Mills & Reeve LLP

Head of technology team: intellectual property and technology law including patent, trade mark, designs filing and prosecution; advice and negotiations on licensing and exploitation, including defence of a patent infringement claim seeking to prevent supplies to major games in 2012, multinational patent litigation relating to advertising systems in the media industry and a commercial dispute concerning royalty distributions in respect of monoclonal antibodies. Specialist expertise in computers, electronics and communications technology. Also public sector technology issues, including leading role in public procurement of IT systems and high technology products, eg for leading UK universities, a major industry regulatory body, and acting for the NHS in the acquisition of drugs for use in emergency supply breakdown, for the purchase of pandemic fly vaccines, and in IT projects in place of systems procured through Connecting for Health, including TETRA/O2 radio systems for ambulances, Oracle software and services from CAP-Gemini, Fujitsu, IBM and others.

Alex Kenworthy

Alex is a corporate solicitor specialising in advising a range of clients including public and private companies, large international groups, private equity houses and high net worth individuals. His work involves acquisitions and disposals, investments in companies and businesses, corporate governance, reorganisations and management buy outs and he has years of experience of working across a number of industry sectors including media and technology, food and beverages and healthcare. He also has several years of experience working in the area of private and public sector pensions.

Alexandra Pike

Alexandra is a specialist in construction and engineering law, acting for a wide range of public and private sector parties. She advises throughout the life-cycle of projects including the initial drafting and negotiation of contracts, assisting during the works with the contractual management of design issues and time/cost overruns, and advising on the management and resolution of disputes. Alexandra’s recent work includes the settlement for a Local Authority of a £30m engineering claim under an amended NEC Engineering and Construction Contract Option C; drafting and negotiating a complex set of documents on a £110m hospital development; advising a design and build contractor and its insurers defending proceedings in the Technology and Construction Court on a defects claim to a 70,000sqm steel reinforced concrete floor slab; defending a Local Authority in an adjudication on a contractor��s loss and expense claim; Advising a Charities client regarding the construction aspects of its corporate relocation to a £50m new-build high tech office and preparing and negotiating the construction contracts for the fit out on the basis of the JCT Design and Build Contract 2011, including schedule of amendments, deeds of novation, security documents and collateral warranties; advising a University client on potential deductions against a Project Company under its PFI arrangements.

Alison Bull

Area of practice includes family mediation; collaborative law; civil/commercial mediation; family court work. Alison is also a children and financial arbitrator. Types of work include complex financial settlements on divorce, wealth protection (including pre-and post-marital agreements), all issues mediation, advice in relation to disputes about children. Important cases include numerous confidential high-value divorce and pre-marital agreement cases involving individuals based in England & Wales and overseas. Increasing number of mediation cases, involving a wide range of clients, including some high profile individuals. Particular focus on resolving disputes in a conciliatory way in the best interests of the families and children involved. Reported cases include McMinn v McMinn [2003] 2 FLR 823 and [2003] 2 FLR 839, D v D (Divorce: media presence) [2009] EWHC 946. Heads the Mills & Reeve family dispute resolution practice.

Alison Garrett

Specialises in the field of complex multi-million pound construction and engineering disputes. Advises a wide variety of clients involved in the construction and engineering industry including employers, contractors, consultants and insurers. Acts in mediations, adjudications, litigation (mainly in the Technology and Construction Court) and arbitrations.

Amanda Tagg

Amanda specialises in all aspects of agricultural property law, with an emphasis on work for institutional and corporate clients that hold agricultural land as an investment, and on rural property development. She has very wide experience of most aspects of agricultural and property law, including the acquisition, management and disposal of freehold and leasehold agricultural estates; agricultural tenancies; single-farm payment; agri-environmental schemes; and diversification of agricultural land (for example, through commercial activities such as business and research parks, residential development schemes and energy projects). Her recent work includes advising: a private investment company on the acquisition of a 1,200 acre estate in Norfolk for £11m and in relation to the acceptance of a surrender by one of its agricultural tenants of a tenancy of a substantial estate in Essex and advising on the ongoing management of both estates; a charity on the grant of a strategic land option over 300 acres of farmland to a national housebuilder (with a minimum land value of £30m), the restructuring of occupational leasehold interests and management arrangements at its research park and the potential redevelopment of parts of the park; a private client in relation to the grant of an option to a supermarket chain to construct an eco-friendly supermarket and associated food academy on allotment and agricultural land in Norfolk; and a leading international university in relation to the restructuring of agricultural tenancies on its agricultural estate in Shropshire.

Amy Starnes

Senior Associate, an experienced children lawyer, specialising in all areas of children law, adoption, child arrangements, domestic abuse, relocation, child abduction and surrogacy.

Andrea Newman

Commercial real estate lawyer, with a focus on development projects for all sectors. Andrea’s clients include institutional investors, non-departmental public bodies, charities, corporates and property developers.

Andrew Moore

Family law specialist, mediator and collaborative lawyer specialising in financial remedy and private children proceedings upon relationship breakdown. Andrew regularly advises on wealth protection opportunities and issues, working closely with Mills & Reeve’s corporate, commercial and private client teams to deliver joined up advice for regional, national and international business owners, and other high net worth individuals.

Andrew Wood

Partner.

Andrew Ray

Andrew practices exclusively on projects work including PPPs and outsourcings. He acts for a range of public sector organisations, bidders and funders across several sector areas, including detention, health, higher education, waste, office accommodation and transport. Among Andrew’s current clients are the Ministry of Defence, a number of National Health Trusts, a leading international detentions company based in the US, universities and local authorities. Recent work includes acting for a leading South London Mental Health Trust with its two site rebuild, funded via a sale of trust land, and through an innovative development arrangement; numerous large scale defence projects, including a pathfinder project to transform the approach to procurement of battleground communications equipment (involving multiple single source and competitive procurements); advising a South Coast Council on its PPP for Leisure facilities; advising a major international Leisure Operator on the provision of a green energy centre to provide heat for its key attractions; and advising the government of the Republic of South Africa on the roll out of its prisons PPP programme and subsequent refinancing initiative. Andrew is a regular provider of training to clients on legal issues so they can adopt “self- help” to solve problems before requiring more specialist legal input.

Andrew Hipper

Insurance disputes lawyer dealing with professional indemnity claims against a variety of professions (but principally lawyers and financial professionals). Andrew advises Insurers and insured clients in relation to claims and Insurers in relation to coverage issues. Andrew also has experience of dealing with disciplinary proceedings, acting on behalf of professionals.

Andrew Secker

Partner

Andrew Tobin

Partner – Insurance and Reinsurance Disputes

Angus Turner

Hall of fame

Angus has been a partner since 2000, having qualified with Mills & Reeve in 1995. He is recognised by the legal directories, and clients, as a leader in his field and specialises in acting on professional indemnity claims against law firms, as well as advising insurers on policy response. Angus is regularly instructed on complex and high value claims, arising from all areas of the profession including property investment schemes, corporate transactions, matrimonial settlements and ‘lost’ litigation. Angus heads up the firm’s Legal Malpractice sector, and is also an accredited mediator.

Ania Tarasiewicz

Senior Associate advising on all aspects of relationship breakdown including divorce/separation, division of finances, arrangements for children as well as nuptial and cohab agreements. Experience in complex cases with businesses particularly in the agri-business and property sector, complex income structures as well as cases with an international element.

Anna Moore

Professional Support Lawyer

Anthony McGurk

Hall of fame

A partner in the corporate practice, Anthony specialises in M&A, private equity and fundraising work, acting primarily for public companies, private and owner-managed businesses, and management teams of private equity-backed businesses, with a particular focus on the food and drink sector. Transactions in recent years in which Anthony has led the relevant legal teams include the £1.4bn sale of Weetabix to US based Post Holdings (acting for management), the acquisition by US based Factset Research Systems Inc of Cymba Technologies Limited and of Vemilion Holdings Limited, the sale of Sentec Limited to US based Sensus Inc, the sale of Avro Holdings Limited to Faerch Plast Manufacturing Limited, the sale of JDR Cables to Tele-Fonika Kable (acting for management), and the acquisition by Canadian based Richardson International of European Oat Millers.

Ben Hardiman

Ben has specialised in handling insurance disputes with a professional indemnity and construction focus for nearly 20 years. He is regularly instructed to act on behalf design & build contractors, architects, engineers and other specialist contractors and consultants and their insurers in connection with disputes of significant complexity and value. He also regularly defends insurance brokers and provides risk management advice to them, including in conjunction with the Chartered Insurance Institute, the British Insurance Brokers Association and broker networks.

Beverley Firth

Beverley’s recent work includes advising Urban&Civic, the owners and developers of Alconbury Weald, in connection with the planning application for its development. In 2011, Alconbury Weald was selected to become one of the government’s coveted Enterprise Zones and the project as a whole plans to create 8,000 jobs and 5,000 new homes over the next 25 years. Initially Beverley advised on planning strategy and provided a legal review of key application materials, including an extensive environmental statement, and on community infrastructure levy issues. Subsequently, Beverley has advised this client throughout the planning application processes and on the section 106 agreement and planning conditions. The section 106 has been negotiated using bespoke and novel drafting in order to maintain flexibility throughout the development and to aid marketing and disposals. Beverley has acted for BT and Aviva Investors in connection with their planning application to develop the Rugby Radio Station site – a planned expansion of Rugby. She has acted for the developers of CB1 in Cambridge. This is a mixed use scheme which is regenerating the railway station area of Cambridge. In relation to the same site, Beverley has advised a developer client on a number of joined appeals relating to the refusal of reserved matters and consent for demolition of existing properties contrary to officer advice (with a successful costs application). Beverley has acted for O&H, the developers of Hampton, the southern expansion of Peterborough. This has involved dealing with numerous variations to the original outline planning consents, to update these following viability reviews and changes in requirements, and handling a full range of planning enquiries, additional and supplemental planning consents and addressing issues arising from a phased disposal programme. Beverley has acted for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in the section 106 agreement to release the planning permission for the redevelopment of Deepcut Barracks in Surrey. Beverley continues to work for Addenbrookes NHS Trust on planning matters relating to its ‘2020 vision’, which involves a major expansion into the Cambridge Green Belt Advising and NHS Trust on the redevelopment of two previous hospital sites to provide over 300 dwellings, land for retail and community uses and public open space.

Brian Marshall

Brian has wide experience in acting for corporate clients on acquisitions and disposals, fundings, restructurings and advising on shareholder disputes. He also advises on commercial agreements and competition law in the public and private sectors.

Caitlin Jenkins

Hall of fame

Partner in family and children team, mediator, collaborative lawyer, financial arbitrator. Family lawyer for 25+ years, supporting people and their families in the UK and beyond to resolve the full range of issues arising out of divorce and separation. Also the familylawvlogger, the first family law vlog in UK.

Carina Cobbold

Carina is a real estate partner and specialises in structuring and delivering large scale, mixed use, residential led communities/strategic sites, real estate led joint venture agreements and large scale cross-office projects (including managing large scale portfolios for clients of circa 500 properties). Her development expertise involves advising upon all aspects of development work including: site assembly, development agreements, land sales/purchases, promotion agreements, collaboration/consortium and land owner agreements, overage agreements, leases and discussions and negotiations with third parties (utility providers and local authorities) in relation to infrastructure and statutory agreements. The other side of Carina’s practice involves her helping clients structure, fund and then project manage volume acquisitions and disposals. Such projects span multiple disciples, may involve different jurisdictions, requires a close working relationship with the client’s board, tax, planning and environmental consultants, and are often time critical. Carina also leads our Patient Capital arm of our Real Estate Investment Sector which means she works alongside many stakeholders on emerging themes in this sphere, commenting on potential new structures both within the Strategic Land remit and on matters such as the Stewardship Model.

Caroline Hanratty

Caroline is based in the Manchester office of Mills & Reeve. She has considerable experience in all areas of commercial property work ranging from industrial, retail, residential and leisure developments to landlord and tenant work, pension fund acquisitions and property finance. She specialises in development work (including option agreements, conditional contracts, development agreements, planning promotion agreements and joint ventures) with particular expertise in hotel and residential development. Her clients include Marick Capital, Topland Group, Persimmon Homes, Urban&Civic, Bridge Properties and Bluemantle Limited. Caroline’s current projects include hotel developments in London and Manchester and two large mixed-use developments in Lancashire.

Caroline Dean

Caroline has extensive experience of acting for corporate occupiers, developers and landowners and advises on a full range of complex commercial property matters. Caroline has a particular expertise in acting for charities and has been advising the consortia of institutions at the Norwich Research Park on the development of their world leading science park. She also regularly acts for large corporate clients including Norwich City Football Club, Anglian Windows, Wood Group and Archant , dealing with their real estate portfolios and has extensive experience in the retail sector. She also acts for numerous landowner clients bringing forward land for development, both for residential and commercial new builds, including dealing with promotion agreements, joint ventures and collaborations as well as the more traditional options and conditional sale agreements. Caroline also continues to act for landowners in the minerals and waste sector.

Catherine Scott

Partner leading Norwich Agribusiness team.

Charles Staveley

Hall of fame

Real Estate Partner specialising in real estate investment and development work Charles leads the firm's real estate investment sector, drawing together expertise in mainstream investment work and alternative asset classes. Charles’s clients include institutional pension funds, management houses, property companies, onshore and offshore investors (in the USA, Asia and Europe). He is a member of the IPF, the Cambridge Land Economy Advisory Board, the IBA Real Estate Committee, the Mills & Reeve Board, is a Charity Trustee of Cambridge RUFC and a Kids cricket coach at St Giles CC.

Charlotte Webster

Principal Associate

Chris Wilkinson

Chris has considerable experience in advising companies, investors and management teams on corporate finance matters including mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He has a particular expertise in the pharmaceutical wholesale and retail sector for Pan-European and regional companies.

Chris Belcher

Hall of fame

Partner, National Head of Private Client

Chris Ross

Chris advises a variety of businesses on corporate transactions, including acquisitions, disposals and reorganisations. Whether advising large corporates or working with owner managers on transactions, Chris has been a part of the North West deals market for over 15 years. Recent deals in 2016/17 include the acquisition of a majority stake in online retailer Blinds 2 Go for multinational Hunter Douglas NV and an intensive buy and build strategy for the Global Entertainment and Media Group, completing the acquisition over 18 months of 14 separate major music festivals, making Global the second largest festival operator in the UK.

Christian Bull

The Birmingham office’s lead real estate-education lawyer helping with the property needs of a range of education clients from the higher, further, academies, studio schools and university technical colleges sectors. Also the Birmingham real estate lead on helping commercial property organisations and businesses with the legal aspects of their estate. Specialises in all areas of real estate law in England and Wales for education institutions and companies. Christian is Mills & Reeve’s North America desk.

Christine De Ferrars Green

Partner, specialising in real estate development projects. Particular expertise in large scale residential projects and estate management/long-term stewardship schemes.

Christopher Noel

Partner

Claire Roake

Claire has been a professional indemnity lawyer since qualifying in 2003. She has extensive experience of the London insurance market and of resolving claims against a variety of professionals. In more recent years Claire’s work has focused upon defending claims against solicitors and financial professionals such as pensions advisors, professional trustees, IFAs and insurance brokers. She also advises insurers in relation to policy coverage. Claire has significant experience of resolving claims by alternative dispute resolution and has successfully defended claims to trial in the English High Court

Claire Clarke

Hall of fame

Claire has extensive experience in advising listed and private companies, funders and private individuals in a wide range of company corporate finance and commercial matters from start-up and spin-out through funding rounds and acquisitions to flotation or trade sale. Claire has also advised on and established various types of fund structures using limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships as well as company vehicles. In addition to her mainstream corporate practice Claire has extensive experience of advising higher education institutions and other public sector bodies on various corporate matters including spin-outs, mergers and collaborations.

Claudia Gilham

Principal Associate Expertise: Advising on the financial consequences of relationship breakdown, commonly on complex cases involving business assets, farms, trusts and pensions Emotive and technically complex children work including those including domestic abuse, substance misuse and relocation I am also a Consultant for Safe Lives providing training to solicitors, barristers and mediators on the impact of domestic abuse

Craig Hodgson

Craig is a partner in the corporate team and has considerable experience in relation to major cross-border transaction work and in the field of company sales and acquisitions, private equity, MBOs/MBIs and corporate venturing/purchasing. Craig has also acted on a number of share issues on AIM and the Official List and takeovers. Craig heads the firm’s food and beverage sector and acts for a number of clients in the sector. In April 2013 he acted for shareholders of EAP, one of the countries’ leading pig producers on its sale to Cranswich Plc. Other recent work includes acting for EV Offshore limited on a number of funding rounds and in October 2013 for the shareholders of Ecome in the sale to Interquest Group Plc.

David Varnham

Banking lawyer specialising in international and UK syndicated and bilateral lending, acquisition and leveraged finance, property and development finance, project financing and restructurings.

David Faulkner

Principal Associate working with employers of all sizes in a variety of different sectors, with a particular focus on Mills & Reeve’s nationally-renowned higher education practice. Has advised on some of the highest-profile disputes in the sector, regularly advises on sensitive and complex internal disputes, restructurings and Tribunal litigation, and also has the experience of having worked on secondment in a university HR department. David was appointed as a part-time Employment Judge in 2013.

David Catchpole

David is a Partner and a specialist in contentious trust and probate disputes. He deals exclusively with such matters and has developed a real expertise in this niche area. His work includes helping both individuals and larger organisations like charities or higher educational establishments deal with a whole range of contentious issues relating to trusts and disputed wills. This diverse work covers all sorts of matters, ranging from testamentary capacity and undue influence claims and applications under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, to advising on proprietary estoppel and breach of trust actions.

David Gooding

David is a professional indemnity and policy coverage specialist. His practice is focussed on advising lawyers, accountants and financial professionals and their insurers on defending and resolving claims as well as assisting accountants and solicitors with disciplinary investigations. He also advises insurers on policy coverage disputes and dishonesty investigations. David is head of the national accountants disputes practice. David is regularly instructed to assist and defend businesses facing high profile and significant claims. He recognises the financial, personal and reputational impact of a claim on professionals and their businesses. David is able to reduce that impact by relying on 20 years' experience, working closely with clients and by providing insightful, commercial and clear advice. His recent experience includes helping strike out an unmeritorious multi-million pound claim against a professional firm pursued by a determined litigant in person. This year, he successfully led the defence of an accountants claim at the Supreme Court, Matthew & Others v Sedman & others [2021] UKSC 18

David Mills

David is the national lead of the employment team and also leads the work for private sector clients and international clients. David has a broad experience in both contentious and non-contentious work and has particular experience in working for hi-tech/bio-tech companies and a particular interest in advising on all aspects of discrimination.

Deborah Clark

Partner and Barrister specialising in estate planning for high net worth individuals, including advising on Wills, trusts, lasting powers of attorney and probate matters. Deborah has particular experience advising clients with business interests where understanding of both corporate and private tax issues is key. Deborah has a national reputation for advising on the design and formation of family investment companies especially when used as an estate planning tool and regularly lectures on this area to accountants, lawyers and financial advisers nationally. She also has significant experience in advising on the transition to employee ownership structures and succession planning.

Dona Ardeman

Dona is a corporate solicitor specialising in investment fund creation and early stage investment work in the private equity, venture capital and alternative finance sectors. She acts for a wide range of clients, from investment managers and venture capital funds, universities, technology transfer offices, crowdfunding platforms and business angels to entrepreneurs, companies and their officers. She also advises on a range of matters from the structure, setting up and running of an investment fund, angel syndicate, alternative finance platform or business through to financing, restructure, and exit.

Duncan Astill

Duncan is part of the commercial, regulatory and public sector disputes team in Cambridge. Duncan specialises in regulatory enforcement action. He represents clients immediately following serious incidents, through Police and HSE investigations and at Coroner’s Inquests. In addition Duncan advises on a full range of regulatory matters including environmental issues. Duncan is a public law expert experienced in judicial review proceedings. He advises on governance and risk management and provides bespoke training to many clients on health and safety related topics, including training boards in respect of their collective and individual responsibilities. Throughout his career Duncan has acted for a variety of clients across all sectors of the economy. He has a particular strength in health, education and in respect of building and construction related issues.

Ellie Milner

Partner in the Private Client team, specialising in advising business owners, entrepreneurs and high net worth families in relation to their estate and succession planning. Particular focus on Family Investment Companies.

Fiona Barker-Hall

Principal Associate

Frances Bailey

Principal Associate

Gary Attle

Head of education and governance. Gary leads the firm’s national practice in the higher education sector, which advises on all areas where universities need legal advice, ranging from spin outs to student accommodation developments to international joint ventures. His own specialist area relates to governance and student issues. Gary’s recent work involves advising universities on allegations of research misconduct, the student-university legal relationship, the regulatory framework for higher education, defamation and freedom of speech. Many of his matters have an international element to them.

Greg Gibson

Partner in the commercial services group, advising on commercial contracts, outsourcing, competition law, media and entertainment and sport. Clients include Aviva plc, the Financial Services Authority, Group Lotus and Warner Bros.

Gregory Laming

Gregory has a wide experience acting for individuals in relation to wills, tax and trust matters, including Court of Protection work. Much of his work has involved creating solutions to tax planning problems and giving detailed inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax advice in both the onshore and offshore arenas, and more recently in relation to the pre-owned assets charge. Gregory’s recent work includes advising shareholders in a large property investment company on tax and succession planning, wealthy land owners on structuring their wills and property interests to maximise available inheritance tax reliefs, the trustees of farm land how to minimise their tax exposure on the sale for residential development and giving detailed offshore trust advice.

Hannah Wilson

Principal Associate – Specialist in family and children law, collaborative lawyer and mediator.

Helen Fyles

Helen is based in the Manchester office of Mills & Reeve. She has specialised in both corporate and individual insolvency since qualification and is a member of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association and R3. She has established a reputation locally as an authority in relation to complex investigations and recoveries, complex individual voluntary arrangements of professionals and high-net-worth individuals (including celebrities).

Helen Prandy

Litigation and procurement disputes lawyer with experience in all aspects of contentious work before courts and tribunals as well as international arbitration. Specialising in particular in contentious procurement work Helen has advised on a number of high profile cases and took the first case to the High Court on the nature of the automatic suspension under the Public Contracts (Amendments) Regulations 2009. Helen advises both contracting authorities within the firm’s key sectors of health and education and those bidding for public contracts. Helen also advises a variety of commercial clients on matters ranging from warranty claims to breach of confidence; on-line gaming and breach of contract and has been involved in a number of cases with an international element. Helen also blogs and speaks on a variety of contentious procurement subjects.

Jagvinder Singh Kang

Jagvinder is a Partner and the International & UK Head of IT Law (CIPP/E, CIPM) at Mills & Reeve. He is an award winning and market leading technology lawyer. He is featured in Legal 500's ‘Hall of Fame’ - which Legal 500 confirms: “highlights, to clients, the law firm partners who are at the pinnacle of the profession.” He has been recognised for 10 consecutive years in Legal 500’s 'Elite List of Outstanding Technology Lawyers Nationwide', and consistently been ranked number one for IT and technology law by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for a decade. He is a specialist technology and GDPR/data protection lawyer (CIPM, CIPP/E – he has attained amongst the world’s highest certification score on this internationally regarded specialist data protection qualification), as well as a qualified software engineer (First Class BSc (Hons) Computer Science & Software Engineering), with over 20 years of expertise from having advised on billions of pounds worth of UK and international technology transactions, involving the full range of organisations from innovative start-ups to FTSE100, NASDAQ listed and other world-class corporates. He also advises on UK and global GDPR compliance projects as well as cyber-breaches.

James Kidd

James is an employment lawyer, specialising in TUPE. His work includes supporting our corporate and commercial teams in dealing with mergers and acquisitions work and projects (the largest single corporate deal being a £200m asset acquisition), as well as dealing with large-scale redundancy and reorganisation matters. He also, of course, deals with the usual mix of helpline queries on day-to-day operational matters, together with handling settlement agreements, employment tribunal claims, service agreements, consultancy agreements, complex grievances and disciplinary processes. James has worked extensively with clients in multi-jurisdictional matters, including global outsourcing and exits of senior individuals. He has worked with clients to protect business information when employees leave and secured the necessary protections. He has also supported a number of clients to successfully divest themselves from final salary pension schemes. His work focuses on the commercial sector, particularly in relation to private healthcare and food and beverage.

James Hunter

Partner in corporate team based in Norwich. Also Head of Office, Norwich.

James Fry

James is head of Mills & Reeve's fast growing multi-disciplinary life sciences team.

Jamie Wheatley

Insolvency and commercial litigation especially affecting technology, manufacturing and food based businesses.

Jens Henniker Heaton

Partner. Jens advises private and public sector clients on major projects and commercial agreements in a wide range of sectors including student accommodation, defence, energy, detention and health. He also regularly advise clients in relation to operational projects (including PFI contracts) on issues such as performance deductions, variations and expiry. He is part of the firms Australasia panel and completed a secondment to Australian law firm (and fellow SCG member) Hall & Wilcox in 2016. Jens has previously been seconded to Aviva Public Private Finance. Client feedback includes: “Jens provides excellent insight into complex legal matters and creative solutions to barriers to progress. His understanding of the politics of public sector deals, coupled with his expert advice make him an asset on any project”.

Jill Mason

Jill is Head of our Health and Care Sector – a growing and dynamic sector with over 200 lawyers working across a wide range of clients. She has over 25 years’ experience in healthcare law – the law relating to patients. As Head of the Healthcare and Mental Health law team nationally she also advises on a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious matters for clients in both the NHS and private sector. This includes inquests, judicial reviews, Mental Health Act advice, Mental Capacity Act advice, support and training around investigations, risk management, duty of candour, NHS Continuing Healthcare and consultation issues. Jill has also handled clinical negligence claims particularly complex, sensitive and high-value matters for NHS clients. Jill is client relationship partner for many of the sectors key clients. Jill sits on the firm’s Audit Governance and Oversight Panel, is on the Governance Board of the Zero Suicide Alliance and is a Trustee of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Jill Weston

Principal Associate advising commissioners and providers on a range of health-related matters including confidentiality and information governance issues, disclosure, continuing healthcare, the interpretation and application of the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty issues, inquests and judicial reviews.

Joanna Grandfield

Partner and specialist financial and children lawyer who heads up Mills & Reeve's London family team, Joanna is a trained barrister who is also a mediator and collaborative lawyer. Joanna’s work involves advising clients both within and outside of the jurisdiction who have complex financial and children issues arising from family breakdown, often involving trusts, business assets and pensions. She works with clients on wealth protection, drafting and advising on pre and post marital agreements. From a client: “A tremendous asset….Calm, assured, diligent and clearly very knowledgeable, Joanna performed superbly throughout proceedings” From Counsel: “Brilliant and has a steely determination to do the best for her clients” From Counsel: “Joanna is clever and charming. Her clients love he. She has a real warmth and sense of humour that disguises her determination to win. She commands a dedicated team and leads by example – fearless hard work

Jog Hundle

Has over 25 years’ experience in employment law and leads the firm’s health and care sector employment practice. Widely recognised as one of the country’s leading advisers on employment law and practice to the health and care sector, acting for a large number of health bodies including the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Advises on a wide range of employment matters including disciplinary issues and grievances, contractual terms and conditions of very senior managers and clinical staff and complex discrimination and whistleblowing disputes. Is currently advising a number of clients on TUPE and the employment aspects of national reorganisation, acquisitions and mergers, major projects and contracting out of services. Has also advised a number of health bodies in respect of their legal responsibilities under large scale redundancy programmes. Is advising a number of Trusts in respect of doctors’ disciplinary and capability procedures. Regularly provides training on all aspects of employment law and practice.

John Grundy

Personal tax and estate planning including wills, trusts, family investment companies, powers of attorney, estate and trusts administration, inheritance and capital gains tax planning for both UK and non-UK cased individuals/families. Examples include advising a multi-national family on estate planning and structuring, including residence and domicile issues, creating excluded property trusts and protecting the family wealth through a combination of trusts and pre/post marital agreements; advising a successful business owner on the use and establishment of an unlimited liability investment company structure to mitigate inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax and protect the family wealth; will structuring for UHNW individuals with foreign, business and agricultural property, including liaising with lawyers in Spain, Australia and US over the course of the last 12 months; advising on trustee residence issues, including the application of the double taxation treaty with Australia.

Jonathan Greenwood

Jonathan is a corporate and commercial lawyer. He advises clients on a range of matters, including financing (debt and capital finance, and public offerings), corporate restructurings, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Jonathan has a particular expertise in the education sector, advising higher and further education entities, and schools and academies.

Julian Steed

Principal Associate

Julian Smith

Julian is a corporate partner who concentrates on general corporate work, including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, reorganisations and large projects. Julian’s particular experience is in the health sector as well as in working with in-house counsel from a variety of businesses ranging from FTSE 100 companies through to sole in-house counsel. Julian leads Mills & Reeve’s independent sector health team. Recent work includes leading the teams advising Bupa, Virgin Care, Partnerships in Care, Healthcare at Home, AmSurg, Allied Healthcare and Synlab.

Justin Ripman

Justin is the firm's Senior Partner. He acts for a large number of landed estates in East Anglia and across the country, providing overall strategic advice, complex tax planning in areas such as heritage property and development land consortia and structuring sophisticated trust reorganisations. He is a member of the CLA national tax committee.

Kate Newman

Partner

Katherine Kennedy

Partner, Birmingham Family Team

Kevin Lowe

Kevin leads the corporate tax team at Mills & Reeve and advises on the variety of tax issues that arise for the firm’s private and public sector clients. His experience includes giving tax advice on M&A transactions, venture capital and private equity, reorganisations, outsourcing, setting up in the UK, international transactions, VAT advice, property tax, employment tax and taxes relating to funding transactions.

Kevin Calder

IT outsourcing and intellectual property lawyer, working on a number of large scale ICT projects for the public sector, for central government, local government, universities and the NHS, including a number of major outsourcing contracts. Clients include the Department of Health and Social Care. Kevin advises on various private sector IT projects, including installation of data centres in the financial services sector and international hardware framework agreements. He advises technology companies on protecting and exploiting their intellectual property, software licensing and international reseller arrangements, and advises public sector clients on compliance with public procurement rules.

Kieran Leahy

Associate Solicitor

Laura Holdaway

Laura specialises in real estate finance transactions and leads the real estate finance team. Laura has specialised in real estate finance matters since qualification having previously been in house at Sears plc. Laura’s recent work includes advising a London based fund manager on a series of large portfolio refinancings in excess of £350m, advising an AIM listed residential developer on the complex structuring and funding arrangements for a £100m residential development in Stratford; advising a local enterprise partnership on infrastructure findings for high profile development projects and advising a major UK clearing bank on a series of property development and investment facilities in in excess of £100m.

Laura Ludlow

Principal Associate. Laura is a real estate development lawyer with a focus on ESG issues, advising education institutions, public bodies, institutional investors and developers on real estate and development projects. She specialises in work for the education sector, advising universities and colleges in the management and development of their estates. Laura also has experience of a diverse range of commercial property and construction matters, acting for investment funds, developers and local authorities.

Lauren Parker

Lauren is a partner and head of landed estates. Advises high net worth clients with a focus on landed estates and land consortiums. Work includes complex trust restructuring, succession planning, business structuring to secure inheritance and capital gains tax reliefs, conditional exemption claims and land pooling arrangements.

Liam Burnett

Liam is a professional indemnity insurance litigator who specialises in defending claims against accountants, financial advisors, insurance brokers and solicitors. He is also regularly instructed to advise in relation to policy coverage disputes.

Lino Di Lorenzo

Principal Associate. Lino is an experienced commercial litigator and insolvency specialist. His workload covers a wide range of commercial and contractual disputes many of which involve parties in overseas jurisdictions. His insolvency expertise is called upon by office holders, directors and creditors in connection with the realisation and recovery of assets and the associated duties of these parties in distress scenarios.

Lisa-Marie Kennedy

Lawyer in the Real Estate group dealing with a variety of issues ranging from: acquisitions and disposals; landlord and tenant; management; refinancing; corporate transactions; development. Lisa advises a wide range of clients including large national household names with extensive property portfolios and primarily in volume acquisition and disposal projects. Lisa is a project management specialist managing large cross office and cross discipline high volume and high value transactions.

Marc Saunderson

Currently head of the family law team in Birmingham. Marc deals in all areas of family law to include divorce, high-value ancillary relief, pre and post-nuptial agreements and separation issues. Marc is a collaborative lawyer and mediator, and an accredited specialist in high-net-worth ancillary relief and ancillary relief procedure.

Mark Hovell

Mark’s role as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the last couple of decades has seen him involved in some high-profile cases, including his appointment to the 2016 Olympic ad hoc Division in Rio. He has now been involved in over 300 arbitrations. Mark was also re-appointed as an arbitrator on the Sport Resolutions Panel (Chairpersons List) in 2021 and is also a member of the National Anti-doping Panel. Mark continues to advise various sports union organisations including The Professional Footballers’ Association, The PGA and The Professional Players Federation. Mark has also represented a number of clubs, leagues and Governing bodies. He represents a number of high-profile sport and entertainment clients in negotiations relating to their image rights and marketability. Mark is a qualified insolvency practitioner and has been involved in over 60 formal and informal professional football, rugby and rugby league club insolvencies, including Portsmouth FC in 2010 and 2012. Mark was awarded the title Partner of the Year at the 2013 Manchester Legal Awards and received a special recognition award at the 2013 NW Football Awards. More recently he was the WWL International Sports lawyer of the Year in 2020. He is a lecturer/visiting professor on Sports Law and finance at numerous Universities and colleges around the world.

Martino Giaquinto

Martino has a wealth of experience in litigation, arbitration, adjudication, mediation, early neutral evaluation and expert determination of sizeable complex disputes covering issues such as contract formation and contract interpretation, delay, disruption and prolongation claims, loss and expense and compensation claims, defects claims, certification and payment issues, repudiation and determination, warranty, bonds and guarantees claims. He has acted for clients in some of the defining construction projects of the last decade (including Portcullis House and the Millennium Dome) and the current decade (including the M6 Toll Road and Wembley National Stadium). Martino’s dual qualification means that his practice covers the full range of advisory and drafting work before and after the commencement of proceedings and advocacy in the courts and tribunals concerning claims by or against employers, contractors, sub-contractors and related professionals (architects, engineers, surveyors and project managers). Martino has both domestic and international dispute resolution experience and has acted for clients in hundreds of adjudications (including the seminal Macob v Morrison Construction case) since the introduction of the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

Matthew Hansell

Head of private client group at Mills & Reeve, specialising in undertaking estate planning wills and trusts for high-net-worth individuals and entrepreneurs. Acts for three individuals in the top ten of the Midlands Rich List. Winner of the Birmingham Law Society Private Client Lawyer of The Year 2005. On behalf of the private client group at Mills & Reeve accepted the award for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners ‘UK Regional Legal Team of the Year 2006/2007’.

Michael Whatley

Partner specialising in development work. Recent notable cases include acting for Millngate Properties on the development of the new Tesco store at Swaffham and West Midlands Ambulance Service on the sale of Bristol Road Ambulance Station Birmingham to Buile Developments for redevelopment as a 259 bed student residence.

Michael Mitchell

Partner in the London insurance group. Specialises in professional negligence (financial lines) and property claims as well as advising upon policy disputes and construction.

Michael Aubrey

Michael leads the firm’s national agriculture sector. His areas of specialism cover the acquisition and disposal of estates and farms, farm tenancies, joint ventures, development and promotion agreements, partnership agreements, contracting agreements. Recent examples of Michael’s work include advising a consortium of landowners in relation to the promotion of 400 acres of land for development, advising an estate on the restructuring of its agricultural tenancies so as to enhance the ability to achieve 100% IHT relief, restructuring the agricultural tenancies on an estate prior to sale of the estate and advising on the termination of a farming partnership.

Michelle Cookson

Partner specialising in complex investment and development projects with extensive experience in the higher education and health sectors. She leads the team advising Trinity College, Cambridge, providing advice on the strategic management of their investment portfolio including Cambridge Science Park, Felixstowe Docks and the O2. Other recent work includes advising: Addenbrooke’s Hospital in relation to its £850m expansion of its existing campus; Cheung Kong Infrastructure holdings Ltd, the Hong Kong listed infrastructure company, on the sale of its subsidiary, Cambridge Water, to HSBC bank; and Trinity College on its acquisition of a 50% interest in a limited partnership joint venture with Tesco into a portfolio financed by a £450m loan backed by 30 year bonds on the Irish Stock Exchange.

Mike Edge

Head of Manchester Real Estate

Natalie Wade

Corporate Finance and Commercial Health Partner. Natalie advises health and care sector clients and other corporates to make deals happen. She has an exciting and varied workload from volume acquisition programmes for multinationals (over 200 dental practice acquisitions) to drafting innovative national contracts for the Department of Health. Natalie also acts on M&A transactions and company law advice across all sectors.

Neil Davies

Neil specialises in acting for insurers and insured professional clients in the defence of professional negligence claims. He has experience in acting for a broad range of professionals, and has a particular interest in claims relating to construction professionals, and insurance brokers. His reported cases include (1) Pearson Education v The Charter Partnership [2005] EWHC 655 (QB) (first instance); [2007] BLR 324 (Court of Appeal); and (2) Daniels v Thompson [2004] EWCA Civ 307. Neil has joint responsibility for managing the insurance practice based in the East of England. He is also the partner responsible for insurance work relating to construction professionals and insurance brokers in the East of England.

Neil Howes

Neil rejoined Mills & Reeve in 2010 and became a partner in 2011. He heads up the Leeds part of the firm’s insurance disputes group which has undergone a rapid rate of expansion over the last three years. Neil specialises in defending professional negligence claims on behalf of insurers and their insureds. He acts for a wide range of professionals including lawyers and professionals in the construction industry. Over the past year, he has acted in connection with a number of high profile, multi-million pound claims. He has extensive experience of claims involving fraud and of both making and defending applications for injunctions (including asset freezing and search and seizure orders).

Neil Frankland

Neil has a wide experience of acting for insurers, both in the company market and at Lloyds, in professional indemnity claims. His areas of specialism are insurance brokers and construction professionals (from main D and B contractors through to a wide range of associated consultants). Recent instructions involve complex high profile claims of significant value (in excess of £10m) relating to both brokers and also main contractors. Neil also has extensive experience in presenting on risk management in these sectors and providing added value service to clients, both professional and insurer. He has developed around him a team that is a ‘go to’ point of reference for brokers on all aspects of their profession and has worked with both sectors at driving professional standards and minimising risk.

Neil Davis

Neil joined Mills & Reeve in 2000 and became a partner in 2004. Since 2008 Neil has led the London insurance and reinsurance team and in 2012, he became head of the firm’s national insurance group with responsibility for developing and delivering the firm’s strategy for this core sector. Neil’s own experience is principally in relation to professional negligence disputes and his particular areas of focus are in defending claims against solicitors and insurance brokers, where he is currently dealing with a number of substantial and complex claims. In addition, he has a growing practice defending professional negligence and breach of contract claims against IT companies. Neil has significant experience of advising on coverage issues. He is client partner for a number of the firm’s key clients including AIG, Allianz and WR Berkeley.

Neil Burton

Neil is head of charities at Mills & Reeve, with responsibility for its 250+ charity clients, which include many of the largest and best-known names in the UK and internationally. Neil is a commercial specialist and is involved in much of the firm’s cutting edge work for the sector, for example around alternative fundraising and innovative deal structures for charity, NGO, university and further education clients. He works closely with specialists in IP, tax, contested legacies and procurement to deliver complete and commercial solutions to his clients’ challenges, whatever and wherever their activities are. A large part of Neil’s work is international. He is part of a team that has advised universities on collaborations and new campuses in over 50 countries. He has been seconded to leading law firms in China, India, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and is the head of firm’s Middle East desk. Neil is also a Notary Public.

Niall Innes

Niall joined Mills & Reeve’s Manchester office as the Northern insurance team leader in January 2010 from Robin Simon LLP in Manchester. Niall took over from Liz Taylor and is responsible for the insurance teams in the Manchester and Leeds offices. Niall is experienced in all types of professional indemnity claims, including claims against solicitors, barristers, accountants, architects, engineers, brokers and IFAs. He deals with claims and regularly gives policy advice to insurers. Niall deals with disciplinary proceedings, and has considerable expertise in matters involving allegations of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. He has acted in a number of claims against IT professionals, including claims brought in other jurisdictions. He has higher rights of audience in all civil courts.

Nick Abbott

Nick has specialised in employment law since qualifying as a solicitor and works exclusively with universities, further education colleges and academies. Nick leads Mills & Reeve’s higher education practice in the West Midlands and is head of Mills & Reeve’s further education group. Nick’s recent work has included advising a number of universities in relation to equal pay challenges; advising a university on the practical management of industrial action arising from a national pay dispute; advising a number of further education college groups on the organisation of staff within federations and using shared services; advising on a number of mergers between further education colleges; advising universities, further education colleges and academies on the removal of senior staff, including the use of university Statutes; advising various universities on employment issues arising from international collaborations; advising universities, further education colleges and academies on the practical management of reorganisations and compulsory redundancies; successfully defending complex Employment Tribunal claims, including those involving disability discrimination, race discrimination, whistleblowing and claims made by trade union representatives in relation to their status; advising on the conversion of over 140 schools to academies; advising on retirement and age discrimination; advising on the management and dismissal of staff with poor performance or long-term sickness.

Nick Finlayson-Brown

Partner. A real estate lawyer with over 25 years of experience helping a diverse range of UK and overseas clients in connection with property investment, development and management across the private, institutional, charitable (including heritage) and public sectors acting for pension funds, onshore and offshore investors and sovereign wealth funds, developers, managers and leading heritage institutions and local/central government agencies. This includes dealing with a wide range of clients with a variety of complex requirements and structures. Projects include acting for property investors and developers in connection with the acquisition, management and development of prime London real estate and national property portfolios - including the West End and the City and advising landowners and developers in connection with the promotion and regeneration of brownfield sites across the UK. Nick also acts for leading heritage bodies in connection with the management and development of their estates including The National Gallery, The British Library, The Science Museum Group and The Natural History Museum. Current projects include the procurement of development partners for 3 brownfield regeneration projects in central London in and around King’s Cross, Docklands and Victoria Embankment. As head of the firm’s China Desk, working with Chinese state-owned enterprises, private companies and multipliers in connection with direct investment from China into the UK and Europe and also working with lawyers in China to provide a trusted network of advisers to clients seeking to invest in the PRC. Current projects include advising Chinese entities on the acquisition of student accommodation, schools, investment in real estate development projects in Docklands and more generally facilitating M&A projects, listings and infrastructure projects. In his role as Head of Office for Mills & Reeve in Cambridge, Nick is active in many local and national networks to promote the Cambridge economy and the entrepreneurial flare and brilliance that has attracted global investors, tech and life science companies to the region and its clusters. Nick is a champion for diversity and inclusion within Mills & Reeve. This is something that he is keen to see embraced in the wider community.

Nick Stone

Partner and National Head of Family Law

Nicola Brown

Partner, employment law. Specialises in advising higher education institutions, public sector bodies and charities. Recent work includes: advising several pre-1992 universities on amendments to the model statutes dealing with disciplinary, redundancy, dismissal and grievance procedures for academic staff; advising several post-1992s on amendments to instruments and articles; advising higher education institutions on contracts for academic and non-academic staff; advising on TUPE aspects of transfer of university; advising and acting in discrimination claims brought by members of staff; successful use of mediation in dismissal of senior member of administrative staff at higher education institution; advising on removal of senior staff; regular speaker at UHR National conference; tailored in-house training for clients.

Nicola Turner

Senior Paralegal

Nicolas Oldham

From our London office, I head up the firm's Construction and Engineering Risks practice - a national offering across five offices. Over the last twenty years or so, I have dealt with claims against most professionals. Since 1995, I have dealt exclusively with claims against construction professionals, including surveyors and valuers. I have substantial experience of court proceedings, arbitration proceedings, adjudication and ADR. I very much enjoy being instructed to advise on policy coverage and have been appointed coverage counsel for claims not only in this country, but also abroad, including Australia, Canada and Turkmenistan! Clients say that: "strong technical skills provide the platform for an innovative and commercially focused approach." and "Nik's ability to build up trust and rapport enables messages to be conveyed quickly and effectively and is a major contribution to the facilitation of the settlement of complex and multi party disputes." Legal directories report: “Highly rated against other firms, especially in the construction area…” and “Nicolas Oldham provides ‘excellent service’ and is a hit with the clients.” "... enjoys ‘a real presence in the construction professional negligence market’. It advised Aspect Contracts on a claim against Higgins Construction. Nik Oldham has ‘first-class legal acumen’; "first rate". June 2015 success in the Supreme Court: Aspect Contracts (Asbestos) Limited v Higgins Construction Plc [2015] UKSC 38.

Nigel Shepherd

Consultant and former national head of family law for Mills & Reeve; reputation as one of the country’s leading family practitioners; appears regularly in the print and broadcast media. He is a trained but now non-practising collaborative lawyer and practising family law financial arbitrator.

Peter McLintock

Corporate finance partner in Birmingham office of national firm Mills & Reeve. Peter helps companies, private equity houses and management teams to buy, sell, merge, fund and govern their businesses locally, nationally and internationally. His sector and transactional experience is complemented by having spent years as a client within industry.

Peter Wainman

Peter is a technology lawyer and specialises in IT law and data protection. He drafts and negotiates IT contracts, from major IT outsourcing projects for public sector bodies and PLCs to standard ‘software as a service’ terms for early-stage technology businesses.

Philip Way

Work includes advising a wide range of individuals with complex financial and personal arrangements in relation to divorce; preparing pre-marital contracts; and advising trustees and beneficiaries as to the implications for them of divorce. Has extensive experience acting for a wide range of individuals in relation to the issues that arise on divorce and family breakdown. Acts for an equal number of husbands and wives. Clients or their spouses are usually either successful business people or professional people. Philip is able to represent clients in traditional court-based proceedings and is also an experienced Collaborative Family Lawyer and Mediator.

Rachel Higgs

Head of commercial disputes team, Norwich. Specialises in complex and high value contract disputes, civil fraud, injunctive work, breach of warranty claims, partnership and shareholder disputes and claimant professional negligence, with a niche specialism in restrictive covenant/breach of confidence cases. Rachel is a qualified mediator and has extensive experience of mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Current cases include a £30m claim for professional negligence and a £7m claim for breach of contract.

Raith Pickup

Raith heads the projects and construction team. He advises bidders, lenders and public sector clients on a broad range of large defence, education, health and outsourcing projects. He is a national leader in student accomodation projects. He also heads Mills & Reeve’s aerospace and defence sector.

Richard Santy

Richard is a partner in the employment team based in Birmingham. Whilst Richard advises clients on all aspects of employment law, he is considered to be a litigation specialist. Richard conducts his own advocacy in tribunal and has represented a number of major clients in high profile cases over the past 12 months. This has included two hearings in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Richard Hanson

Richard is a partner in the specialist real estate disputes team. He has been involved in a number of complex property disputes for investors/landlords, developers, occupiers/retailers, educational and public sector clients both in giving advice and taking matters to court/arbitration.

Richard Noble

Partner – Richard is a knowledgeable and pragmatic real estate lawyer with extensive experience of acting for institutions, investors, landowners and developers on all of their real estate needs involving leases, management work, acquisitions and disposals. Richard has a particular expertise in property development work leading large and complex redevelopment projects involving development agreements, options, joint ventures, joint promotion, overage, highways and infrastructure agreements. Richard has led large scale projects which have involved relocating substantial institutions from their multi-sited existing premises to new premises. Richard works extensively in the education sector and the charity sector and has led many campus redevelopment projects. Examples of Richard’s work include acting for the University of West London on the acquisition of its Paragon Campus, a strategically important development for the University and acting for Bournemouth University on a strategically important acquisition to expand its town centre, Lansdowne campus. Another of Richard’s large projects is the £330m campus relocation for the University of Northampton involving the move of the University from two campuses to a new town centre campus.

Richard Plaistowe

Principal Associate

Richard Sykes

Richard is a barrister who has specialised in education law since 2001. His work covers litigation and governance matters including freedom of information and personal data. He is recognised for his work for HE and FE clients in disability discrimination and equality issues, under 18s, fitness to practise and other regulatory issues and judicial review. He also advises qualification bodies on their relationships with their regulators and equality issues.

Richard Dawson-Gerrard

Richard has extensive and broad experience in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution. He is a CEDR accredited mediator. His focus is on understanding clients and their needs to put together strategies that get the necessary result.

Robbie Turner

Principal associate in a team of lawyers who help clients with the drafting and negotiation of all types of documentation for real estate transactions. The team works with everyone involved in the real estate sector - investors, developers, funders, borrowers and corporates - and have a strong track record in education, health and regeneration projects. A particular focus for Robbie is the work that he carries out in the education sector. He advises universities and further education colleges on a wide range of property related matters and as part of the academies team he has helped advise on the formation and subsequent development and management of a number of academies spanning the length and breadth of the country.

Roger Bamber

Partner and joint head of the national family law team, which is one the largest in the country. Roger is recognised as one of the leading family lawyers in the country. He is a leading practitioner in dispute resolution, having been a mediator since 1990, and having helped to set up the Collaborative Law movement. He also qualified as a family arbitrator in 2012. He specialises in complex financial cases, and has recently been involved in the mediation of an international family dispute, and one of the largest international trust cases brought before the High Court. He has lectured extensively in Europe and the UK, and has written numerous books and articles. He has promoted innovation within family law, through his own YouTube channel, his website www.divorce.co.uk and the Divorce UK app.

Samuel Maw

Senior Associate

Sandra Morrison

Principal Associate Sandra is a dual qualified Solicitor/Rechtsanwӓltin (England and Germany). In her English practice she is a dispute resolution lawyer. She advises national and international corporate and individual clients across a wide range of industries and sectors on a wide variety of contractual and commercial disputes. In her German practice, she is part of the firm’s International Sector Group’s European Desk, with a particular emphasis on Germany due to her background. She deals with a wide spectrum of work from German corporates, individuals and professionals with English law issues and English clients with German law issues, spanning across all departments within the firm. Due to her background, she has an authentic and deep understanding of UK and German business practices and cultures, which provides instant credibility with German clients and their legal advisers and aids good communication, making her a very effective cross border communicator. Sandra is "very able and runs commercial cases excellently" The Legal 500 2018 "Sandra grapples with issues quickly" The Legal 500 2017

Sara Barrett

Sara specialises in all aspects of employment law with particular emphasis on advising bodies regarding restructuring, which requires collective consultation and issues associated with TUPE. Sara also routinely advises on senior executive termination arrangements. Within the private sector Sara has advises across a number of business sectors including recruitment, retail, logistics, food and beverage,healthcare, manufacturing and education. Many of Sara’s private sector clients have global reach. Within the public sector she has carved out a real niche advising not-for-profit organisations including colleges and schools. Sara has advised a number of community interest companies granted contracts from local authorities for outsourced services. Sara leads the Manchester offices’ annual seminar series and regularly lectures to other professional organisations.

Sarah Wood

Principal Associate, advising clients on a range of private clients, from entrepreneurs to landed estate clients.

Sarah Seed

Partner in the banking team, advising lenders and borrowers on debt finance (with a particular specialism in the not-for-profit and public sectors).

Siân Jones-Davies

Senior Associate

Simon Pedley

Simon is a dispute resolution partner specialising in company and commercial disputes, as well as charity disputes and regulation, and contested trusts and estates for high-net-worth individuals, trustees, beneficiaries and charities. His recent work includes: representing the successful claimant in the Kennedy v Kennedy case (an equitable mistake claim to overturn a transaction giving rise to a substantial tax liability); acting in Bhullar v Bhullar (a significant decision in a complicated derivate action); representing the successful applicants in Parris v (1) Ajayi (2) SHC Clemsfold Group (3) SHC Rapkyns Group (a claim in malicious falsehood); acting for the administrators of a substantial estate in a variety of related disputes including directions applications, account proceedings, an insolvency validation order application, various other insolvency proceedings, and an application to remove the administrators.

Simon Sherwood

Partner specialising in real estate and head of real estate team in Leeds.

Simon Garbett

Partner

Stephanie Hawthorn

Associate dealing with all areas of family law, including divorce, financial matters, cohabitation disputes, children matters and nuptial agreements.

Stephen King

Admitted as a solicitor in 1986. Joined Mills & Reeve in 1989, becoming a partner in 1993. Lead role in the development of the firm’s defence liability work in the health sector. Managing a respected and acknowledged national team specialising in medical malpractice, product liability and health sector liability work. The work sits within the firm’s general insurance subsector which is part of the diverse work of the wider insurance group. A previous member of the Editorial Board of the Sweet and Maxwell publication ‘Journal of Personal Injury Law’. He has written and spoken widely on his subject area. His clients are insurers of risks arising in the health sector, from clinical trials and product manufacturing to hospital groups, care providers and the medical professions and their insurers. He oversees the work of the firm’s claims handling unit, or CHU ( a TPA offering), and its work on the claims solutions the firm offers to its insurer and corporate healthcare clients. He also participates in the firm’s 24/7 emergency out of hours helpline ‘Mills & Reeve First Response’. Often advising on coverage issues, his work and that of his team includes class actions, public enquiries and judicial review as well as catastrophic injury cases, and high profile cases that are novel or repercussive in terms of reputational protection.

Stephen Hamilton

Stephen helps businesses to achieve their commercial objectives. His work focuses on corporate finance for companies and other commercial clients. He has significant experience in advising in relation to capital markets (both main market and AIM) including fundraisings, initial public offerings, mergers and aquisitions and corporate restructurings. Recent work includes a £350m bond issue, the £75m sale of a UK utility company, a £40m AIM IPO for a technology company, a placing and open offer for an expanding LSE listed tech company, a pre-IPO fundraising for an award-winning high growth tech business and the takeover of an AIM listed company. Stephen is a member of the Quoted Companies Alliance Legal Technical Committee.

Steve Allen

Steve heads the Birmingham office of Mills & Reeve LLP. He has extensive experience in dealing with all forms of commercial disputes particularly commercial contract, product liability, breach of warranty and shareholder disputes. He has a particular interest in the automotive, energy, food and IT sectors. In addition to extensive experience in conducting international arbitration disputes, Steve has dealt with disputes in the Commercial Court, the Technology and Construction Court and the Court of Appeal. Steve has also been involved in the settlement of several complex disputes through mediation and other forms of ADR. Steve is the current President of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and the winner of the Midlands Leadership in Professional Services Award 2018. He is a former recipient of the International Solicitor of the Year Award from the Birmingham Law Society and is a past President of the New York based British American Business Council. Steve appears in the Birmingham Post’s Power 250 list of the Midlands’ most influential people and is a Visiting Fellow of International Law at Aston University in Birmingham.

Stuart Pemble

Stuart leads the Birmingham construction team, helping clients with the drafting and negotiation of all types of construction and engineering documents. The team works with everyone involved in the sector, including occupiers, developers, funders, contractors and consultants, and has a strong track record in education, health and regeneration projects. Stuart also heads the firm’s national academies practice, leading a dedicated team skilled in guiding schools through the conversion process.

Stuart Thompson

Stuart advises on all non-contentious, contentious and procurement aspects of engineering, construction, energy, infrastructure, facilities management and PFI/PPP projects. This involves all forms of contract and he regularly works with the NEC, JCT, FIDIC, M/F1, ICC and ICE forms as well as bespoke construction and EPC contracts. He also advises on the various appointments published by professional bodies, such as NEC, RIBA and the ACE. Stuart acts for employers, contractors, sub-contractors, facilities management contractors and consultants. Recently, Stuart advised a local authority on its £40m engineering dispute with a main contractor. He also advised a university on the suite of construction documents for its £350m new campus project and a main contractor in its multi-million dispute with a local authority employer regarding a high-profile refurbishment and new build project. He also advised a FM contractor on the suite of FM contracts for various PFI projects worth in excess of £500m and has been instructed to advise an employer on the terms of its £1.2bn term service contract.

Stuart Craig

Partner specialising in employment law, who advises a wide range of employers, including Plcs, private businesses, universities and NHS organisations. He deals with all aspects of employment law. His contentious work involves dealing with heavyweight employment tribunal cases, particularly complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims and he has acted for employers in a number of leading reported cases in different sectors. His non-contentious work includes drafting the full range of employment documentation, advising on reorganisations and restructuring and involves TUPE and large public sector outsourcing issues. He leads on employment law issues for the firm’s health clients and is acknowledged as a leader in this field, frequently advising on matters where specialist knowledge of the NHS is required, including complex executive level terminations and doctors disciplinary and performance procedures.

Surbhi Shah

Surbhi is an employment lawyer for health sector clients and her clients in the health sector include national NHS bodies (Department of Health and NHS England) Acute NHS Trusts, NHS Mental Health Trusts, Ambulance Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups. Surbhi is frequently asked to advise on matters where specialist knowledge of the NHS is required, including high profile disputes with very senior managers and medical staff, complex senior level terminations and the management of complex internal disputes. Surbhi also frequently advises clients on organisational change and TUPE including outsourcing arrangements. Surbhi undertakes her own advocacy at Employment Tribunals.

Suzanne Kingston

Consultant Suzanne is widely known for her expertise in all aspects of family work, in particular the resolution of complex financial issues for high net worth individuals. Suzanne’s cases often have an international element and she has considerable experience in dealing with prenuptial agreements and cohabitation issues. Often referred to as “the Queen of Arbitration and Mediation’, Suzanne has a thriving mediation and arbitration practice and teaches both

Tim Winn

Head of corporate and public law at Mills & Reeve in Birmingham. Specialises in corporate transactions and corporate governance, advising plcs, private companies, universities and public and private healthcare bodies. Experience includes the only private NHS franchising, the £435m public-to-private of McKechnie plc; the buyout, flotation and sale of ShareLink; and the only public offer made in Belgium by a UK company. Advised Imperial College London on establishment of the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi. Currently advising on the first NHS foundation trust mergers and acquisitions.

Tim Allsop

Tim specialises in commercial real estate work and his particular expertise is in major development projects, joint ventures and real estate finance. The majority of his clients are from the education and local authority sectors although he also has extensive experience of representing private sector developers and landowners. In recent years Tim has acted on most types of real estate matters for just about every type of client and takes great pride in being part of one of the leading teams of real estate lawyers in the country. Following a recent transaction, one client commented: ‘The star of the show is definitely Tim: his drafting of the complex legal documentation, conduct of the negotiations with the other side and absolute grasp of what matters to us the client, were just outstanding.’ Tim speaks frequently at conferences and seminars on real estate matters, particularly those of interest to education clients. He is also the firm contact on UKSPA, the UK Science Parks Association.

Tim Ryan

Rural development and strategic land issues; co-operation, promotion, option, overage and pre-emption agreements; farm tenancies.

TIm Whitney

Principal Associate and Accredited Family Mediator

Tom Pickthorn

Partner specialising in M&A work and head of the firm’s European desk. Clients include Bourn Hall, Egis SA, Midwich, SNCF, Spaldings and Trinity Biotech.

Vincenzo Maggio

Vincenzo is a partner within the real estate law practice with a heavy focus on investment work and landlord and tenant matters. He usually acts for investor clients, such as a number of Cambridge colleges, pension funds and US listed property investment companies. Vincenzo oversees teams managing extensive property and the work ranges from acquisitions and disposals of multi-let investment properties (typically office accommodation and shopping centres). Recent works includes the forward funding and purchase of the new Microsoft headquarters in Cambridge and the acquisition of three private hospitals. Vincenzo also regularly advises corporate occupiers on their business needs. Recent transactions include the relocation of the headquarters of a financial services company and UK premises for a US e-commerce business. He leads the team providing real estate advice to the BPP Group in relation to their national education centres.

Virginia Hickley

Partner and Head of Financial Claims. Virginia has specialised in insurance litigation with a professional indemnity bias since qualifying and the majority of her work involves defending claims against financial professionals on behalf of their professional indemnity insurers. She has also drafted policy wordings and advises on policy coverage. Her focus is predominantly on financial lines work (accountants, auditors, IFAs, finance brokers, hedge fund managers, trustees, pensions administrators) and defending solicitors’ claims. However, since qualifying in 1998 she has defended a wide range of professionals and claims of all values and levels of complexity. Her current caseload includes claims against solicitors, accountants, trustees, fund managers, pension administrators, brokers and independent financial advisers. The claims range in value from £100,000 to several million pounds. Virginia also advises underwriters on claims against French insureds, liaising with French lawyers and reporting to UK insurers.

Virginia Edgecombe

Virginia has specialised in private tax law since 2003. Her focus is on estate planning including wills, trusts, inheritance and capital gains tax planning, the administration of estates and trusts and powers of attorney. She acts for a wide variety of clients including owners of landed estates, entrepreneurs and professionals, with assets in the UK and overseas. Recent work includes administering an estate valued at over £60m comprising agricultural land, residential property, business property (both companies and partnerships) and heritage property.

Wanda Karow

Claims against all professionals with a particular emphasis on claims against medical professionals, accountants and solicitors.

William Roles

Partner and head of banking and finance, advising lenders and borrowers on debt finance including acquisition finance, securitisation and trade and asset finance.

Zahra Siddiqui

Zahra has been instrumental in growing the wills and estate planning team significantly and it is now a major player in the Manchester market place. Zahra’s particular area of expertise is advising on complex and innovative tax planning, including sophisticated wills and trusts. She acts as a trustee for many family trusts and has a particular niche in advising doctors and retired doctors on their estate planning affairs.

Zak Virgin

Partner in the finance team specialising in asset-based lending, acquisition finance and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency work. Zak recently led the team acting for PNC Business Credit on substantial asset-based lending facilities for the MBI of the cakes division of McCambridge Group Holdings plc backed by NBGI private equity. He led the teams advising the administrators of the Cardale group, the Brilliant Media group, Silver Spring Soft Drinks and Axminster Carpets on the sales of the businesses and assets issues relating to the administrators’ appointment, duties and distributions to creditors.

Zickie Lim

Zickie specialises in Corporate Finance and heads up the firm’s venture capital and equity investments practice. Zickie acts for a range of VC investment funds, including Mercia Technologies PLC and the Mercia Growth Funds, IQ Capital, North West Fund (Biomedical) LP, Low Carbon Innovation Fund, Enterprise Ventures and Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds as well as business angels and angel groups on their portfolio investments, portfolio management issues and exits. She also advises start ups, spin-outs and fast growth VC backed technology businesses on their equity and debt funding rounds, their growth transactions and exits. Her company clients include Secret Escapes, 4Energy, Grapeshot and Sphere Fluidics. Zickie has also developed a particularly strong reputation and track record in the university spin out market, having advised in relation to over 90 spin outs from universities throughout the UK, including from the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, East Anglia and Essex, Hertfordshire, Oxford, Manchester, Salford, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick, to name a few. She also authored the University Spin Out precedent documents and know how suite for Practical Law Company, a leading provider of know how and precedents for the legal profession in the UK.

Zoe Fleetwood

Head of National Children Team, Partner, Solicitor specialising in all areas of children law, adoption, child arrangements, domestic abuse, relocation, child abduction and surrogacy. Resolution Accredited Specialist in Child Abduction, Adoption and Children Law, Law Society Children Panel Solicitor, Solicitor-Advocate with Higher Rights of Audience.

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