, introducers and professionals in the industry. He advises across the whole spectrum of private client litigation, with a particular focus on high value, complex and cross-border disputes including: trust disputes, breach of trust claims and applications to remove trustees; will disputes, particularly those with an international element; claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; and claims for equitable relief under proprietary estoppel, constructive trusts and resulting trusts. Roman has played a key role in developing the firm’s offering within the charities sector. He has experience of advising charity clients on contentious trust and probate matters including will disputes and claims for financial provision, construction claims and ex-gratia payment requests. Roman has advised the partner of a high profile celebrity with an estate valued at £100m+ in relation to a claim under the Inheritance Act, and associated application to seek interim relief, and to prove a lost will. He has also acted for the beneficiaries of a £120m Jersey-based trust with underlying companies in various jurisdictions, in claims for undue influence, breach of trust and to set aside transfers of overseas assets. Roman secured a positive settlement for a spouse in claims under the Inheritance Act, to set aside a will by reason of lack of capacity, lack of knowledge and approval and undue influence and by reason of a constructive trust involving assets split across England, France, Switzerland, Austria and Jersey. He has also acted for the claimant in a breach of trust claim valued at circa £2million in which the breaches span over 20 years. Roman successfully represented a farmer in relation to a claim over land under proprietary estoppel all the way to trial. Roman is a full member of STEP and ACTAPS, having successfully completed both diplomas. He is also a member of the Institute of Legacy Management and the Charity Law Association. He holds the STEP Advanced Certificates in Trust Disputes and Cross-Border Estates, receiving a distinction for the latter. Roman regularly comments on leading issues within the field of contested wills, trusts and estates. As well as providing seminars, webinars and legal updates to professionals, he authors a regular contentious probate update for the Law Society’s Private Client section. He has been quoted in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, CityAM, The Telegraph, This is Money and yourmoney.com and has also appeared on radio.

Samantha Hind

Associate

Sami Palmer-Latif

Senior Associate

Siôn Tudur

Partner

Sophie Birch

Senior Associate

Stephen Webber

Steven is head of one of the two divisions at Hugh James. This division comprises all of the teams which advise private individuals; both claimant litigants and individuals requiring advice on their personal finances and family. Steve specialises in high value medical negligence cases including cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, brain injury, psychiatric, obstetric cases and issues relating to human rights. He also specialises in representing clients in public inquiries and has a niche specialism in acting for people affected by food poisoning outbreaks and dealing with inquests. Stephen is on both the AVMA and Law Society's clinical negligence panels and is a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Stephen is also the Chairman of the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers.

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Hugh James

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