Abby is a Managing Associate in the firm's Private department where she works on a wide range of commercial disputes for both companies and individuals. As a member of Art Law, Abby acts for galleries, auction houses, artists, collectors, foundations and other public and private institutions in relation to disputes concerning ownership, provenance, attribution and restitution of artworks. Abby has specialist knowledge and interest in the evolving area of data protection and regularly advises on rights and obligations, acting for both individuals and companies. She also provides training on data protection issues for the firm and its clients. Abby is a member of the organisation of Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM).
Mishcon de Reya LLP
Lawyers
Hall of fame
Adam is a Partner in the Finance & Banking Group. He leads the Firm's highly regarded practice defending clients against the financial services regulatory bodies. For more than 20 years, he has defended some of the biggest enforcement cases to emerge, ranging from the enforcement proceedings brought in relation to Barings in the 1990's to acting in the recent LIBOR and Forex investigations, and others not yet public. He knows the FCA prosecution well and has practical hands on experience in front of the decision makers. He also has extensive experience in cross jurisdictional matters that involve, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ). In addition to defending contested actions, his work often takes place in the pre investigation and pre enforcement stages, helping clients protect themselves against future possible regulatory action. Adam's practice also includes a great deal of experience representing clients in front of a wide variety of other business regulators and enforcement authorities. He represents both individuals and institutions. Adam also leads the firm's Professional Discipline practice, advising professionals such as accountants, lawyers, insolvency practitioners and pension trustees who are facing challenge or investigation by regulatory or enforcement bodies. Adam also leads the firm's Professional Discipline practice, advising professionals such as accountants, lawyers, insolvency practitioners and pension trustees who are facing challenge or investigation by regulatory or enforcement bodies. He is also experienced in Court and arbitral proceedings, having acted in disputes involving substantial sums of money across arenas as diverse as funds, finance, private banking, spread betting, foreign exchange, structured products, pensions, insurance and capital markets. He combines 25 years' experience of litigating with an in-depth knowledge of the industry and the relevant rules. Adam is widely recognised as a leading individual in the area of Financial Services. The Contentious Regulatory practice that he heads is ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners and Adam himself has been consistently rated over the years by both legal directories. Legal 500 praises the group's "high-quality and commercially savvy advice" and states that "the ‘very experienced and wily’ Adam Epstein is the undoubted standout". Chambers cites Adam as "extremely good and knowledgeable in this area" and applauds his "extremely focused, very client-friendly" approach stating that he is "exactly the person you would want on your side". Legal 500 2016 states that "he provides 'calm, sensible and sound advice' and is 'revered by his opponents as an expert in his field.'".
Adam is a Commercial Partner in the Corporate department, with over 25 years' experience, specialising in advising clients on IT and commercial contracts, including franchising, agency, distribution and terms of business.He advises clients across a number of sectors, but in particular, those in real estate, publishing and broadcasting, financial services and retail and leisure, including hotels and restaurants.Adam is an expert in data protection and freedom of information law, where he advises corporates and individuals on all aspects of the law.Adam is the International Development Partner at Mishcon de Reya. His primary objective is to ensure the firm consistently delivers the best advice to its clients and to gain the trust of clients and lawyers from around the world. He works closely with the partners appointed as leaders for each international region to closely monitor the overseas service the Firm provides, the expansion of its client-base and how it is delivering against its strategy.
Adriano Amorese is a Partner in the Construction Group, within the firm's Real Estate department.
A non-contentious construction lawyer with over 15 years' experience working on a broad range of domestic and international projects, Adriano specialises in advising on procurement routes for construction and engineering projects and in drafting and negotiating all forms of legal construction documentation, including construction and engineering contracts (both bespoke contracts and contracts based on industry standard forms, including JCT, NEC and FIDIC), consultancy agreements, bonds and guarantees.
Adriano also has extensive experience advising on the construction aspects of project agreements such as development agreements, funding agreements, agreements for lease and asset protection agreements and their inter-relationship with legal construction documentation.
Alexandra has a broad range of experience advising both international and UK based individuals and companies. With expertise in matters bridging the specialisms of private client law and a focus on reputation protection, she is an experienced commercial litigator. Alexandra participates in the Data Protection, Extradition, Russia and Africa groups.
Managing the firm's engagement in the SPITE project - a pro bono partnership with Queen Mary University - she advises victims of revenge porn. Having written articles and presented lectures on the issue of sharing intimate images and personal data, she also delivers training to PR companies and publishers on developments in media law and data protection.
Alexandra is a trustee and Company Director of LHA London, a housing charity that caters for students and young people, and a trustee of Future Talent, a charity that provides support and guidance to young musicians who demonstrate outstanding musical ability from low income backgrounds.
Alexandra is a Partner in the Construction Disputes team in the Real Estate Department.
She has over 15 years' experience advising a range of clients across numerous sectors including contractors, developers and occupiers on litigation, arbitration and adjudication matters. She has particular experience in mixed use schemes, offices, student accommodation, high-end residential, and retail.
Alex spends much of her time helping her clients avoid disputes on live projects, giving pragmatic advice and seeking practical solutions. Where disputes cannot be avoided, she guides her clients through often complex and high value disputes, providing clear strategic guidance and robust analysis. She has a strong grasp of technical issues and uses alternative dispute resolution techniques such as mediation to obtain excellent outcomes for her clients.
Alex has expertise in claims relating to building safety, and in particular disputes concerning defective external wall systems. She is a trusted advisor on the new building safety regime and has provided strategic advice on this complex area of law to some of the UK's leading developers.
Allison is a Partner in the Private Equity group. She focuses on private equity related transactions as well as mergers & acquisitions. She has particularly extensive experience acting for management teams and owner/founder-managers, as well as having acted for private equity institutions and investee companies.Allison also provides general advisory and transactional services to corporate businesses and entrepreneurs. With over 15 years' experience, her practice covers a variety of sectors including financial services, recruitment, technology and retail.
Amanda Gray is a Partner in Mishcon Private, specialising in Art Law and the related field of Luxury Assets. She is Practice Lead for Art Law and chairs Mishcon's firm-wide multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group. Amanda is valued by her clients for her commercial, flexible approach and depth of knowledge across a diverse range of legal problems faced by those operating within the art market and luxury assets fields. In addition to her Art Law practice, Amanda, as a long standing private client lawyer, has been able to bring her experience of dealing with sensitive personal situations to assisting bereaved families with inquests and advising clients on a range of medical negligence issues and loss of mental capacity. An art law specialist with over 13 years experience, she is valued by her clients for her commercial and solution driven approach and depth of knowledge. Her client base includes collectors, dealers, auction houses, artists, public and private institutions and foundations. She assists clients across a diverse range of contentious and non-contentious legal problems faced by those operating within the art market and luxury assets fields. These include sale and purchase agreements, art and antique collection management, loan and agency agreements, artists' resale rights regulations, special projects, bringing new discoveries to the market place and advising the art market on anti-money laundering regulations. Her specialist contentious work includes claims arising from due diligence issues including authentication and title claims, disputes arising out of breaches of contract, negligence and misrepresentation. Matters are often international, high value, and high profile with significant commercial and personal implications for the reputation and legacy of those involved. As a leading member of our multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group, Amanda provides advice to clients on luxury assets including classic cars, bloodstock and jewellery, each with nuances individual to their respective fields. Amanda is a Trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA); the pro-bono General Counsel for Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Sussex, which houses the permanent collection of works by the Ditchling Guild and is a member of the Responsible Art Market committee, London Chapter.
Andrew is a Partner in Mishcon Private. Andrew advises individuals and families on a wide range of areas affecting their businesses and their personal affairs. Andrew has spent many years specialising in transactional work, shareholders agreements, partnerships and joint ventures. He also deals with transactions involving high value chattels, secured lending and insolvency. Andrew's clients are both UK-based and international, and come from a wide range of sectors including finance, property, art, betting and gaming, politics, technology, leisure and the third sector.
Andrew also advises high net worth international individuals and families on all aspects of their personal and financial affairs as well as their offshore trusts and corporate structures. Andrew often takes on a general advisory role for a number of clients, helping them to negotiate their way through whatever challenges are facing them.
Andrew is a member of our multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group, which advises individuals and businesses on the buying, selling, structuring and protection of luxury assets across the globe.
Andrew is a Partner in the firm's Corporate department, having been called to the Bar in 2001 before transferring to become a solicitor and qualifying in 2003. He is a highly experienced transactional and commercial advisory lawyer, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholders' agreements and complex commercial contracts. His work is both in the UK and overseas, with a particular focus on entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs and bespoke contractual arrangements.Andrew is the lead partner for M:Tech, Mishcon de Reya's legal mentoring and advice programme for early-stage tech companies.Andrew takes a frank and commercial approach to advising his clients, who rely on his counsel and his ability to act as a sounding board on matters affecting all aspects of their business.He has advised businesses in a diverse range of industries, including fashion and brands, technology and online platforms, wholesale distribution, charities, media, healthcare and private members' clubs.Andrew is intimately involved in all aspects of the firm's graduate recruitment process and vacation scheme, including interviewing, assessing and supervising students and trainees. He has delivered numerous training sessions both internally and externally and has given talks at BPP Law School and Leeds University. Andrew also acts as a mentor for entrepreneurs, including for one of our MdR Lab 2018 companies and as part of Walpole's Brands of Tomorrow initiative, a bespoke mentorship programme for aspiring British luxury brands.
Andrew is a Partner in Mishcon Private and heads up the Tax group. He advises high net worth UK and international families and trustees on all aspects of UK and offshore tax, succession planning and trusts. He regularly advises on residence and domicile issues including the statutory residence test, business investment relief and the locations of offshore trusts. He advises on philanthropy and the establishment of charitable trusts and foundations. His diverse range of clients cover all sectors and ages and include many high profile names.
Andrew also advises entrepreneurs and key executives on relevant tax reliefs and tax efficient investments, such as IHT Business Property Relief, CGT Entrepreneurs Relief, Enterprise Investment Schemes and Venture Capital Trusts.
He is a published author on tax and estate planning, has written numerous articles and is quoted widely in the national press. Andrew has been included in the Citywealth Leaders List since 2010 and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Andrew is a Partner in the Corporate department and a recognised expert in international cross border M&A and private equity transactions. His work embraces a wide range of industries but has a particular focus in financial technology, software and e-commerce, recruitment, real estate and automotive industries. He works with wide range of business types from successful entrepreneurs to multinational corporations.Andrew regularly represents clients who specialise in financial technology, software, SaaS, IaaS and other high tech services, communication services companies, private equity firms and financial institutions.He also has a proven track record of working with multinational clients and acting as a “trusted adviser” in relation to transactions in multiple jurisdictions including divestitures, recapitalisations, joint ventures and strategic alliances, venture capital and private equity transactions (including management buyouts and minority investments) and acting for management teams.
Andrew is a Partner in Mishcon Private. He specialises in rural and agricultural law. He is known for his specialisms in advising land owners on farming partnership agreements, land management issues, agricultural land sales and purchases and also acting for landlords and tenants on specialist agricultural tenancy issues. He is often recommended to new clients by other property professionals.
Andrew and the other members of the Farms & Estates team are known for efficiency and pragmatism. They are valued by their ability to give clear commercial advice coupled with swift and effective dealing at an agreed cost. They are known for getting the deal done.
He is known for acting for innovative land owners and new entrants to farms and estates and acts in concert with colleagues in the innovation teams to help land owners who want to use their land to do something new.
Andrew is a ranked partner in Chambers 2022 which notes that he is "well versed in agricultural tenancies work, together with partnership structure and succession planning advice for landed estate clients and other landowners."
Andrew is identified by Spear's as one of the top Landed Estates Lawyer in the 2022 index.
He is named as a key lawyer in the Legal 500 2022 guide noting that he is a "a key adviser on agricultural tenancies and succession planning"
Andrew is a member of the Country Land & Business Association and a member of the Agricultural Law Association.
Anita is a Partner and Head of Planning in the Real Estate department. The Planning team advises leading commercial and residential property developers, property companies, investment funds and high net worth individuals on a broad range of planning matters. Anita advises clients on strategic planning approaches to maximise value, create flexibility and minimise risk and development costs. She finds solutions to complex planning issues and regularly advises on planning appeals and challenges, planning, highway and development agreements, community infrastructure levy, assets of community value, planning policy, environmental impact assessments, listed buildings, planning enforcement, town and village greens, CPOs, certificates of lawfulness and other public law matters.
Anju is a Partner in the Real Estate department.
She has over 20 years' experience specialising in investment, development funding and property development work for a range of clients across all sectors in the real estate industry including retail, offices, industrial and logistic sectors. Anju also specialises in development pre-lettings.
Anju has an established reputation and track record with clients for understanding and project managing portfolio and complex acquisitions and disposals. Her clients appreciate her driven and proactive approach to closing deals.
She has acted for a broad spectrum of clients including institutional investors, publicly quoted and private property companies, property funds, property developers, financial institutions, overseas investors, high net worth individuals, retailers and corporate occupiers.
Anthony is a highly regarded lawyer. He has held several central roles at Mishcon de Reya, including serving on our Management Board, ten years as head of the litigation practice and is currently our Deputy Chairman. Anthony is the Firm's most senior solicitor advocate, and has appeared in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. He has significant experience in arbitration and is involved in the Firm's work in public advocacy. Anthony is a trusted advisor to his often high-profile clients, and typically acts for ultra-high net worth families and individuals in personal and business disputes. Anthony's clients also include companies and charities. As a recognised academic, Anthony now holds the Chair in Law and Arts in the Faculty of Law, UCL. He was for several years a visiting professor at Birkbeck, University of London in the Department of English and the Humanities. He is a noted author who has written extensively on law, literature, art and culture. Anthony serves as Chairman or Non-Executive Director of a number of companies, some of which are clients of Mishcon de Reya. He was co-founder and first chairman, and then Vice President, of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund until it was wound up. He also serves as a Trustee on several charitable and non-profit organisations.
Antonia Felix is a Partner in the Family department. She specialises in all aspects of family law with a particular emphasis on complex financial remedy cases often involving assets in different jurisdictions and complicated trust structures. Antonia also advises on cohabitation disputes and private law children matters, including applications for leave to remove children from the jurisdiction and surrogacy. She is experienced in advising on pre and post-marital agreements and cohabitation agreements. Antonia's work involves multi jurisdictions and often involves disclosure issues and obtaining disclosure orders against third parties, including trustees and registered agents in offshore jurisdictions, and joining third parties to proceedings within the context of financial remedy proceedings.
Antonia is a member of the Firm's Surrogacy and Modern Families Group and was involved in hosting an event for the Law Commission in respect of its surrogacy reform consultation. Antonia also leads the family team's Education group and has a network of contacts who can assist clients who need guidance on all aspects of their children's education as well as being able to advise on education issues which arise as part of litigation.
Antonia was named by Citywealth as one of the top 100 private client lawyers in 2021.
Antonia is a member of Resolution and the Association of Women Solicitors, a community for women lawyers supporting each other in their careers.
Antonia is part of the Working Party put together by the human rights charity, JUSTICE aiming to improve access to justice for separated families in private family proceedings.
Antonia is also on the Board of Governors at St George's school, Ascot.
Antonia is a partner of the WealthiHer network.
Åsa is a Legal Director in the Employment department. She has extensive experience in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law. A professional support lawyer, she is in charge of knowledge management strategy and development for the department. Her remit includes developing departmental expertise, precedents, know-how and training (for both the employment team and clients), ensuring all concerned are fully up to speed with latest legal developments.
Barbara is a Partner and Head of the firm's Family department. She is widely recognised as one of London's leading Family lawyers, and has been constantly top-ranked by the major professional directories, including being listed in eprivateclient as one of the 2022 50 most influential in the Private Client profession. She is an accredited specialist in all aspects of Family law, and provides a multi-faceted and flexible approach in relation to the needs of families, having led cases involving substantial wealth, complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and trust issues. Many of the cases that Barbara works on have an international dimension, including the US, Russia and the Middle-East. She is renowned for her handling of the financial fall-out from divorce, with significant experience in cases with an element of non-disclosure and enforcement issues. She is also adept in dealing with the wider issues affecting families, such as separation; property disputes; injunctions; marital agreements; cohabitation and all private children arrangements, including residence and contact arrangements, overseas relocation, surrogacy and adoption. She is a trusted advisor for many families which includes assisting with opportunities and challenges, that require the expertise of the wider firm including tax and wealth planning, asset protection, reputation management, real estate and immigration.
Barbara has acted in a number of high profile cases in relation to divorce, matrimonial finance, and financial provision for the children of unmarried parents. Her clients include high net worth and international clients from a wide range of backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, owners of family businesses, City professionals and the independently wealthy.
Barbara is a qualified mediator and is a member of the ADR Group, which is recognised for its cross disciplinary depth in the fields of family, civil, and commercial mediation. She is a member also of the Advisory Panel of Insuring Women's Futures, a programme established by the Chartered Insurance Institute, aimed at promoting and enhancing the insurance and financial planning profession’s role in relation to women and risk.
She is a member of the Development Board of the Young Vic and a trustee of the WOW Foundation.
Beth is a Consultant in the Employment Department specialising in employment litigation (Tribunal and High Court) and dispute resolution. Her practice is divided evenly between corporates (including advising partnerships and LLPs) and senior executives. Most of her clients are based in the financial services (including PE and VC), art, retail and media sectors. She also acts for charities and not-for-profit organisations. Much of her work focuses on senior executive remuneration schemes and disputes. Discrimination and gender equality are particular themes in Beth’s work, regularly representing senior women (including lawyers). Her key interests include equal pay, remuneration and agile working in the City.
Charlie's main practice areas are: UK and international tax, including UK-US tax planning; trusts; asset protection structuring; and lifetime planning for high-net and ultra-high net worth individuals, families and their trustees. Charlie frequently advises clients on their residence and domicile status, and advises on effective tax planning. He has been described as someone who offers 'high quality reliable advice, excellent client manner - a joy to work with', and who has 'a clear understanding of tax issues arising for private clients and identifies practical solutions'. He has further been described and as 'an excellent lawyer who commands the respect of everyone he interacts with and acts for who is ahead of his years in terms of expertise, ability and maturity who will excel to become one of the leading lights in the world of the private client lawyer'. Charlie is a member of Mishcon de Reya's multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group, which advises individuals and businesses on the buying, selling, structuring and protection of luxury assets including art, cars and other high-value collectables across the globe. In 2014 Charlie passed with distinction the STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for International Clients.
Charlotte is a Legal Director in the Funds and Financial Services team and has experience in both UK financial services regulation and funds-related matters.Her financial services experience is broad, encompassing the perimeter of regulation including: advising unregulated entities and individuals on whether they need to become authorised; the marketing of financial products; appointed representative arrangements; interpretation of the FCA Rules and Guidance; and advising on UK anti-money laundering and proceeds of crime legislation. She also regularly advises on the consumer credit regime and regulated mortgages.In terms of her funds experience, Charlotte advises investors and onshore and offshore investment fund managers in relation to real estate, private equity and venture capital funds, in connection with a broad range of matters, including: fund formation and on-going operational and regulatory matters - including under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive; co-investments; and internal reorganizations. She also advises on the establishment and restructuring of UK investment managers and investment advisers.Charlotte is described in The Legal 500 as "able and thorough".
Chhavie is a Partner in the Real Estate department specialising in real estate disputes. She has particular experience in advising developers on avoiding disputes and, where issues do occur, how to mitigate against them in order keep the development on track. This includes advising clients on minimising the potential of rights of light related claims. Chhavie has also successfully acted in connection with planning judicial reviews and has defended clients from applications to register development land as town and village greens. She also has extensive experience of acting for developers on rights of light strategies including the use of insurance policies and section 203 Housing and Planning Act 2016 to mitigate risks. She advises both landlords and tenants on all aspects of their relationship, including business lease renewals (both unopposed and opposed), dilapidations, tenant insolvency, recovery of arrears, service charge disputes, consents, rent review and issues relating to quiet enjoyment.
Claire is a Partner in the Family team, practicing in the area of family law for 16 years. She recognises that changing family dynamics require a flexible and commercial approach, with early intervention and the use of ADR being key.
Her diverse practice includes advising international and domestic HNW clients on the financial implications of relationship breakdown, in particular those involving trusts and corporate assets, crypto assets, inherited wealth, complex remuneration structures and where there are allegations of non-disclosure or dissipation. She also has a well-established wealth protection practice advising clients on pre-and post-nuptial agreements.
Claire has great experience in private law cases relating to a child's living arrangements, significant decisions regarding their care and applications by one parent to relocate within the UK or overseas with a child.
Claire has a particular interest in managing the reputational aspect of relationship breakdown and protecting the balance between personal and private life. Described as "one of the very best partners", "out performing her peers" and whose negotiating skills are "second to none", Claire is adept at ensuring that her clients feel supported in what is often a pivotal time in their lives, working with them to achieve the best possible outcome, enabling them to move forward with confidence.
Clare is a Managing Associate in the Firm's Family Department. She specialises in all aspects of the divorce process, including financial issues; jurisdictional disputes; private law children matters, such as residence and contact; and applications for leave to remove children from the jurisdiction. Clare also deals with pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements.
Claudia is a Partner in the Real Estate department, specialising in commercial real estate. She has transactional experience in all aspects of commercial real estate including investment sales and acquisitions, development work and landlord and tenant work, acting for both parties. She has also provided real estate support for corporate- and finance-led transactions.
Claudia acts for a broad spectrum of clients ranging from pension funds and banks to private investors, developers and property companies. Her current focus is acting for Capital & Counties Properties Plc on the management and development of its Covent Garden portfolio.
Dan is a lawyer in Mishcon Private, specialising in all areas of Family law. He is an accredited Resolution Specialist in complex financial remedies and private children law.
Whilst Dan works on matters involving all aspects of contentious and non-contentious family law, including cases with an international element, he has particular expertise in complex financial remedy cases and private children matters (including domestic and international relocation, education issues, living arrangements and paternity). He also has particular experience with litigating cases where "conduct" and "add back" are central aspects in a matter and has significant experience with cases involving a wide range of addictions and certain mental health issues. His emotional intelligence is of great value in matters which are sensitive and / or involve complex fact patterns.
In addition, Dan has previously been involved in a variety of cases involving issues such as substantial family wealth, gender discrimination in financial remedy proceedings, relationship generated financial disadvantage, personal injunctions and the validity of Pre-Nuptial Agreements. He has also written legal opinions in respect of international wealth protection and the validity of a marriage.
Dan is a keen advocate and practitioner of Arbitration via the IFLA scheme in financial remedy matters and is a former member of Resolution's London Regional Committee.
Daniel is Of Counsel in the Planning and Environment Group. He is experienced in handling complex and high profile developments and property deals, working with master developers and major property owners as well as acting for a range of investors and retail occupiers. Typically this kind of work covers planning agreements, applications and appeals (including environmental impact assessments), inquiry work, judicial review and enforcement. Daniel also advises on compulsory purchase, highways, environment and related public law.
Daniel began his career in the public sector – as a trainee at Warwickshire County Council and then as a principal solicitor for East Cambridgeshire District Council.
Hall of fame
Daniel is a Partner and Head of the Property Litigation team. One of the largest and most well-regarded practices in London, the team advises leading UK property companies, developers, corporate occupiers, investment funds and high net worth individuals. Daniel's specialism is in complex property related disputes, including development disputes, injunctions, judicial reviews, dilapidations, rights to light and neighbourly matters, service charge disputes, trespasses, consents, rent reviews, lease renewals, high value residential disputes and joint venture disputes. Daniel and his team regularly participate in court and trial work – including in the Appeal Courts. Daniel and the lawyers he works with are highly skilled litigators and experienced negotiators, mediators and arbitrators. Their cases, given their size and complexity, often attract significant media interest and require a commercial and strategic approach. Consistently ranked at the top of the legal directories, Daniel is included in Chambers 100, the first ever ranking of the UK's top 100 business lawyers.
Daniel is a Partner in the Real Estate department with over 20 years' experience, specialising in all aspects of commercial property investment and development, with particular emphasis on investment structures for quoted and private property companies and funds.
Daniel acts for a range of UK real estate investment and development clients including O&H Properties, Matterhorn Capital and Mansford. His matters include advising O&H on the redevelopment of the Podium Shopping Centre in Bath, with a subsequent letting of the site to Waitrose to create their Waitrose At Home concept, and the redevelopment of Christian Dior's flagship London store in New Bond Street. He also acted for a group of investors led by the Matterhorn Palos Partnership on its acquisition of Hammersmith's Kings Mall Shopping Centre and its subsequent disposal for £153 million.
Daniel also has expertise in student accommodation development and PRS/build-to-rent development and funding. This includes advising specialist PRS investor and operator Fizzy Living on various forward funding schemes such as the circa £100 million forward funding and purchase of a 348-unit residential scheme at Silvertown Way in Canning Town.
In addition, Daniel acts for banks on a variety of property finance transactions and has particular expertise in development finance.
Daniel is a Partner in the Corporate department and leads the Funds and Financial Services team. He has significant experience helping our private equity and real estate clients on the entire fundraising process, including marketing their funds to investors, setting market-standard commercial terms of the fund, agreeing documents with investors and closing the fund.Daniel assists institutional and boutique fund managers across private equity and real estate including specialist strategies across growth capital, venture capital, credit and those raising buy-and-build platforms. Daniel acts for managers whether they are raising a discretionary fund, spinning out of an existing institution or raising a series of co-investment funds. He also assists institutions and Mishcon family office clients on their fund investment and co-investment programmes. Chambers and Partners recognise Daniel's "deep expertise in the structuring of a variety of funds, including fund of funds, venture capital and debt vehicles" describing him as "similarly well versed in the tax and regulatory aspects of asset management". Daniel has authored chapters in The Guide to Responsible Investment (PEI: Private Equity International) and Understanding Private Debt in Europe (PEI: Private Debt Investor).
Hall of fame
Daniel is a Partner and Chair of the Employment department, sitting on the Management Board. He is one of the pre-eminent London employment lawyers, working for corporates, LLPs and senior executives in contentious and non-contentious matters that range from High Court and Employment Tribunal litigation to advice on recruitment, termination, discrimination and competition issues. He has over 25 years of experience and in that time has litigated many landmark cases up to Supreme Court level and is a recognised expert on restrictive covenant enforcement, team moves, discrimination, whistleblowing and employee reorganisation and restructuring.
Daniel has made a particular name for himself in financial services, including investment banking, private equity and hedge funds, and recruitment, media and sport.
Danny is a Partner and Head of the Insolvency Group. He is a litigator specialising in insolvency and fraud and is experienced in managing complex litigation, investigations, fraud and asset recovery cases.He is a specialist in insolvency litigation, acting both for and against administrators and liquidators, banking and finance institutions and also large creditors.Danny has over 20 years' experience as a litigator in complex and high value insolvency and fraud cases. He is currently working on a number of large investigations and cases in London, but also significant cross border cases in Luxembourg, Malta, Cayman, Guernsey, Belize and
Dario is a Consultant in the Tax Disputes & Investigations team. He is a leading practitioner in indirect taxes, particularly in financial services. Dario joins Mishcon from FTI Consulting where he was a Senior Managing Director of their European Tax Services Group. Prior to his role at FTI, Dario was Global Head of Indirect Taxes and Transfer Pricing at Barclays Bank Plc, where he gained experience, not only in the technical tax and regulatory aspects of international financial services, but also as a consumer of professional advisory services. Dario also spent 14 years at Ernst & Young, 10 of those as an indirect tax partner. His clients included a range of leading UK and international businesses, and his work embraced the conduct of many high-profile appeals in the Tribunal and Upper Courts. One of his early accomplishments was successfully arguing for VAT purposes that Jaffa Cakes, are in fact “cakes.”
David is a Partner in Dispute Resolution department. He is an insolvency litigation specialist.David acts regularly for banks, insolvency practitioners, trade creditors, directors, shareholders, the Insolvency Service and foreign lawyers on both domestic and cross border insolvencies. He has extensive insolvency litigation experience, in particular in the context of fraud, cases concerning validity of security, asset recovery, guarantees, director’s duties, office holders duties, transaction avoidance and disqualification proceedings. He has particular expertise in restructuring and insolvency assignments in the insurance and financial services industries and the interaction between FSMA and the Insolvency Act.David is a CEDR accredited mediator and a member of the R3 Education Committee. He is a consultant to Oxford University Press and is on the Consulting Editorial Board for LexisNexis and is recognised by both Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in insolvency law. He lectures regularly on insolvency litigation and related topics and is the co-author of the Administrations chapters in the current edition of Tolley’s Insolvency Law. David has recently been appointed by the Ministry of Justice onto the Insolvency Rules Committee.David sits on Consulting Editorial Board for LexisNexis, the Education Committee of R3 and is a peer reviewer for Oxford University Press on restructuring and insolvency publications.He also sits on the Insolvency Rules Committee, appointed by the Ministry of Justice
Hall of fame
David is a highly experienced litigator and one of only a small number of IP lawyers in the UK who have taken both patent and trade mark cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union. He has acted in a number of high profile and often ground-breaking cases before both the UK and European Courts including successfully representing Sky in the first passing off case to reach the UK's highest court (the Supreme Court) in over 25 years (Starbucks v. Sky) and acting for Nintendo in securing the first ever blocking injunction against ISPs in reliance on technological protection measures under the UK's copyright legislation. Additional high profile actions include: HTC v Gemalto; Sky v Microsoft; Napp v Sandoz; ratiopharm v Alza; Sky v Skype; Marks & Spencer and others v One in a Million; Lupin v. Gilead; Ann Taylor v. Holzer; Sony Computer Entertainment v Pacific Game Technology; Racing UK v Satellite Information Services; Arrow Generics v Merck; Cairnstores v Astra Zeneca; and Servier v Lupin. In the patent sphere, David advises on infringement, validity and ownership disputes, the scope of protection of Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) and disputes over standard essential patents (SEPs) including their licensing on FRAND terms (principally for implementers). He also has considerable experience advising on "clearing the way" strategies in relation to pharmaceutical patents. Recent representations include acting for Lupin in its successful application to revoke Gilead's SPC for the HIV treatment Truvada® following hearings before the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the EU and the Court of Appeal in London. In the area of brand and design protection, David has extensive experience advising on brand and design portfolio management with particular expertise acting in administrative proceedings before the UKIPO and the EUIPO and their respective appellate tribunals, including appearing successfully in numerous cases before the General Court of the EU. David is one of only eight UK IP lawyers listed in the Legal 500 "Hall of Fame", is ranked as a leading individual in Chambers (IP, life sciences and patent litigation), IAM Patent 1000 (patents and life sciences), Who's Who Legal (patents, life sciences and trade marks) and is recognised as one of World Trademark Review's "Global Leaders". Recent commentary from the directories includes: "tough as nails... a 'natural litigator' who is 'experienced and aggressive" (World Trademark Review); "a real client's lawyer, always very tenacious in looking after their interests…He is good to work with and gets the best out of his team." and "has impeccable judgement on strategic matters" (Chambers); "outstanding experience in this arena makes him a force of nature in the courtroom" (IAM Patent 100). David was recognised as the UK Practitioner of the Year at the 2020 Annual Managing IP EMEA Awards.
David is a Partner in the firm's Employment Department, practising across all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law. His experience ranges from complex litigation in the specialist employment tribunals and superior courts, to corporate transactions, business restructuring, regulatory investigations, complex HR advisory services and international employment law (supporting both multi-jurisdictional commercial transactions and stand-alone cross-border HR projects). David works across a variety of sectors, with particular expertise in Financial Services, Media and Life Sciences. In particular, David's practice across the Financial Services sector focusses on the intersection of employment law and conduct risk from a regulatory perspective. This relates to the high stakes employment aspects of regulatory enforcement issues and investigations from both employee conduct and remuneration perspectives, supported by David's expertise in sectoral remuneration regulation across the Banking and wider Financial Services sector.
Dean is a Partner in the Corporate department. His practice focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, sports-related mergers and acquisitions, and property-related corporate work - with the latter including deals in excess of £1.5 billion. Client companies come from a wide range of industries, most notably real estate agencies and financial services entities, and include names such as CB Richard Ellis and Dover Corporation.Dean is a member of the firm's Sports law group and has recently been involved in a number of football-related transactions, including the acquisition of Bolton Wanderers, the acquisition of Leeds United on behalf of the Cellino family and the sale of Leyton Orient FC on behalf of Matchroom Sports.Before joining Mishcon de Reya, Dean spent over 15 years at US law firms in London. In view of his US connections and clients, he has been appointed Co-Regional Head of Mishcon de Reya's International Development Group for the US, responsible for developing and strengthening the firm's relationships with US law firms.
Derval is a Partner in the Finance and Banking Group in the Dispute Resolution department. He specialises in complex finance and banking disputes and has experience of major commercial and banking cases in English and foreign courts and arbitration forums. He has been involved in disputes involving rights in respect of loan notes, interest rate hedging products, SIV-lite structures, syndicated loans, sovereign debt and interbank money market debt. Derval has considerable expertise in property acquisition finance disputes and has specialist knowledge of NAMA-related matters. He also has a particular focus on CIS/Russian disputes. Legal 500 has commended Derval on giving "exceptional service" to clients. Derval is a Solicitor Advocate.
Ed is a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate department, with specialist expertise in high value investment sales and acquisitions across all sectors and commercial and residential-led development projects, including student and PRS/build-to-rent schemes. He regularly advises on real estate finance transactions with a particular emphasis on development finance. In addition, Ed is highly experienced in landlord and tenant matters, particularly on significant pre-let agreements.
Ed acts for a broad spectrum of clients ranging from quoted corporates and UK and overseas property companies to developers, banks and private investors. His clients include Derwent London Plc, Endurance Land LLP, Nan Fung Group, O&H Properties, PGIM Real Estate, GWM Capital, Watkin Jones Plc (one of the UK’s leading developers and managers in the build to rent and student sectors), specialist student developer Fusion Students and the build-to-rent investor and operator Fizzy Living.
His recent highlights include advising Derwent London on the pre-letting of the Brunel Building (one of the last major sites to be developed in Paddington Basin) to Sony Pictures Entertainment, Premier League, Hellman & Friedman and a number of other tenants. Ed also acted for Watkin Jones PLC on the proposed build-to-rent development of significant scale at the Titanic Quarter, Belfast, and advised Hong Kong based investor Nan Fung Group and developer Endurance Land on two pre-lets totalling 114,000 sq ft within The Bailey in the City of London. He recently advised student accommodation provider Fusion Students on its £1.5 billion joint venture with US investor Cain International, on the circa £315 million sale of their 'Kinetic portfolio', and on the new £210 million student accommodation site at Brent Cross Town, forming part of Related Argent's regeneration scheme in North West London.
Elliot is a Partner in the Real Estate department.
He has extensive experience advising developers, entrepreneurial landowners, investors, commercial landlords, corporate occupiers, and technology and life science companies on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions with particular areas of expertise including:
renewable energy projects;
strategic land development;
commercial landlord and tenant;
the acquisition of land for commercial and residential development;
real estate aspects of international expansion into the UK.
Emilia is a Managing Associate in the Private Wealth Disputes Team with extensive experience of a wide range of private wealth disputes including trust and estate disputes.
Emilia has particular expertise advising and representing corporate and individual trustees, beneficiaries and those with an interest in an estate. Emilia's work ranges from high value, complex, and hostile litigation through to acting for trustees in applications to court. She has recently litigated in England, Jersey, Guernsey, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Monaco, Bermuda, Cayman, Panama, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.
Emilia is an affiliate member of STEP. She is a committee member of ConTrA, the Contentious Trusts Association and an Associate Member of ACTAPS (The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists).
Emily is a Partner in Mishcon Private. Her practice centres on complex commercial cases and she acts for a wide range of clients including individuals, families, companies and not for profit organisations. She has experience across a range of commercial disputes and in a variety of forums, often acting for international clients in complex and multi-faceted disputes. In particular she has experience in breaches of contract, confidence and fiduciary duty, fraud claims and shareholder disputes.
As a key part of her offering, Emily acts as a trusted advisor to her clients - assisting with any dispute that might arise including issues between partners (business and romantic), disputes over gifts/loans, problems involving privacy and data protection or issues with friends and family.
Notably, Emily acted for Gina Miller in both of her successful landmark constitutional judicial review cases against the government – the first in 2016 in relation to parliamentary approval of the triggering of Article 50 and the second in 2019 in relation to the legality of the Prime Minister's prorogation of parliament.
Emily is a trustee of the Book Bus Foundation, a charity that is working to improve child literacy rates in Africa, Asia and South America by providing children with books and the inspiration and skills to read them.
Emma is a Partner in the Real Estate department, specialising in property disputes. She has dealt with wide range of property matters concerning all types of property interests and acting for significant property owning companies, large corporate occupiers, retailers and high net worth individuals. Much of Emma's work involves advising on complex legal issues where litigation is often involved or contemplated. She is particularly experienced in dilapidations claims and contract/joint venture disputes having acted on a number that have involved proceedings and trials. She has also worked on contentious business lease renewals (both unopposed and opposed), property management issues (such as recovery of arrears, service charge disputes, consents and rent reviews), quiet enjoyment, contract disputes, trespass claims, covenant disputes, easements (including rights to light and rights of way) and adverse possession.
Emma is a Partner in Mishcon Private and Head of the Reputation Protection and Crisis Management group. She advises individuals, companies and charities on defamation, breach of confidence, invasion of privacy, harassment and data protection concerns. She is particularly adept in digital technology and online publications, often advising in times of crisis and in the context of wider disputes. Emma provides claimants and defendants with pre- and post-publication advice, including obtaining, defending and discharging injunctions. Her clients span a wide range of geographies and industries, including media and entertainment, technology, financial services, politics, publishing, art, property, sport, fashion, education and the charity sector. She regularly trains journalists and PR and other professional advisors on publication concerns. Emma takes a holistic approach to Reputation Protection, encouraging clients to prepare in advance for potential challenges, and effectively mitigating any damage caused by negative publicity.
She has experience of commercial litigation in a range of forums, often acting for international clients in complex disputes. Emma also has experience working with charities, providing strategic focus to their campaigns and their dealings with government.
Recognised as outstanding in her field by Spears Wealth Management's Index for Reputation Protection lawyers and shortlisted as Spears Reputation lawyer of the year, Emma is described as a trusted advisor in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. She was included in Management Today's 35 Women Under 35; listed in the 100 LGBT+ Executives as part of the OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Models 2018, ranked in the Telegraph's LGBT Top 50 Executives in 2015 & 2016, and celebrated in the Pride Power List 2016, 2017 and 2018. Emma founded Mishcon's Pride Network, and set up the firm's sponsorship of Pink Law, a pro bono legal advice service for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. Emma was a founding trustee of Action Breaks Silence, a charity that exists to empower women and girls and to educate boys, and is working internationally to tackle gender-based violence.
Hall of fame
Filippo is a Partner in Mishcon Private and a Visiting Professor at King's College, London, where he teaches International and Comparative Trust Law. A dual qualified English solicitor and Swiss lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) he advises clients on international tax and estate planning issues. Able to approach both common law and civil law issues from a practical perspective, he routinely advises on the establishment and restructuring of both trusts and foundations as well as on UK and international tax and succession planning issues, including family governance and disputes. Filippo has also advised a number of governments on the introduction of private foundations' laws and successfully lobbied the Swiss government on the recognition of trusts in 2007 (various amendments to ratification bill).
More recently, he appeared as an expert before the Council of Europe and the EU data protection authorities in connection with the introduction of the OECD's Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the EU's Beneficial Ownership Registers.
Filippo is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law.
He has been appointed as a Judge at the San Marino Court for Trusts and Fiduciary Relations for the period 2020-2025.
A keen lecturer and avid commentator, he is rated as a leading individual in Legal 500, a Top Recommended Tax Lawyer by Spear's Magazine and as one of the UK Top Influential Private Client Lawyers by ePrivateclient. Legal 500 praises his "tremendous reputation" and "broad range of expertise" whilst Chambers & Partners says that he is a "major figure in co-ordinating cross-border European issues. He has got a unique character, is great fun and injects a light-hearted approach to a complex area while being very technically able."
Gareth Minty is a Partner in the White Collar Crime & Investigations Group. He advises clients across the full range of litigation relating to white collar crime, including: private prosecutions, internal investigations, white collar criminal defence, restraint and confiscation of assets advice, and anti-bribery and corruption compliance advice.
Since joining Mishcon de Reya, Gareth has drawn on his experience as a senior lawyer in the Central Fraud Division of the Crown Prosecution Service to successfully conduct the largest private prosecution brought to date involving a complex €100m fraud, which resulted in a sentence of 8 years’ imprisonment. Gareth’s private prosecution experience also extends to: prosecuting on behalf of Sky UK in relation to a fraud against the company’s intellectual property, an internal accounting fraud committed against a UK corporate, proceedings for international blackmail in a corporate context, and advising in respect of prosecuting for company director offences.
Additionally, Gareth has taken the leading role in defending high profile SFO prosecutions for money laundering and corruption, as well as acting for clients who have been investigated by the City of London Police, the FCA, HMRC, the Metropolitan Police, and the US Department of Justice.
Gareth is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and is one of firm's trainers of prospective CFE's. He is also a member of the Private Prosecutors' Association, the Fraud Lawyer's Association and the International Bar Association.
Hall of fame
Gary is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department. He is an international litigator who has specialised in complex commercial disputes involving dishonesty, fraud and corruption issues for over 37 years. For the first 13 years of his career Gary worked in Hong Kong and headed up the Litigation Departments of two of the leading firms there. During this time Gary worked for the leading multi-national financial institutions in Asia, assisting them in asset recovery exercises and enforcing foreign judgments in Hong Kong and throughout Asia. In 1991 Gary joined Mishcon de Reya and founded the Fraud Group which he led for over 15 years. He has pioneered the use of injunctions in the arena of asset recovery with particular emphasis on freezing assets, forcing disclosure of financial information and seizing evidence via search orders in order to force speedy resolutions of commercial disputes. In the course of his asset tracing activities Gary has developed an in depth knowledge of the workings of the various offshore banking and trust jurisdictions which are habitually used by parties to conceal their assets. As a result Gary is regularly retained by clients who are seeking creative solutions to unwind or break-up complicated trust and asset sheltering structures in order to access secreted assets. Gary also regularly advises organisations on how to protect themselves from bribery and corruption risks and assisting them in dealing discreetly with internal and external issues arising when such risks materialise. Gary works closely with Chief Executives, FD’s, HR Heads as well as Legal and Audit Departments to devise strategies to minimise the criminal, civil and reputational exposure created by internal and external corruption. Gary is co-founder of The International Fraud Group. The IFG (previously known as the Fraud Network) is a handpicked group of specialist fraud lawyers across 20 countries focused on securing injunctions, asset recovery and trust busting remedies in key offshore jurisdictions. Chambers 2014 cites Gary as a "great thinker, brilliant tactician and good negotiator." Gary was appointed as a Director of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) UK Chapter in March 2014. His election to the Board of the UK Chapter of the ACFE reflects his experience and standing in the field of fraud prevention and protection. Gary became a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) in 2014.
Gary is a Corporate Tax Partner in the Corporate department with over 35 years' experience advising clients on tax planning and transaction structuring, whether domestic or cross border. He advises clients in a number of sectors, including corporate finance and M&A, real estate, outsourcing and financial services. He also works with both public sector organisations and their private sector counterparties in joint ventures, reconciling their different perspectives on tax planning and related reputational issues. Apart from his wide-ranging experience of corporate tax structuring, Gary has significant experience of indirect taxes, particularly VAT and SDLT, and successfully managing and resolving tax litigation with HMRC. His previous participation in various tax working parties, including being a member of HMRC's GAAR Interim Advisory Panel, enables him to offer insights on the likely reaction of HMRC to tax advantaged structures. Gary has been recognised as a Leading Individual in his field by both Chambers UK and Chambers Europe, as well as being credited as a Recommended Lawyer by Legal 500. He was also selected for the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom and recognised in Who's Who Legal's Thought Leaders list for Corporate Tax.
Genevieve is a Partner in the Finance & Banking Disputes Group of the Dispute Resolution department.She has a broad practice with a focus on complex commercial litigation, regulatory investigations, professional negligence claims and competition litigation. She has significant experience advising both claimants and defendants.Genevieve is regularly instructed to provide pre-action strategic and tactical advice to clients, often leading to the early resolution of disputes. She has acted for investment banks, private equity funds, and companies in the finance and retail sectors, as well as individuals at confidential interviews in connection with regulatory investigations and at depositions in connection with US litigation.Genevieve recently acted for Tesco and WH Smith in the high profile interchange fee litigation against MasterCard and Visa, assisting Tesco in successfully settling its claims against both card schemes and WH Smith in reaching a settlement with MasterCard.In addition, she has represented clients in numerous mediations and is a Solicitor-Advocate with rights to appear in all Higher Courts (Civil) of England and Wales. She is a regular speaker at conferences including the CDR Autumn Litigation Symposium 2016 and the CDR Spring Competition Litigation Symposium at which she chaired panel discussions.
Greg is a Partner in the Employment department, with over 20 years' experience in employment law. He provides advice to both employers and senior executives across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on Financial Services, LLPs and partnership disputes. His clients range from public companies, banks and major accountancy practices to PLC directors, senior banking executives and partners in law firms.Greg is experienced in all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law, advising employers on workplace disputes, defence of whistleblowing and discrimination claims, major restructures and day to day queries. He works with senior executives on the terms of their engagement and departure in addition to disputes and regulatory issues.Greg has a particular specialism advising on major disciplinary investigations, acting for employers as well as for senior executives accused of misconduct whether by their employer, or the FCA/PRA, or other regulators. He regularly operates at the intersection of employment law and regulation. Within the financial services sector he regularly advises on Remuneration Code issues and the Senior Manager Regime.Greg has also been involved in conducting gender pay audits for corporate clients who will be subject to proposed employment regulations and reporting requirements.
Greg is a Partner in the International Arbitration Practice. He has a particular focus on the effective resolution of disputes in the energy, resources, transport, engineering, infrastructure and construction sectors, as well as international investment arbitration and public international law.
Greg is a member of the ICC Global Commission for Arbitration and ADR (appointed by the ICC UK committee), the world’s premier multi-jurisdictional forum for advancing the practice of international arbitration. He's the co-founder and a former Director of Delos Dispute Resolution, an independent arbitration institution that promotes quality, flexibility, and time and cost efficiency in the resolution of international disputes.
Greg has represented both claimants and respondents in large complex international arbitrations worth billions of dollars, and before major arbitral institutions including the ICC, LCIA, ICSID, CIETAC, LMAA as well as ad hoc arbitration proceedings. He also sits as an arbitrator, both as a party-appointee and appointed by the main arbitration institutes as sole arbitrator (in expedited or standard proceedings).
Greg has acted for: parties in commercial and investment arbitrations in a range of sectors including construction, energy, infrastructure, transport, commodities, mining and natural resources, real estate, telecoms and international trade; State-State disputes pursuant to public international law, including conducting advocacy before eminent international tribunals; and both investors and State claimants in investment treaty arbitrations.
Before joining Mishcon, Greg was a partner in the international arbitration practice of a global law firm. Prior to his legal career, Greg qualified as a construction engineer and worked as a professional project manager on large, complex construction projects in the UK and South Africa.
Finance and Banking
Hannah is a Partner in Mishcon Private, specialising in Immigration. She advises both high net worth individuals and businesses on a range of UK Immigration matters, covering the Points Based System, ancestry visas, European free movement rights, long residence applications, family based applications, and litigation matters in the Immigration Tribunal. Many of Hannah's cases are of an exceptional, complex and multi-jurisdictional nature.
Hannah is also part of the firm's business immigration group advising clients in relation to corporate immigration matters. She has assisted both employees and employers with sponsor licence applications, including the prevention of illegal working through the conduct of audits to ensure compliance with Legal Right to Work Checks and immigration processes within company HR systems.
Many of her clients wish to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and subsequent British citizenship. This often involves complex matters requiring the provision of long term strategic advice.
Hannah regularly assists clients with second citizenship applications and has spent time in different countries regarding economic citizenship programmes.
Hannah represents the Mishcon Immigration Group at the Home Office's Business User Forum, liaising with the Home Office on key developments and issues affecting clients.
Hugo is a Partner and Chair of the Dispute Resolution department. He sits on the Firm's Management Board and maintains an active caseload in our market-leading Civil Fraud group.
Hugo is in his 20th year at the Firm and is a leading commercial litigator specialising in the field of complex fraud, asset-tracing and investigations, theft of confidential information and all forms of corporate dishonesty. His client base includes some of the world's most successful public companies, private equity investors, business owners and HNW individuals.
Hugo has played a pioneering role in building the Firm's cyber security and investigations offering, ensuring that the Firm is enabled to advise in a globalised and accelerating online world. This has resulted in the creation of MDR Group business MDR Cyber. Hugo continues to develop strategies for combatting cyber-crime in a range of sectors, for example assisting insurers with innovative incident response and asset recovery techniques. Hugo also participated in the Firm's joint public-private sector initiatives to help combat fraud and corruption and deliver justice.
Hugo is recognised as a leading practitioner in the legal directories for top-ranked lawyers. He was shortlisted for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers: Innovative Practitioner award in recent years.
Ian has worked in commercial property for more than 30 years. Today his experience benefits a wide range of clients including property investment and development companies and property funds. His niche is development and property finance work that needs tax efficient structuring. It is complex and challenging and often demands imaginative and ground-breaking solutions.
Ian is a Partner in the Real Estate department. His experience and expertise is in the purchase, sale, development and letting of large and complex freehold and leasehold, commercial and mixed-use property. He has developed a particular following amongst the more entrepreneurial and innovative property companies and funds. His clients include AEW, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, Helical plc, Topland Group and UBS Global Asset Management (UK). Ian is an expert in managing complex financial structuring in property deals.
Jackie is a Partner in our Family team and has over 30 years' experience helping individuals and families to resolve the complex financial issues that often accompany relationship breakdown.
Having led the entrepreneurial wealth team at Taylor Vinters, Jackie has a particular interest in acting for owner managers across diverse sectors. Blending commercial acumen with a naturally empathic approach, she is noted as providing "an exceptionally good service to clients. She's very commercially savvy, intelligent and easy to deal with" (Chambers UK 2023).
An experienced litigator, Jackie is described as "extremely committed, very astute, tough when necessary and great at helping clients to make the right decisions" (Legal 500).
Trained in mediation and collaborative practice, Jackie is a firm advocate of the benefit to clients of offering alternatives to Court when it comes to divorce and family disputes.
Jackie has been a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers ("IAFL") since 2012. She consistently achieves top rankings in the legal directories (Legal 500 Hall of Fame, #1 Chambers UK). She appeared in Citywealth's Top 20 Women in Private Wealth Management 2020 and is recommended in Spear's 500 2023.
James is a Partner and Head of Mishcon de Reya's Residential Property team specialising in residential conveyancing. He is experienced in dealing with complex deals involving shared ownership, auction sales, portfolio purchases, tenancy and planning issues. That said, his comprehensive background means that he is an expert in handling straightforward sale transactions and purchase and refinancing transactions. James also has a lot of experience working with lenders on joint venture schemes and completing high value loans on residential properties.
James' clients are predominantly high net worth individuals. For this reason he often deals with other Private client teams across the firm such Tax and Family, as well as Corporate.
James actively engages with the media and has featured on BBC Radio 2 as a result of his expertise. Highly regarded among his peers, Chambers UK notes James as "an integral piece of the jigsaw" in their High Net Worth Guide 2018. He was also recognised by Spear's as Top Six Property Lawyers as part of their Property Advisors Index 2019.
James is the Managing Partner of Mishcon de Reya. He is a litigator who acts mainly for individuals and families in global commercial disputes, and employment and reputation matters. He has been involved in a number of the highest profile cases of the last 20 years, including acting for Deborah Lipstadt in her defence of the claim brought against her by the holocaust denier, David Irving (which case was made into a film, Denial); for Gina Miller in both her recent Supreme Court challenges relating to Article 50 and, in 2019, prorogation; for the Jewish Labour Movement in its referral of the Labour Party to the EHRC; and for several other politicians of all hues over the last 15 years or so. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Law in 2018. James was appointed Managing Partner in 2020, with responsibility for the overall operational management of the law firm. James has sat as a trustee and chaired several charities, particularly in the refugee space and currently chairs Prism, the Gift Fund, a charity that seeks to increase the flow of funds to the philanthropic sector.
James is a Managing Associate in the Family department.
James advises clients in all aspects of financial remedies, including high value financial disputes with complex financial issues and jurisdictional disputes. He has also worked on cases with elements of non-disclosure, insolvency and alleged sham transactions. In addition James deals with pre-nuptial, post-nuptial, cohabitation, separation and civil partnership agreements.
James has acted for a number of high net worth and high-profile individuals including a Middle Eastern politician, a leading Queen’s Counsel and a member of one of the UK’s wealthiest noble families.
James has extensive experience of private law children matters, including applications for leave to remove children from and within the jurisdiction. He has a particular interest in cases involving allegations of parental alienation.
He is a member of Resolution, an organisation which believes in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family law matters and campaigns for improvements to the family justice system.
Hall of fame
James is a Partner in the Real Estate department. He has extensive experience of real estate transactions advising a wide variety of clients on risk and making sure the property aspects of transactions are aligned with their business plans and strategies.
He is highly regarded by clients for his positive commercial approach, responsiveness, creativity and deal-making ability at the cutting edge of the market.
Janet is a Partner in Mishcon Private. Her practice centres on commercial disputes for a wide variety of clients including high profile individuals, HNWI's, successful entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, families and family offices. These claims are invariably complex, high value, usually multi-jurisdictional and often include allegations of fraud. Janet has significant in-depth experience of director/shareholder claims, wide-ranging business and partnership disputes, trusts issues and large-scale contractual matters across a wide range of sectors. She is experienced in the issuing and defending of freezing injunctions and asset protection. Janet is a member of the London Solicitors Litigation Association. She is a mentor for the start-ups taking part in Mishcon's The Leap 100 programme.
Jarret is the firm's General Counsel and Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP), heading up the Compliance team. He has been a Partner at Mishcon de Reya since 1996. A Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and A Data Protection Office (DPO), Jarret is a regulatory expert adept at satisfying compliance and professional standards. He oversees any regulatory developments that may affect the firm, ensuring Mishcon de Reya is meeting its Solicitors Regulation Authority obligations and acting in line with its code of conduct, whilst maintaining a commercial outlook. He works closely with the firm's Best Practice Partner to develop and ensure best practice, delivering firm wide 'non-negotiables' training on a range of regulatory issues. Other partners frequently turn to Jarret for his expertise on anti-money laundering and professional conduct. Jarret's experience is built on years of acting on both sides of the insurer/claimant divide for lenders, property investors and professional indemnity insurers.
Jennifer is a Partner in the Employment department, specialising in complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims, High Court injunctions, workplace investigations and partnership disputes. She is best known for advising a number of journalists at the BBC, including Carrie Gracie, on high-profile allegations of equal pay and sex discrimination against the Corporation. Jennifer frequently advises LLPs and their members in the professional and financial services sectors, and has long-standing experience advising the recruitment sector.
Jennifer is adept at handling large-scale litigation both in the Employment Tribunal and beyond through the appellate Courts, and has substantial experience in High Court litigation, from high-value breach of contract and bonus disputes to injunction proceedings. Understanding the particular challenges of unfair competition disputes, she prosecutes and defends complex and fast-paced cases involving breaches of restrictive covenants, data theft, team moves and the use of social media. Such cases often involve multi-party claims of breach of contract, breach of confidence, inducement to breach and conspiracy. She is experienced in advising on application of remedies for injunctive relief, including mandatory injunctions such as delivery up and forensic IT searches, prohibitory injunctions such as enforcement of restrictive covenants and springboard relief. Jennifer also has experience of arbitrations under LLP and partnership agreements.
As well as providing commercial and strategic advice to HR teams, in-house counsel and boards, Jennifer advises on complex and high-value settlements for senior individuals – employees, directors, LLP members and partners – exiting businesses in a wide variety of sectors.
Jennifer frequently advises on the investigation of workplace misconduct, and acts for senior executives defending such allegations. She also has significant experience in conducting workplace investigations, including independent investigations for employers for whom the firm does not act.
Jennifer has a leading role in the firm's cross-departmental Recruitment Services Group. She formed part of the Employment Lawyers’ Association’s working parties to respond to the government’s 2016 and 2021 consultations on reform of the law of restrictive covenants and is regularly published in the employment press, quoted in various broadsheet newspapers, and has appeared on news programmes including Newsnight, BBC News, Channel 4, Radio 5 Live, CNN and Sky News to discuss equal pay and gender pay reporting.
For her work in the highly topical debate on Gender Pay Equality, Jennifer was named Human Resources: Individual of the year for London in the Legal 500 Awards 2020 and recognised in The Lawyer Hot 100 Awards 2019. She is also ranked as a Leading Individual for Employment: Senior Executives in Chambers 2022 (Band 2), as a Global Leader Labour, Employment & Benefits in Who's Who Legal 2021 and as a Next Generation Partner in Legal 500 202
Jeremy is the Chair of Mishcon de Reya's Intellectual Property Department. He is a very experienced litigator who specialises in protecting and enforcing IP rights across all IP disciplines including patents, confidential information and trade secrets. He represents clients in a broad range of industries but with a particular emphasis when it comes to patent matters on the pharmaceutical, technology and automotive sectors. Jeremy has extensive experience of both obtaining and defending injunctions. This extends to without notice search, freezing and disclosure orders. He also regularly advises on and represents his clients in complex contractual and licence disputes, often with a multi-jurisdictional element. In addition, Jeremy has been involved in numerous ad hoc arbitrations, subject to a variety of governing substantive and procedural laws, including arbitrations governed by the LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL, CIArb and ICSID Rules. Chambers and Partners calls him a "great strategic thinker". He is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG). Having joined the Firm in 1996, he has been a Partner since 2003.
Jessica is a Partner in the firm's Private department, specialising in complex and high value disputes concerning families, their private wealth and the professionals connected to them.
She acts on a broad range of matters relating to trusts, inheritance and mental capacity. She acts for private individuals, family businesses, trustees (both individuals and trust companies) and other fiduciaries, such as executors, deputies, attorneys and protectors.
Jessica's work is often multi-jurisdictional and she has recently been involved in cases in Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, Switzerland and Monaco.
Jessica is a member of the firm's Mental Capacity group.
Hall of fame
Joanna is a Partner in the firm's Property Litigation group, within the Real Estate department. She has over 20 years' experience specialising in property disputes and risk analysis, advisory and avoidance work.She advises owners, occupiers, developers and funders of commercial and residential real estate, dealing with all contentious aspects of real estate including development disputes, landlord and tenant disputes (including rent and service charge recovery, lease renewals, consents, forfeiture and possession claims), title, right of way and right to light disputes, real estate related professional negligence claims, and insolvency and corporate recovery work. In 2020, Joanna was appointed by the Lord Chief Justice as a Deputy Master of the Chancery Division. She will sit on a part-time basis at the Rolls Building, hearing cases in the Business and Property Courts.
Hall of fame
Joanna is a Partner in the Employment Department where she handles all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law. This includes executive terminations, discrimination, wrongful and unfair dismissal, TUPE, large scale reorganisations and contract issues. She regularly advises LLPs on partnership matters and is well versed in the issues that affect their members. Further afield Joanna’s expertise also covers the employment aspects of mergers, acquisitions and flotations. Joanna’s clients are both employers and employees and are drawn from all aspects of business, including investment banks, private equity, financial institutions, fashion and luxury goods houses, telecoms, record and television companies, plc directors and bankers. Her career, spanning more than 20 years, includes significant experience in the Employment Tribunal and High Court, and has seen her make new law in a landmark case in the Supreme Court.
Joel has been a Partner at Mishcon de Reya since joining in 2006 from another leading law firm. He advises and acts for entrepreneurs and company owners from a wide variety of business sectors, with a large part of his practice having an international aspect. Joel can turn his hand to many legal disciplines. This is highlighted by his practice, which includes non-contentious and contentious corporate and commercial matters such as mergers and acquisitions, domestic and cross-border joint ventures, private equity transactional work, corporate finance real estate transactions, global tax planning, corporate and commercial related litigation and international arbitration. Joel has considerable experience in the co-ordination of multi-disciplinary teams within the firm and involving external firms in multiple jurisdictions. He has a wide network of professional and business relationships, in particular in Europe, Russia, CIS countries, USA and Israel. Joel is notable for his lateral thinking, and the commercial and pragmatic solutions he offers clients as a result. He is a tough negotiator who always fights relentlessly for his clients. He holds an LLB from Bar Ilan University, Israel and a Master's Degree in Law from London University. Joel is on the advisory board of two high-tech investment funds.
Johanna Walsh is a Partner in the White Collar Crime & Investigations Group. She has experience in domestic and international serious fraud, corruption and money laundering cases, acting for senior individuals in prosecutions brought by the SFO, FCA and CPS, as well as investigations by the NCA. Johanna has also acted for a range of corporates, from SMEs to FTSE 100 companies in relation to allegations of fraud and corruption, conducting internal investigations and representing them in external investigations and prosecutions. Johanna is named in Legal 500 in 2018 and 2019 for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime. She is named as a leading individual in Business Crime Defence in the 2019 edition of Who's Who Legal, as well as an Investigations Future Leader in Who's Who Legal's 2019 and 2018 editions, which notes that "her expertise in multi-jurisdictional investigations involving state authorities makes her a go-to practitioner." She was also recognised in the 2017 edition of 40 Under 40 by the Global Investigations Review, recognising accomplished young investigations lawyers who will help shape the future of this fast-evolving area of law. Johanna is a member of the Fraud Lawyers Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association.
John is a Partner in the Real Estate department who has considerable expertise in advising on a wide variety of transactions in the commercial, residential and mixed-use property sectors. His practice includes the acquisition and disposal of high-value investment properties, advising on commercial, student and residential led developments, as well as the property aspects of investment and development finance. John acts for a range of clients including institutional investors, publicly quoted and private property companies, private investors, financial institutions as well as occupiers. An important part of John's practice includes advising on inward investment from Asia - particularly from mainland China and Hong Kong. He is used to working with a wide range of investors who are based in this region, from private individuals to one of the largest real estate companies in China and to providing clear, tailored and commercial advice to those investors, some of whom may be investing in the UK for the first time.
John is a Corporate Tax Partner. His practice includes a wide range of corporate, private equity and individual tax with an emphasis on UK and international M&A, management buy-outs, corporate restructurings and reorganisations and the establishment and operation of group finance and treasury companies. John advises on investment fund formation and carried interest arrangements, asset management and new start-up business structures.John advises on management incentive arrangements including equity participations, growth shares, ratchets and share options including implications of and arrangements in response to the remuneration and other aspects of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive.
Johnny is a Legal Director, Knowledge Lawyer in the Real Estate department with many years' experience in investment, development and lettings. He specialises in portfolio acquisitions and disposals, development work, as well as landlord and tenant work across retail, office, sports stadium and business park sectors.
Before joining Mishcon de Reya, Johnny spent 25 years at City law firms, first as a fee earner and more recently as a specialist in professional development and education.
As one of our professional support lawyers, Johnny is responsible for training and knowhow in Mishcon's Commercial Real Estate group. He trains our lawyers in new law and practice, develops our template documents and facilitates knowledge-sharing across the team and the firm. He also helps our teams harness technology to increase efficiencies and service our clients in a more cost-effective way.
Jonathan is a Partner in the Real Estate department and has experience in all areas of corporate tax, with an emphasis on property investment, development, finance and funds work. Jonathan has over 20 year's experience advising a variety of institutional investors, funds, property companies and UHNW individuals in the real estate sector. This includes advising on the tax aspects of acquisitions and disposals of real estate and indirect real estate assets (in both the commercial and residential sectors); advising on the optimal holding structures for real estate assets and portfolios; property development work and real estate finance. Jonathan has particular expertise in advising on and structuring build to rent and student developments, including forward funding structures (acting for both the funder and developer).
Jonathan is a Partner in the Corporate department with over 25 years experience working on domestic and cross border transactions in both established and emerging markets. Jonathan has a long-standing client base in public and private M&A, corporate finance, joint ventures, private equity and restructuring. He is a trusted and strategic advisor, whether clients are seeking guidance on legal, commercial or personal matters. His experience spans a diverse range of sectors including insurance, fintech, financial services, broking and trading, marketing, manufacturing, recruitment, mining and travel. Jonathan is recognised as a skilled negotiator with an innovative and energetic approach and an in-depth knowledge of his clients' business requirements. His experience enables him to simplify the complexities in corporate work to complete deals successfully and manage potentially contentious situations. Jonathan is an Officer of Friends of Seva Mandir UK aiming to empower the poorest people in Rajasthan, so that they can work to change their own lives. As an Officer, Jonathan helps the charity grow its profile in the UK and assists with fundraising.
Julie is a Legal Director in our Real Estate group. She deals with all aspects of residential property transactions, with an emphasis on complex high value transactions including enfranchisement, lease extensions, development structuring and landlord and tenant work. Julie advises high net worth individuals as well as developers and investment funds both on and offshore and much of her work has an international aspect. Julie is a mentor for the start ups taking part in MDR LAB.
Justine is a Partner in the Real Estate department. She is part of the firm's Construction Group, working on non-contentious matters. She has experience across a variety of sectors within the industry and typically acts for developers, property owners and funders with a particular focus on large-scale developments and commercial real estate. Justine's clients include Brookfield, Brookfield's Student Roost, Capital and Counties Properties plc, Almacantar, AEW, PGIM, Seaforth, WPP and Ocubis. Justine's role is focused on the preparation and negotiation of construction related documentation and she also works closely with the Real Estate, Corporate and Finance departments on the construction aspects of complex development work and high-value investment sales, acquisitions and property financings.
Hall of fame
Kamal Rahman is a leading Private Wealth lawyer looking after some of the wealthiest families globally.
She is the Principal of Mishcon de Reya in association with Karas LLP in Hong Kong and a Partner in Mishcon de Reya LLP in London. She is a member of Mishcon Private and the Immigration group.
Having practised at Mishcon de Reya for over 26 years, she is a trusted advisor to many high net worth clients who seek to internationalise their family and wealth.
Kamal’s practice covers a comprehensive range of services (including UK investor visas, complex nationality applications, and economic citizenships) and her role regularly requires coordinated advice in many aspects of a client's life.
Her work is relationship driven, rather than transactional, and clients value her ability to provide holistic and coordinated services, delivered in a sensitive manner. This often includes assisting clients with opportunities and challenges, utilising the wider Mishcon team's expertise in tax planning, asset protection, marriage and family, reputation management and family wealth.
In addition Kamal has considerable cross-cultural experience, having advised clients from regions including China, Russia, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Her multinational team reflects this diversity providing linguistic and cultural familiarity with the client base it serves. The ability to address complex issues in a nuanced and culturally appropriate manner continues to underpin the growth of her high net worth practice.
Praised by peers and clients for her wealth of immigration expertise, she has been described as "a winning combination of charm, intelligence, both IQ and EQ, and shared family values". She is recognised as being "exceptionally good in terms of her client-centred approach and focus" and for her creativity "in making sure she explores all avenues" to find the best solutions for her clients.
Kamal is also one of the founders of Gemini Untwined, a charity which helps conjoined twins access lifechanging surgery to give them the best possible chance at healthy and independent lives.
Karel is a partner and head of the International Arbitration practice. He started his career as a civil law litigator in Belgium, before moving to Tanzania where he devoted most of his time to representing African states and state-owned companies in a number of investor-state disputes under the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules in the water and the energy sector. He has worked internationally, advising multinationals on investing in Africa's mining, infrastructure, telecom and energy sector.Karel continues to focus on African investor-state disputes, although now acts more on the investor side, as exemplified by his work for BSGR in an ICSID arbitration against Guinea (a mining dispute involving allegations of corruption and one of the biggest claims in recent years). His other work in Africa includes chairing a KIAC Tribunal hearing, a dispute between an East-African contractor and East-African state agency over a geothermal energy project and, as member of a UNCITRAL Tribunal, hearing a dispute between an African investor and South Sudan over a failed power project.Karel also uses his African "frontier" expertise in other regions. He acts for RSM in an ICSID arbitration against St Lucia (a dispute over offshore oil concessions), for a Syrian subcontractor in an ICC arbitration against a Chinese contractor (in a dispute over the construction of a 2,400 MW power plant in Saudi Arabia) and for an Indian party in an LCIA Indian arbitration against a Qatari investment fund (in a dispute over investments in the agribusiness).Apart from Karel's investor-state work, he does commercial arbitration work under the Rules of the LCIA, ICC, CEPINA, UNCITRAL and in ad hoc arbitrations. These disputes arise under a variety of commercial contracts (joint venture agreements, share purchase agreements, sales agreements, service agreements and lease agreements) in a variety of sectors, including retail, financial services, construction, real estate.Karel has recently been ranked in Chambers Global 2017 as a leading individual in the Africa-wide disputes category, and is "highly regarded for his experience in international arbitration matters". According to Legal Business, "Daele has quickly established himself as a leading investor-state arbitration practitioner". He is also an IFLR1000 Leading Lawyer in Energy and Infrastructure, a member of various arbitration institutions and has been recognised in Who’s Who Legal’s Future Leaders – Arbitration 2017.
Hall of fame
Karen founded Art Law at Mishcon de Reya in 1995. Clients she represents, across the globe, include artists and their estates, collectors, dealers, art foundations and charities, auction houses, galleries, museums and governments. Karen advises on a wide range of art related matters such as sale and purchase of art, artists' rights, their legacy, creation and management of artists estates, disputes over attribution, authenticity and ownership, cultural heritage matters, restitution of looted cultural property and anti-money laundering regulations.
The legal directories describe Karen as 'pre-eminent in the field of art and cultural property'. She often features on 'Front Row', BBC Radio 4's flagship culture programme. Karen is quoted widely on art related legal issues and contributes to leading art publications including the Art Newspaper and Apollo. She is honorary legal counsel for the State Hermitage Foundation Museum, Israel. Karen is also a Trustee of Camden Arts Centre.
Kas led the firm's Dispute Resolution department for twenty years, during which time Mishcon de Reya was recognised as Law Firm and Litigation Team of the Year by The Lawyer. In 2023 he stepped back from his departmental role to devote more focus to the Firm’s international strategic development and the demands of his clients and caseload.
Kas regularly represents clients with complex and unconventional problems and has deep experience of both crisis management and overseeing large multi-jurisdictional disputes. He often leads large teams conducting legal, investigative and forensic work and operating across various jurisdictions. He has been involved in and overseen litigation and investigations in more than 60 jurisdictions.
His experience helps him in creating and implementing inventive solutions for his clients. Many of his cases involve urgent injunctions including search orders, freezing orders and various types of third-party disclosures. Kas has been frequently recognised in the directories for his experience in fraud-related investigations and his instincts as a strategist in difficult cases.
Kas' clients include global institutions, brand owners and high-net-worth individuals who are often victims of dishonesty. A significant proportion of the work concerns very high value litigation conducted, or partly conducted, outside the UK; mostly in offshore financial centres, the Middle East, India, Eastern Europe and the USA.
Kas is a co-founder of The International Fraud Group (IFG). The IFG is a handpicked group of specialist fraud lawyers located across more than 60 jurisdictions which focuses on securing injunctions, asset recovery and trust-busting remedies in key offshore territories. He is also part of the MDR Solutions I team, the Firm's litigation finance venture which offers greater access to funding for claimants.
Kas contributed to "Information, Risk and Securities", the standard book on computer crime at work. He brought the first known set of proceedings against spammers in the UK.
Kas has been listed as a Fraud Law Expert in the Super Lawyers directory, and in the words of Chambers, is a recommended leader in the field of civil fraud "a gifted negotiator who is firm but fair" and is admired for his "encyclopaedic knowledge of the area."
Kassim is a Partner in Mishcon Private. He advises UK and international clients on all aspects of personal as well as business taxation. Kassim is a specialist in both personal and corporate tax. As a result, he is regularly sought out by clients for advice on all of their assets including those owned directly, through trusts or other similar structures. Kassim has extensive experience with structuring the tax efficient acquisition, ownership and disposal of shares, securities and real estate, the interpretation of double taxation treaties, all taxation aspects relating to M&A transactions, and the application of transfer pricing rules. His client base is predominantly high and ultra-high net worth individuals with assets in multiple jurisdictions but he also advises a number of international, UK, European and Asian based businesses as well as US based multinationals. A member of the firm's multi-disciplinary Luxury Assets Group, Kassim also advises individuals and businesses on the buying, selling, structuring and protection of luxury assets across the globe. He is a member of the International Fiscal Association, the International Bar Association, and the International Employee Benefits Association. Kassim is recognised by The Legal 500 where clients describe him as "knowledgeable and commercial".
Kate is Head Professional Support Lawyer leading a team of lawyers focussed on non-contentious work, spanning the Corporate, Innovation, Real Estate and Private Departments. She is a legal director, lawyer and skilled knowledge manager with over 25 years’ experience of advising on Corporate law and practice. The team drives delivery of client focussed, modern and tech enabled knowledge solutions to the Firm's lawyers and clients. The role encompasses legal education (through our Academy); legal services innovation; resource creation and management; thought leadership; and project and people management.An expert in Corporate Governance, Kate also leads Corporate Governance initiatives for Mishcon, working alongside the Firm’s Purpose and Regulatory practices to help clients meet the triple challenges of increasing regulation, risk and the need to demonstrate best practice in sustainability. She is a keen advocate for Purposeful business and the B Corporation movement in the UK.Kate is also a published author on Corporate Governance (the Jordan Publishing Company Administration and Governance set, available through Lexis Library); and a member of the Corporate Governance committee for the Quoted Companies Alliance, which represents small and mid-cap quoted companies.Kate has also been a judge for MDR LAB, Mishcon de Reya's programme for tech start-ups in the legal space.
Kate is a Partner in the Family team. She specialises in all aspects of family law with a particular emphasis on financial issues following divorce. Kate also advises on cohabitation disputes and private law children matters, including applications for leave to remove children from the jurisdiction. She is experienced in advising on pre and post-marital agreements and cohabitation agreements.
A trained collaborative lawyer, she is also a member of Resolution and sits on the Resolution Skills and Support Committee.
Kate frequently contributes to legal journals, including Family Law Journal.
She was awarded Gold at the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2019 as 'Family Lawyer of the Year – Partner'.
Kathryn is a Partner in the Real Estate department, specialising in commercial property. She has a wide range of experience including acquisitions and disposals of investment property, financing and redevelopment work. She also has extensive experience of asset management matters for both landlords and tenants of office, industrial and retail premises.
Kathryn acts for a number of large institutional investors including Brookfield, AEW UK, Topland, UBS and a major US Investment Bank. Examples of recent transactions include leading on all property aspects of a student housing portfolio acquisition for a major US real estate fund valued circa. £410m and managing a portfolio of 38 multi-let properties for a major US Investment Bank (including acquisitions, asset management and disposals).
Katy is a Partner in Mishcon Private and Head of the Politics and Law Group. Katy specialises in political disputes, public law, and commercial litigation predominantly for individuals and their businesses and families. Katy's breadth of experience ensures that she is well-placed to devise creative solutions to meet the needs of private clients in their wider personal, political and business lives.
Katy is regularly called upon to advise on public law issues and has broad experience advising politicians, activists, NGOs and charities in relation to complex, often high profile, contentious matters engaging issues of equality, administrative law, human rights and international justice. Katy also has great experience advising clients on complex, high-stakes international litigation, deploying creative legal strategies to achieve her clients' specific objectives.
Katy has been at the forefront of high-profile legal cases. In particular, Katy acted for Gina Miller in her successful judicial review claim against the Government, arguing that Article 50 could not be triggered without the express authorisation of Parliament. Katy also made legal precedent by securing the first "fake news" injunction, acted for Margaret Hodge MP in her dispute with the Labour Party in the summer of 2018 and acted for the Jewish Labour Movement in relation to the investigation by the EHRC into Antisemitism within the Labour Party.
Katy has built a reputation for excellent technical work and client service, leading to her being named in The Lawyer's Hot 100 2021, which recognises the most daring, creative and innovative lawyers. The publication noted that "Colton has already dealt crunching body blows to Britain’s political elite" and that as Head of Politics and Law, "the responsibility is now hers to build on the firm’s brand as the legal police officer when it comes to constitutional controversy, and if her past results are anything to go by, UK politicians should be wary of not playing by the rules". Legal 500 notes that "Katy Colton is a rising star" and that she is "exceptional in human rights cases which mix corporate and ethical issues".
In 2018, Katy was named in Management Today's 35 women under 35, the country's longest-running and prestigious list of young, female business talent and Katy was awarded Lawyer of the Year – Associate in the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2017. She was previously seconded to civil liberties organisation, Liberty, and has worked for David Lammy MP, the US Congressman Robert Wexler and for the Obama For America campaign.
Katy has also written widely and recorded podcasts on issues related to the rule of law.
Keven is a Managing Associate in the Real Estate department. He specialises in commercial property work advising clients in London, Cambridge and nationally.
Keven has broad experience in all aspects of lease negotiations on behalf of landlords and tenants; the acquisition and disposal of investment property; site assembly and real estate finance.
Kevin is Mishcon de Reya's Executive Chairperson. He specialises in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures as well as advising families on international tax, succession and strategic dispute resolution. Much of his work has an international dimension with a large part of his practice having a Middle Eastern, South African and Asian bias. He is increasingly instructed to lead the commercial negotiations on behalf of clients in addition to providing more traditional legal input. He has a practical and pragmatic approach and has developed a formidable reputation among his clients for effective negotiation on their behalf. In 2020, Kevin was appointed Executive Chairperson, focusing on the overall strategic development of the law firm and its ancillary businesses.
Kevin heads the Court Service Department which provides civil procedural support and advice to the Litigation Department and Property Litigation Department. His expertise covers all aspects of civil procedure and includes all stages of civil proceedings in all Courts from County through to Court of Appeal.His all encompassing knowledge of Rules and Practice Directions supports each of the Firm's practice areas.
Kevin is a Partner and Chair of the Corporate department. With over 20 years' experience in M&A and private equity, he has built a strong reputation in both UK and international transactional work. Kevin's clients include business owners, equity investors, family offices, corporates and management teams. His practice spans a wide range of sectors including technology/software; hospitality & retail; sport & leisure; media & entertainment and financial services. On joining the Firm in 2005 Kevin established the Firm's Private Equity Group and guided it to its current position as a leading, mid-market, management advisory practice. The Legal 500 identifies Kevin as a leading Private Equity lawyer, describing him as "responsive, very capable and solution focused". Clients look to Kevin for strategic counsel and tactical input on a wide range of commercial and legal matters including transaction negotiations and related disputes. Much of his activity is international in its nature, in relation to which he has particular experience in the Asia Pacific and South East Asia regions. He advises overseas clients on UK matters as well as UK parties on their international investment strategy and activity. Kevin is a Notary Public and also currently sits as a director of Union Chapel, a leading live events organisation which funds and supports associated social and charitable programmes.
Kirpal Kaur is a Partner in our Commercial Real Estate department with expertise in high value commercial transactions and residential development projects. Kirpal acts for a variety of institutional and entrepreneurial clients including Pears Group, AEW Europe, Topland Group, the Hesketh Family and a number of private clients and families. Kirpal has longstanding international relationships and a sound understanding of the requirements of overseas property investors. She is known for going beyond the call of duty and proactively helps clients with their business objectives through her tenacious and commercial approach. According to the managing director of one of the UK's largest privately owned property companies, who has worked with Kirpal for more than a decade, she is "incredibly commercial and efficient and has never let us down over the years." Kirpal was recognised by Spear's as one of the Top Recommended Property Lawyers as part of their Property Advisors Index 2020
Larry is a Partner in the Corporate department. He is a corporate transactional lawyer specialising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity, structuring and asset protection, with a wealth of experience handling transactions both in the UK and cross border. His wide-ranging corporate and commercial expertise attracts a variety of clients, from boards to individuals.With over 25 years' experience in this area, Larry's client base spans a diverse range of sectors including, retail, breweries, gas and oil, telecoms, pharmaceuticals and new technology. He is recognised for his strong negotiation skills as well as his intelligent and innovative drafting.Larry is a mentor for the start-ups taking part in MDR LAB.
Laura is a Partner in the Corporate Department. She is experienced in re-organisations and restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, private equity, joint ventures, and shareholders’ agreements and has acted for both public and private companies.Her experience covers a variety of sectors including retail/wholesale, technology, insurance, sport, real estate and manufacturing. Her client base includes a broad range of businesses including entrepreneurs, family businesses and corporations.
Leslie is a partner in the Dispute Resolution focusing on tax litigation and investigations tax. He has over 30 years experience in the conduct of complex disputes and has been responsible for the conduct of high profile litigation at all levels from the Tax Tribunal through to the Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He has previously worked with HM Customs and Excise Solicitors Office, KPMG and Ernst & Young.In recent years he has become heavily involved in direct tax disputes ranging from residence to corporation tax disputes. Leslie's experience includes assisting clients with the increased burden they face in dealing with aggressive tactics employed by the authorities such as dawn raids and investigations.
Lewis is a commercial Partner in the Intellectual Property department and specialises in commercial and IP arrangements. Lewis works with clients from a broad range of sectors to help them to generate income from their IP and to extend their international reach through franchising, distribution, agency and licensing arrangements. He advises on the full range of commercial, IP and media agreements including: manufacturing; services; management; sponsorship; endorsement; terms and conditions; publishing; development; assignments; and other exploitation arrangements. He also advises on the use and exploitation of IP rights. Lewis has strong sector experience in sport; fashion, luxury and retail; media and entertainment; food services and digital, as well as the specialist agreements in these sectors. For example, in sport, Lewis advises on major sponsorships; venue hires; hospitality; catering; ticketing; broadcasting; licensing; tour and friendly match arrangements. In retail, he has advised on high-profile major endorsement arrangements; international franchising; product distribution; retail websites; and app development. In media, Lewis has advised YouTubers; film and TV distributors; publishers; and authors. He has been named as one of the Hot 100 Lawyers by The Lawyer magazine. His insight on legal issues has been sought by, amongst others, Sky News, The Evening Standard, Sport Business, Sky Sports News and The Guardian.
Liz is a Partner and Head of the Sports Group. Her practice is solely focused on sport, and her in-depth knowledge of the industry means that she is always able to provide her clients with the clear and decisive advice they require. She is strategic and creative in her approach, and finds innovative solutions to complex issues. She is a specialist litigator but also a trusted advisor to clubs, athletes, rights holders and governing bodies, understanding how their legal situations fit within their public profile and wider business needs. She has expertise in fraud and corruption issues in sport, a strong regulatory knowledge and good commercial awareness. Liz has represented clients in cases before FIFA, the European Boxing Union, the Basketball Arbitration Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as well as domestic tribunals such as the Football Associations of England, Scotland and Wales, the British Boxing Board of Control, the British Horseracing Authority and UK Anti-Doping. She also has significant experience of litigating cases through both arbitration and the High Court. Much of Liz's work has an international aspect, including cross-border transfer deals and disputes, sports immigration and image rights structures. She has a particular focus on the Far Eastern sport industry and is often consulted by Chinese football clubs, Asian investors looking at European opportunities, and by clubs, players and agents seeking to do business in the Far East. Liz is a director of Women In Football (WIF), a member of the Beyond Sport Advisory Board, a founding member of Women In Sports Law (WISLaw), and a member of the British Association of Sport and Law (BASL). She was the only practicing lawyer to appear in the Independent's inaugural list of "50 Most Influential Women in Sport", in which she was ranked 13th. Since 2014, Liz has run the Mishcon Sports Law Academy – an educational course where aspiring lawyers can learn about a wide range of sports law issues from the lawyers who manage those cases. She is also a mentor for Kick It Out's 'Raise Your Game' scheme.
Louise is a Partner in the Real Estate department, specialising in commercial property.
Since joining Mishcon, Louise has primarily advised on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including property investment sales and acquisitions, development projects, landlord and tenant and corporate real estate. She has a full range of management experience relating to landlord and tenant matters acting for both landlords and tenants. Her practice involves acting for institutional investors and private property companies, and her longstanding clients include Rowan Asset Management, Chelsfield and Delancey, advising the latter in relation to the property and asset management aspects of East Village including various financings for development.
In addition, Louise has expanded her focus to include real estate finance, advising funds, financial institutions, developers and investors on all aspects of real estate finance transactions, including on investment, development and structured financings. She acts on both the lender and borrower side. Her broader remit sees her working closely with lenders and funds such as PGIM Real Estate, Ahlibank, BLME and Catalina Holdings.
Hall of fame
Marc Hanson is a Partner in the Construction Group and Co-Head of Non-Contentious Construction. He is a leading non-contentious lawyer with over 30 years’ experience covering domestic and international projects for a diverse range of clients including property developers, institutions, public authorities, funders and contractors. He specialises in procurement routes for complex construction projects and drafting and negotiating all forms of construction documentation.
Margarita is a Consultant in the Firm's Employment Department. She advises employers and employees on both contentious and non-contentious matters, including discrimination, executive terminations, unfair dismissal, restrictive covenants, bonus disputes, redundancies, and disciplinary, capability and grievance issues. Margarita has particular experience handling complex multi-jurisdictional projects, large scale redundancies and reorganisations, employee consultation, TUPE and outsourcing, employment aspects of corporate transactions and employment aspects of data protection. Her clients are drawn from a range of industries, including financial services, energy and utilities, technology and manufacturing.
Maria is a Partner in Mishcon Private advising individual and corporate clients on all areas of Immigration law. Her clients benefit from her vast technical knowledge and experience in dealing with exceptional cases, as well as her ability to provide innovative and bespoke solutions.
Maria has substantive expertise across all UK visa application types from Points Based System applications and settlement route applications, to highly complex and discretionary applications outside of the Immigration Rules. Under the Points Based System, Maria regularly advises on sponsor licences and sponsor compliance for companies wishing to employ workers under the Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility visa categories. She also has considerable experience in relation to Sole Representative visas which now also fall under the UK Expansion Worker visa category. Maria regularly advises on and assists with fiancée/spouse/civil partnership and unmarried partner applications and often assists such clients where complex circumstances arise. Maria's clients also include European nationals seeking advice in relation to their UK immigration status post-Brexit and clients who require assistance with appeals to the Immigration Tribunal and with Judicial Review applications.
Many of her clients wish to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and subsequent British citizenship. This often involves complex matters such as excess absences from the UK requiring the exercise of discretion by the Home Office. Maria assists with the provision of long term strategic advice, as well as establishing links and connections with the UK for such clients.
Maria has recently been awarded Human Rights Solicitor of the Year by the Law Society for her extraordinary efforts to ensure that the protection of human rights law is available to all. In fact, she has many years of experience, especially with regard to political asylum claims mainly on the basis of clients' political affiliations or membership of certain social groups. Maria also regularly assists clients with obtaining second residencies or citizenships.
Maria led the firm's involvement in a Judicial Review on behalf of the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens ("PRCBC"), which went to the Supreme Court, in relation to the profit-making element of the citizenship application fee and it being unaffordable for some children. The finding from the Court of Appeal on the PRCBC case in relation to section 55 and the best interests of the child still stands and demonstrates Maria's conviction to advocate for a fair and accessible immigration system.
The immigration element of Pink Law, a free legal advice service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, was founded by Maria. As a result of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, Maria also co-founded the Black Justice Project in partnership with Queen Mary University, University of London Legal Advice Centre, to help tackle/combat the long-term discrimination against the Black community.
Maria is the immigration representative in the firm's Sports Group. She regularly advises football clubs in the UK regarding obtaining visas for players and has also advised in relation to rugby, golf and darts. Maria has also advised various sports governing bodies in relation to their immigration sponsorship rules. Maria has delivered the Immigration & Sport training for MBL for a number of years.
She is also part of Mishcon Purpose, which provides specialist and purpose-driven advice and she recently launched Climate Migration Project. Its aim is to recognise and raise awareness around the issue of climate-induced mobility and displacement of people, and legislate on the issue of recognising climate migration refugees in the UK by potentially creating a separate immigration category.
Maria often appears in the press and has been quoted in the FT, The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard and City A.M., as well as featuring on Sky Sports News, Channel 4 online and BBC television and radio in relation to topical and high profile immigration matters.
Mark is a Partner in the Employment department and a commercial employment law specialist. His practice embraces all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law for corporates and individuals. Mark regularly advises senior employees across a range of sectors, most notably in the financial services and media sectors. Mark also has extensive experience in the sports industry, having represented a number of Premier League clubs and players. Mark's litigation practice includes High Court cases concerning high value and complex bonus disputes and the enforcement of post-termination covenants. He has also been involved in numerous complex cases in the Employment Tribunal covering unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination and whistleblowing claims.
Partner
Hall of fame
Mark is a Partner in Mishcon Private, specialising in complex inter-family domestic and international trust and succession disputes often involving asset-tracing and recovery in offshore jurisdictions.
He has significant experience in advising private individuals and trustees on cross-border inheritance disputes, Will disputes, Inheritance Act claims, Court of Protection applications, estate administration issues, breach of trust and proprietary estoppel claims.
Mark is a recognised leader in his field. Chambers & Partners describes Mark Keenan as "utterly client-focused, a brilliant lawyer and a brilliant tactician". He receives praise for his technical expertise and client care skills: "I have total faith in him. He is caring and clever, which is a great combination."
Legal 500 rankings highlighted Mark as "an individual star: hugely interventionist in a good way, and an amazing tactician" with "an encyclopaedic knowledge of the relevant cases".
Mark is a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS), the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the International Fraud Group (IFG). The IFG is a global network of specialist fraud lawyers across 14 countries focused on securing injunctions, asset recovery and trust busting remedies in key offshore jurisdictions.
He is a professional Deputy of the Court of Protection.
Mark is also part of the MDR Solutions I team, a litigation finance venture offering greater access to funding for claimants.
Mark is a Partner in the firm's Real Estate Dispute Resolution group, practising in all areas of commercial and residential property law. He has extensive court experience both at trial, on appeal and in relation to applications for injunctive relief.
He has, in recent years, acted at trial for the defendant tenant in the case of London Kendal Street No 3 Ltd v Daejan Investments Ltd which were opposed lease renewal proceedings where the landlord was opposing on redevelopment grounds. This case is thought to have involved the first application of the 'conditional intention' test formulated by the Supreme Court in the case of S Franses Ltd v The Cavendish Hotel (London) Limited. The claimant tenant was granted permission to appeal by the High Court but the matter settled before the appeal was heard.
Mark also acted for the successful claimants in the following actions:
a six day possession trial in the Central London County Court, which dealt with both proprietary estoppel and constructive trust defences, as well the cross-examination of ten witnesses of fact;
Vivienne Westwood Limited v Conduit Street Developments Limited which considered the law of penalties in a landlord and tenant context; and
Minerva (Wandsworth) Limited v Greenland Ram (London) Limited which concerned a high-value overage dispute relating to a key development site in Wandsworth.
London Kendal Street was included in Estates Gazette's top ten cases of 2019 and both Vivienne Westwood and Minerva featured in the 2017 list. Mark has also had previous successes at trial in the fields of both rights of light and estate agency commissions.
In addition to representing clients in live proceedings, Mark also provides strategic advice on a range of property management related matters, including: business lease renewals (both opposed and unopposed and from a landlord and tenant perspective), dilapidations (whether interim or terminal), forfeiture (including relief applications), arrears recovery, applications for consent to assign/underlet and property related insolvency issues (from both from a corporate/individual and creditor/debtor perspective). He has particular expertise in advising serviced office/workspace sector clients on these issues. He also provides strategic advice to developer clients in relation to the effect of real property issues and third party rights upon their future development plans.
Mark is also at home in a residential law context and regularly advises individuals on issues arising from statutory lease extensions and tenant's rights of first refusal, as well as real property and private nuisance disputes between neighbouring landowners.
In March 2021 Mark spoke at the joint Property Litigation Association and Property Bar Association panel event 'Looking back to look forward' and in June 2021 Mark took part in a podcast with Estates Gazette on the issue of diversity in the property industry.
Martin is a Partner in the firm's Wealth Planning and Tax team and heads the firm's Middle East practice. Martin is a Middle East expert advising UHNW and HNW clients on their global affairs, with an emphasis on leading families and family offices from Saudi Arabia, the GCC countries and the wider Middle East. Martin advises on all aspects of private capital and wealth planning, often when a client is considering changing their life pattern or reviewing historical structures. This involves advising on taxation and relocation issues, succession, trusts and family constitution; asset protection; common reporting standards and reputation management. Martin also regularly advises on international investments and Private Equity. Martin's experience of cross-border business transactions combined with his wealth planning and private capital expertise enables Martin to act as a close personal adviser across all aspects of the client's affairs. Martin's understanding of the nuances of doing business in the Gulf Region is reflected in his reputation as a Middle East expert. He has been involved in the setting up and restructuring of many tens of local entities and joint ventures in the Middle East for almost four decades. Martin established and managed law offices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Washington, DC over 30 years ago and continues to spend considerable time in the Middle East. Martin co-founded and was the elected Chairman of a global legal network with over 100 members. Martin has been actively involved in promoting trade with the UK throughout his career and is a founder member of the Saudi British Joint Business Council. He was co-founder of the Saudi-British Society in 1986 and is a Trustee of the Oriental Cultural Foundation and several other charitable Trusts.
Martyn is a Partner in the Intellectual Property group. He is a specialist in contentious and non-contentious intellectual property. His contentious work focuses on patent disputes but also covers trade marks, design rights and copyright disputes, especially in the oil and gas, life sciences, and software sectors. Typical examples of his work include advising Dermal Laboratories in a medical devices patent infringement by Orasure Inc; Milled Carbon Limited in a patent entitlement claim by Technical Fibre Products Limited; and Marussia F1 Racing in a dispute with WR Technologies Limited.His non-contentious practice is mainly in the area of lifesciences, advising regular clients Perrigo (Pharma), Dermal laboratories (Pharma), United Phosphorus (Agrochemical), Clasado, Pharmasol (Pharma) on the full range of licensing, research and development, collaboration and supply agreements as well as regulatory, general IP and commercial advice.Other non-contentious matters include advising Marussia F1 Racing on a technical services agreement with McLaren Racing and Harvey Nichols on the licensing of stores in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Istanbul.
Matt is a Partner in the Real Estate department with extensive experience in all aspects of commercial property investment, development and management work. He acts for institutional investors and high net worth individuals on a wide range of acquisitions and disposals, including portfolio transactions. In addition, he undertakes asset management and development work for a number of landlords and tenants. He also regularly advises lenders and borrowers on real estate financing transactions.
Matt deals with all asset types, including retail, office and mixed-use schemes, and has particular experience in the high-value central London office and retail market. He has acted for a number of the UK's largest property investors including Shaftesbury Capital, Great Portland Estates, Land Securities, LaSalle Investment Management, O&H Properties, Schroders and Threadneedle Investments. Matt also acts for a number of large corporate occupiers providing assistance and advice in relation to their property requirements in the UK and throughout Europe.
Melissa is a barrister and Partner in the Family department and heads up the Anglo-French Family Law team. She is also head of the Firm's French Group. She is a dual French and English national and is a multilingual speaker, speaking French and Italian. Many of her cases have a Francophone angle. Melissa specialises in separation, divorce, trusts and jurisdictional disputes, including complex, multi-jurisdictional cases involving significant assets. These often also include private children matters such as residence and contact, prohibited steps and specific issues. Many of Melissa’s clients have been high profile figures, and she regularly works on cases with lawyers in Paris and on international prenuptial agreements.
Melissa has law degrees from both the Universities of London and Paris and was a pupil at 1 Hare Court. She was called to the Bar in 1998 and became a Partner at Mishcon de Reya in 2008. Melissa speaks at international conferences and is a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL). She leads Mishcon's membership of the French Chamber of Commerce and regularly contributes articles to their website.
Melissa was listed as a Family Law expert in the 2013 London Super Lawyers directory and has been included in the Citywealth Leaders List 2013.
Melissa is a Trustee of the Soke Foundation which funds initiatives aimed at caring for the mental health of the vulnerable, and those unable to seek help due to financial or other circumstances beyond their control.
Michael is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Department. He specialises in pursuing and defending complex commercial disputes with a particular focus on fraud and insolvency litigation, often with an international focus. He is experienced in all aspects of injunctive relief and asset recovery.Michael acts for both corporations and individuals in a wide range of business sectors. He has experience acting both for and against financial institutions and insolvency practitioners. This experience gives him a unique insight into how best to protect his clients.
Mike is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department. He is an expert in Corporate Recovery and Insolvency. Acting for office holders, lenders or companies in difficulty his practice covers business rescue and reconstruction; business and asset disposals and acquisitions; international tracing and recovery of assets; insolvency and recovery litigation; compliance; professional issues; and advice on the conduct of estates.He is a member of R3 (the Association of Business Recovery Professionals), the Insolvency Practitioners Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is a licensed Insolvency practitioner. He is also co-author of Insolvency Procedures Notes (Sweet & Maxwell) and various published articles. Mike regularly lectures professional and trade groups in recovery related topics from credit control to asset stripping to fraud tracing and on the corporate side of recovery in topics such as defensive merger, reconstruction or offensive distressed purchase or takeover.Mike also acts as a trusted advisor for a wide range of corporate and personal clients, having spent 20 years working in the City. He provides project management and commercial advice to these clients as well as brokering introductions and opportunities between clients and contacts, both in the UK and internationally, particularly in North America, the Middle East, South Asia and China
Miles is a private client lawyer who has specialised in contentious and non-contentious issues affecting families for over 25 years. He has litigated cases at all levels of tribunal, including the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Miles works with the firm's strategy, technology and business development teams as well as lawyers, developing new products and services for clients. He is also a member of The Academy faculty with a focus on identifying legal developments in the general law that will significantly impact clients. Miles began his career in private practice. In 2006 he became Deputy Editor of the Solicitors Journal. He joined Mishcon in 2007 and was appointed a Legal Director in 2009.
Nadim is a Partner in the Corporate department and is Head of Mishcon Private Equity. He has significant experience in private equity, with a core focus on advising founders and management teams on buy-outs and growth capital investments. He also has a wealth of experience advising dynamic corporates on mergers and acquisitions, fundraisings and joint ventures. In addition, Nadim has a focus on advising non-institutional investors of private capital. Nadim is active in the hospitality, leisure, consumer, and retail industries, being a member of the Advisory Board of KERB, which incubates and accelerates some of London's most exciting and innovative street food businesses. He also undertakes significant work in the business services sector. One of Nadim's key interests is around purpose-driven businesses. He is a core member of Mishcon Purpose, helping clients to navigate the interconnected considerations of purpose, sustainability, and ESG issues. Within Mishcon, Nadim is one of the Firm's Training Principals and is Co-Chair of the Steering Committee on Race, a key component of the Firm's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Nadine is a Consultant in the Real Estate department.
Naomi is a Legal Director in the Fraud and Dispute Resolution department. She is a commercial litigator with wide ranging experience in multi-jurisdictional fraud, banking and general commercial disputes. Naomi manages complex and high value litigation, internal investigations and international arbitrations. She has had particular experience working with clients from the CIS region and has recently returned to London after practicing in the United Arab Emirates for two years. Naomi has advised clients in both defending and bringing claims, and in relation to freezing orders, delivery up orders, third party disclosure orders and other asset recovery strategies. She has undertaken a variety of contractual disputes, shareholder disputes and professional negligence claims, and has represented clients in the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. Naomi's clients include high-net worth individuals, corporates and financial institutions. She is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association, the Fraud Women's Network, the London Solicitors Litigation Association and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Ned is a legal advisor to a wide range of clients including ultra high net worth individuals, private banks, real estate investors, developers and dealers. His clients include some of the most successful business people from different countries around the world and he assists them with varying legal requirements in the areas of real estate, tax planning, asset protection, immigration, reputation, private client and special situations. Ned provides diligent and tactical advice and recognises the importance of commercial strategy considerations in addition to pure legal advice. He has extensive experience of international clients and their sensitivities in home jurisdictions. Ned is well connected in London and internationally, and often facilitates important business introductions for his clients. Ned is frequently quoted in the media, and is considered a leader in his field. He was recently voted one of the Top 35 under the age of 35 lawyers, by Private Client Practitioner Magazine as well as being voted as a leading expert in real estate by Spears Magazine. In addition, Ned was ranked as one of London's 10 Real Estate Secret Power Brokers by London Loves Business.
Neil is a Managing Associate in Mishcon Private, specialising in business immigration law.
Neil advises both employers and employees on all aspects of business immigration including Tier 2 sponsor licence applications, Tier 2 and Tier 5 visa applications, sole representative visas, TUPE, Share Sales and M&A deals.
He also has strong focus on guiding employers through the raft of sponsorship general compliance issues and Home Office audits.
Neil has particular expertise working within the financial services sector, having represented leading US investment banks. Being very 'deal focused', Neil is closely engaged with clients and colleagues on corporate transactions (acquisitions or divestures) relating to change of ownership, global restructurings, change of employment, taxation issues and their impact upon sponsored employees working in the UK.
Neil has an established understanding of working with clients in the Asian markets, having spent two years working across China, Nepal and India advising on private and corporate UK immigration matters.
As part of a public campaign led by Joanna Lumley, Neil spent several years advocating the rights to reside in the UK for current and former Gurkha members of the British military.
Nick is a Partner in the Real Estate department. He specialises in commercial real estate work, dealing with investment (including corporate real estate) acquisitions and sales for institutional and private clients, development work, management work and acting for both landlords and tenants. Alongside his commercial real estate work, Nick is responsible for researching new technologies, including software which utilises machine learning and AI to extract data from documents.
Nick is a mentor for the start-ups taking part in MDR LAB and is the Firm's Head of PropTech. As part of this role, he has built technology products which help automate and streamline tasks and co-founded a commercial property start-up, Least. In 2019, Nick was named as one of the top 10 most innovative lawyers in Europe by the Financial Times.
Nick also collaborated with HM Land Registry on their Digital Street research and development initiative to complete the UK's first successful digitised end-to-end residential property transaction, and is working with a number of clients to facilitate the automatic exchange of property data.
Nick is a Real Estate Partner with more than 30 years' experience in dealing with all aspects of commercial property. He has expertise in structuring and negotiating real estate acquisitions and sales, as well as advising on development and landlord and tenant matters. A significant proportion of Nick's practice is focused on international inward investment, acting on high-value UK property transactions for overseas investors. He has strong connections across the Far East region, particularly within Hong Kong and Singapore, and a well-developed understanding of the business culture in these areas. In addition, he has advised many well-known UK institutional and entrepreneurial companies such as Berkeley Group, Capital & Counties Properties PLC, Investec, Mansford, Matterhorn Capital, TK Maxx and O&H Properties.
Nick is a Partner and Head of the Real Estate Finance Group. He has extensive experience advising financial institutions, funds, developers and investors on all aspects of real estate finance transactions, including on investment, development and structured financings (with senior mezzanine debt). He acts on both the lender and sponsor side, and also has considerable experience of acting on restructuring and enforcements. Recent matters include advising a well-known developer on its financing of a large mixed-use development at Paddington, representing a consortium of lenders on the refinancing of a portfolio of UK shopping centres, acting for a state-owned bank on the receivership of a large London mixed-use development, and advising a consortium on their equity bridge facilities relating to the securitisation of properties held by a national supermarket.
Nick is a Partner in the Real Estate department, with over 20 years' experience in development projects and the purchase and sale of high-value investment properties.
Nick's clients include Delancey, Chelsfield, Derwent London plc, Trophaeum Asset Management, Essential Living, Londonewcastle, Rowan Asset Management, Seaforth Land, Metropolitan and District Securities, Notting Hill Genesis and Gymbox.
Recent matters include acting for Chelsfield and The Olayan Group in relation to the 3.5 acre Knightsbridge Estate, including advising on the development of the northern section of the Estate including the first pre-letting to Burberry, and advising Trophaeum Asset Management on the acquisitions of both 139 and 144-146 New Bond Street.
Nick also advised Metropolitan District Securities on the acquisition, development and forward sale of the former Leeds City College Technology campus site, for a new student accommodation complex.
Nick is a Partner and Chair of the Mishcon Private department. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), reorganisation and restructurings. He has built a leading reputation as advisor to founders and owners of private companies and has a broad client base ranging from entrepreneurs to international corporations. With over two decades of experience, Nick's work spans a wide range of industries including recruitment services, finance, technology and property services. It is in recruitment services, however, that Nick has forged a particular reputation.
Hall of fame
Nick is a Partner in the Innovation Department and Head of the Firm's top ranked Betting and Gaming Group. With over 20 years' experience advising companies from all parts of the gambling and games industries, Nick's practice addresses commercial and regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, licensing, AML and regulatory compliance, commercial contracts, and corporate/M&A.
Nick is active in rapidly evolving areas such as skill gaming, esports, social gaming and gamification generally, where the regulated sector is converging with digital entertainment. Nick is also the co-lead of the firm's esports and Digital Entertainment group.
Nick's clients include multinational gambling operators; game publishers; software developers; gaming machine and equipment manufacturers; investors and financial institutions; as well as regulators.
Nick is identified as a "gaming and betting expert" by Chambers UK and Chambers Global with clients deeming him a "tremendous lawyer". Legal 500 have recognised him as a Leading Individual in this sector and he is part of the Hall of Fame.
Nicola is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department, specialising in cases involving allegations of fraud, deceit and misappropriation.She has particular experience of obtaining and defending freezing orders, data protection and data privacy issues and dealing with theft of confidential information. She has also been involved in numerous cases involving claims under the Commercial Agents Regulations, on both the claimant and defendant side.In addition to general commercial litigation and regulatory matters, Nicola has a particular focus on financial services, telecoms, media and technology and betting and gaming sectors.
Nicola is an Managing Associate in the Tax Group in Mishcon Private. Her broad practice areas combine advising on both corporate tax and personal tax matters for individuals, families, trusts companies and other legal entities, whether based in the UK or overseas. On the Private Client side, Nicola advises on estate planning, tax residence, domicile, the remittance basis, sales and acquisitions. On the Corporate tax side, she has experience of advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, corporate financings, and the tax efficient holding, acquisition and disposal of business assets and real estate. Owing to her hybrid knowledge of both personal and corporate tax, Nicola regularly advises owner managers, companies and individuals in respect of their corporate holdings. Nicola also advises clients with business interests and personal wealth in the US and the UK as part of the US/UK Tax and Wealth Planning team. Nicola is Co-Editor of Mishcon's quarterly tax publication, Tax Aware. Nicola is ranked as a "key lawyer" in the Legal 500. She is also recognised by the Citywealth Leaders List, and a member of Women in Tax. Nicola is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA qualified).
Niki is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group within the Firm's Innovation Department. Niki is a regulatory specialist with twelve years' experience advising clients in the gambling and gaming sectors.
Niki regularly advises licensees in connection with compliance assessments and regulatory enforcement action by the Gambling Commission including licence reviews. She also advises operators, software developers and platform providers in connection with regulatory and compliance matters including anti-money laundering, responsible gambling, consumer protection and marketing requirements.
Niki specialises in advising clients on the gambling regulatory aspects of sales, acquisitions and investments including regulatory due diligence and the impact of regulatory matters on the transaction documentation. She also advises on a full range of corporate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, reorganisations and joint ventures, and has worked on numerous cross-border transactions. Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including betting and gaming, technology, retail and leisure.
Niki has been recognised by Legal 500 as a 'Next generation partner' and is acknowledged as 'up and coming' in Chambers & Partners.
Nina O'Sullivan is a Legal Director, Professional Support Lawyer in the Intellectual Property Group. She has almost 20 years' experience of intellectual property (IP) litigation and protection and related fields, and has a particular interest in the life sciences, TMT and retail & luxury sectors. As the Group's Professional Support Lawyer, Nina provides the team and its clients with up to the minute information, guidance and training on developments in IP law and practice, and the implications for their business.Having specialised in IP litigation at a City firm, Nina has also gained valuable experience in delivering training as a Senior Lecturer, and is currently an Independent Research Essay Adviser for LLM students at University College, London (UCL).Nina has written extensively on IP issues in all of the main IP and industry press and worked with the Law Commission on its 2013 Report into the groundless threats regime, writing two Background Papers which formed part of the Report.
Oli is a Legal Director in the Dispute Resolution department. He specialises in complex, multi-jurisdictional and high value commercial disputes with a focus on fraud and breach of contract. Oli's clients include high net-worth/high-profile individuals; governmental bodies; engineering and energy companies; and LSE/AIM listed companies. Oli has particular experience in acting for clients involved in share/partnership disputes, fraudulent investment schemes and fraudulent diversions. Cases Oli has worked on include claims relating to unlawful dividend payments, conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty and/or trust, dishonest assistance, knowing receipt and breach of confidence. He is accustomed to applying for and obtaining injunctive relief in order to secure assets for his clients' claims. Oli has achieved landmark decisions in two separate areas of law and recently acted on one of the largest claims brought before the English Commercial Court. Oli is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers' Association.
Patrick is a Partner in Mishcon Private. A market leading international private client lawyer who has worked in Dublin, London and New York, Patrick specialises in cross border tax advice with a particular focus on US-UK and UK-Irish tax, trust and estate planning and UK resident non-domiciled tax planning. His wide range of clients include high profile individuals, family offices and hedge funds spanning the UK and Ireland, the US and Latin America. He has a particular expertise in the use of family partnerships and family investment companies as a tax efficient wealth holding vehicle. Patrick has been consistently ranked by the private wealth industry and professional directories as a leading expert in tax law. He is a Chartered Tax Adviser, an International Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”) and in November 2019 he was admitted as an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Lawyers. He is a STEP member and lectures on International Estate Planning at the STEP/Irish Law Society Diploma Course on Trust and Estate Planning.
Peter is a Legal Director in the Intellectual Property Group, specialising in all intellectual property rights, including copyright, trade marks, design rights and confidential information. He helps organisations to protect, exploit and enforce their intellectual property rights, maximising the value of their brands and other intellectual property, and co-coordinating anti-counterfeiting programs, in both the physical and online worlds. Peter is also a specialist in licensing, complex contractual and tortious disputes.A large number of the clients Peter advises are in the luxury goods, automotive and sporting sectors. In the luxury goods sector, he works with several of the world's leading fashion brands, helping them to build up and protect their trade mark and design portfolios.Peter heads up Mishcon de Reya's Automotive Group, and advises a number of the world's leading car marques on their intellectual property strategies. He also acts for, and against, a number of Formula 1 teams on both commercial and intellectual property issues, including driver, sponsorship, supply and licensing agreements and disputes.As someone with a strong interest in sport, Peter acts for a number or leading sporting organisations, clubs and athletes.Peter has significant experience of Mishcon de Reya's award-winning Turning Losses Into Profits (TULIP®) programme, which has recovered over £100m for its clients from counterfeiting operations.He is also a recognised expert on cross-border Customs detentions and enforcement.Peter gained significant commercial experience during secondments at Cable & Wireless and the Forensic Science Service, and has been published a number of times in the specialist press on IP
Peter is a Partner in Mishcon Private. He has a wealth of experience in a wide spectrum of private client disputes, including trust disputes and shareholder disputes. Peter acts predominantly for trustees, beneficiaries, protectors, third parties with claims against trustees, shareholders, and companies defending claims brought by shareholders. His work is frequently international and, amongst other jurisdictions, he has recently been involved in high value cases in Bermuda, the BVI, Jersey, Guernsey, Liechtenstein, Malta, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Prior to joining Mishcon de Reya, Peter practised at Farrer & Co in London and Mourant Ozannes in Jersey. In addition to being admitted in England, Peter is also qualified in California and Ireland. He is a member of the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Peter co-edited the second edition of the course notes for the STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes. He is a regular speaker at conferences in relation to trusts law matters.
Philip is a Consultant in the Real Estate department and is a former Chairman of Mishcon de Reya. He is an acknowledged industry expert on many aspects of property investment and development. His clients are property developers, investors, funders and corporate occupiers. In 2005, Philip was awarded a CBE for his services to property law and in 2009 he enjoyed the rare honour of being appointed a Queen’s Counsel Honoris Causa for his work developing the practical aspects of property law.
Pippa is a Managing Associate in the Corporate department. She advises clients on a full range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisition and Takeover Code and public companies work. Since joining the firm in 2013, Pippa has worked on a number of cross-border transactions and has advised a variety of clients, including infrastructure funds and investment firms.Pippa is also a member of the firm's Luxury Assets group, having completed several investments and company sales in the luxury sector, and has a focus on the food tech industry and working with investors in IP-focused businesses.
Raji is a Partner in our Real Estate Finance department with over 30 years' experience working on transactions acting for both lenders and borrowers in matters with deal values ranging from £10 million to £500 million. Raji advises financial institutions, corporates and sponsors/funds in relation to arranging and documenting domestic and international bank facilities and structured financings. He has a broad range of finance experience, with particular expertise in advising borrowers and lenders in relation to syndicated real estate investment and development finance and acquisition/leveraged finance transactions.
Ramona is a Consultant in Mishcon Private. Ramona acts for high net worth clients and their businesses in times of crisis. She is a specialist commercial litigator and is regularly called upon to advise on an urgent basis in matters involving breach of privacy or threatened publication of defamatory allegations. Ramona regularly advises members of leading Royal families and multi-jurisdictional corporates, high-profile international individuals and family offices. The advice focusses on dispute resolution, using the most commercially effective means to achieve swift results with minimum fuss. Much of her work is international. Ramona has extensive experience of advising organisations on how to protect themselves from internal and external bribery and corruption risks. She also assists them to devise strategies to minimise reputational exposure when such risks materialise. She is known for deftly handling the most sensitive of matters. Ramona works with clients and their advisors to obtain time efficient and cost effective solutions in the most complex disputes. Legal 500 has highlighted Ramona's "strong and decisive" approach. Chambers and Partners ranks her as a "key individual" for Defamation/Reputation Management. Peers note that "she's very perspicacious, she has a very calm manner, but she can most certainly be tough." Clients are especially keen to highlight "her excellent judgement." and, "her creative and results-focused approach".
Rebecca is a Managing Associate in the Family department. She is a dual qualified solicitor (England and Wales (2008) and Hong Kong (2013)), with extensive experience working in both jurisdictions as a litigator and family lawyer. Rebecca is experienced in a wide range of family law matters, both contentious and advisory. Her clients include high net worth individuals and those in international and/or cross-border relationships. She acts in relation to all aspects of the breakdown of family relationships, including divorce, the financial and childcare consequences of separation, jurisdiction disputes, international relocation and setting aside financial divorce settlements on the basis of fraud. She also advises on pre and post-nuptial agreements.
Rebecca's background as a commercial litigator means she also has in-depth experience in litigation matters, regulatory investigations, arbitration, dispute resolution and the provision of contentious advice, including high profile commercial, corporate, banking and fraud litigation, acting for banks, corporates and high net worth individuals worldwide. In particular, she has acted in relation to complex financial disputes, multi-jurisdictional cases, worldwide injunctive relief, contempt of court proceedings, mediation, trial and settlement.
According to Leading Counsel and Joint Head of Chambers at 1GC Family Law, Charles Geekie QC, Rebecca brings "terrifying efficiency and uniquely imaginative thinking" to her cases.
Rhymal is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department and specialises in civil fraud. He has an in-depth knowledge of representing and defending clients in cases involving Search Orders, Freezing Orders, Delivery Up Orders, Restraining and Computer Imaging Injunctions, Third Party Disclosure Orders and other asset recovery techniques. He has also been involved in cases relating to breaches of fiduciary duties, breach of contract and professional negligence. Rhymal has also dealt with numerous matters relating to the missappropriation of confidential information, data theft and misuse of trade secrets and breaches of restrictive covenants.His commercial litigation work has given him experience of corporate fraud, international arbitration and recovery of stolen assets. Clients include multi-national, FTSE 250 corporates and high net worth individuals.
Richard is a Partner in the Real Estate department and heads the Construction and Professional Negligence group.He acts for a variety of clients ranging from major developers, property investors, banks and occupiers through to contractors, sub-contractors and consultants on all aspects of dispute resolution arising out of construction contracts.These claims invariably involve extensions of time, loss and expense, entitlement to payment, defects and enforceability of bonds. Richard has a wealth of experience in claims and disputes in the Technology and Construction Courts, having acted on some of the leading cases over the past 25 years, as well as in arbitration and adjudication proceedings.Richard has spent many years advising banks, businesses and individuals on claims against surveyors, solicitors, accountants, construction professionals and financial advisers. His expertise covers negligent valuations, advice on commercial and real estate transactions, tax advice, investment advice, and design specification, and administration of construction projects. In addition, Richard advises on commercial disputes for clients in the real estate sector.
Richard is a Partner in Mishcon de Reya's Corporate department where he is an expert in corporate finance and M&A. His work covers a wide range of industries including real estate, finance, life science and biotech, fashion and leisure. Clients range from mid-sized PLCs and other corporates to high profile entrepreneurs.In the corporate real estate sector, Richard led the Mishcon de Reya team advising one of Israel's largest real estate investment holding companies, Alony Hetz Properties and Investments, on the acquisition of real estate investment advisers, Brockton Capital LLP and the establishment of a new real estate investment company, Brockton Everlast Inc. with an initial equity investment of £340m from Alony Hetz. Richard also led the Mishcon team acting for longstanding client Helical plc on the disposal of its retirement villages portfolio to Legal & General for £102m.Richard advised Peanut App on its seed 2 funding, with the round being led by Sweet Capital (the founders of King Digital Entertainment), Female Founders Fund, Greycroft Partners and Sound Ventures. He also advised on a series of transactions for long-standing bioscience client, Quotient Bioresearch Group Limited, including the disposal of Quotient Bioscience Group Limited to Pharmaron Beijing Co Ltd.
Hall of fame
Richard is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department, who advises on commercial disputes, often with international and fraud elements, with a particular specialisation in insurance.Richard advises individual and institutional funds clients on claims arising from investments in rights issues and other corporate investments under FSMA s90 and s 90A, and is involved in some of the leading cases in this developing area, for example advising Scottish Widows and others in their claims in the RBS rights issue litigation. He also led the team defending a Kazakh businessman against claims of $5billion brought by a state owned Bank, including defending various alleged breaches of world-wide freezing and receivership orders. The litigation was amongst the most complex ever seen in the UK and involved over 40 hearings and multiple jurisdictions.Richard also advises international clients on shipping disputes over charter parties and letters of credit. He is also involved in international construction disputes, and has a growing practice litigating shareholder disputes, often, but by no means exclusively, in the hedge fund/ private equity arena. Accordingly, as well as regularly being in the Commercial Court, Richard has current and detailed expertise in the rules and procedures of all the main international trade and arbitration bodies, including LCIA, ICC, and GAFTA, and of the FIDIC (yellow book and red book) rules. On the insurance side, he acts predominantly for corporate policy holders on coverage issues across a wide range of industries, and has expertise in most lines of business. This includes professional indemnity, D&O, employers' liability, corporate crime, cyber/privacy, political risk, trade credit, and all property and construction related risks. In addition, he acts for insurance and reinsurance companies in disputes, insolvency and run off issues in the reinsurance sector.Richard is ranked as a Tier I expert in Chambers 2017 and has been listed as an expert in both Chambers and Legal 500 since 2007. He was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers™ in the United Kingdom 2017 in the field of Insurance Law. He has also been at the forefront of innovation in the litigation funding field, advising on and working with clients on conditional fee arrangements, and maintaining deep links with the main players in the funding and ATE community.
Robert is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department and specialises in the resolution of tax disputes. He has been a practising tax lawyer since 1999.Robert's practice is split between direct and indirect tax disputes relating to both corporate and individual clients. Many of the cases that he works on are resolved without the need for a formal hearing, with successfully resolved cases ranging from personal taxation matters to the largest of transfer pricing enquiries.Robert advises clients across a number of sectors and, in particular, those in real estate, financial services, retail and leisure.
Robert is Head of Mishcon's Fraud Group and specialises in civil fraud, asset tracing and injunctive work. He has acted for both claimants and defendants, obtaining and opposing multiple Search Orders, Asset Freezing Orders and Disclosure Orders in large cross-jurisdictional commercial disputes.
In recent years, Robert has worked on numerous very substantial non-performing loan matters for some of the world’s preeminent financial institutions. He heads the firm's NPL Group. These matters involve claims in the tens of millions, hundreds of millions and billions of pounds and require complex multi-jurisdictional investigations.
Robert is co-head of Mishcon’s Investigations Group. Robert is also part of the MDR Solutions I team, a litigation finance venture offering greater access to funding for claimants.
Robert has also been instructed on several substantial fraud matters involving Cryptocurrency and has been at the forefront in utilising the asset tracing and injunctive toolkit in the crypto context and is a key member of the Mishcon Crypto Fraud Team.
Robert has also been involved in a substantial number of data theft and recovery cases using these civil fraud injunctive procedures. Such cases often involve allegations of breaches of restrictive covenants.
Robert also has a large general commercial litigation practice and significant experience in professional negligence matters, breach of contract disputes and directors and minority shareholder disputes. In addition, Robert has also obtained several anti-harassment injunctions. Robert has written articles concerning various matters including data theft and Search Orders, Asset Freezing Orders and Delivery-Up Orders in property, recruitment and other industry publications.
Robert routinely uses litigation funding on his matters.
Robert is a member of The International Fraud Group.
Ross is a Partner in the Corporate department, specialising in M&A and joint ventures for both public and private companies. The majority of his practice focusses on commercial property, FinTech and hotels. Acquisitions and disposals on which Ross has advised include Brookfield's £330m purchase of seven retail parks, Capco's £250m sale of the Empress State office building at Earls Court, the £575m sale by Delancey/Ares of the Walbrook Building unit trust structure, Synechron's purchase of several FinTech businesses and advising founders in EdTech and cosmetics on their exit to trade and private equity. Hotel deals include Chelsfield's £180m sale of two Club Quarter's hotels, the acquisition of the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh from Hilton, the sale of Bovey Castle Hotel in Dartmoor, and advising Manhattan Loft on its joint venture with André Balazs for the redevelopment of the Chiltern Street Firehouse in Marylebone. Ross has also advised on numerous public company transactions, including IPOs, secondary fundraisings and takeovers.
Rowena is a Partner in the Corporate Department. She is an expert commercial litigator dealing with corporate dispute resolution.Rowena specialises in director and shareholder disputes as well as those involving partnerships and limited liability partnerships.As an experienced litigator, she also works on a wide range of other disputes, including over sale and purchase, breach of warranty and general contractual issues spread over broad industry sectors including PR, general retail and pharmaceuticals. Rowena also spends considerable time on insurance related matters including advising on third party funding arrangements.Recognising her expertise, she was asked by The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) to write a mini-guide on boardroom disputes in 2013 and an update in 2015 (click here to view ICSA Solutions: Boardroom Disputes on the ICSA website).
Rupert is a partner in Mishcon Private and leads the landed estates and farms team.
He is ranked as a leading individual in Legal 500 and is described as having "that increasingly rare quality of cutting to the issues that really matter and guiding the client accordingly" and as being "one of the best transactional lawyers" in the sector. He has also been named by Spear’s Magazine as one of the leading landed estates lawyers in the UK.
Rupert has a strong reputation for acting for international and institutional clients as well as entrepreneurs and family businesses on complex and high value sales and purchases of landed estates, commercial farms and country houses. He also advises on agricultural, commercial, renewables and minerals leases and has a substantial secured lending practice. He also has significant experience of dealing with transactions in the equine sector.
- Member and former committee member of the Country Land and Business Association (former committee member).
- Member of the Agricultural Law Association.
- Ambassador for and supporter of the Jungle Crows Foundation, a charity which provides opportunities for disadvantaged children in Kolkata in India.
Sally is a partner in the firm's Intellectual Property department and head of the Brands group. She advises on brand protection strategies including clearance, monitoring and enforcement as well as trade mark and design filing. She acts for brands at all stages, from creation through to international expansion, both in preparation for investment and following acquisition. Sally advises clients in a wide variety of sectors ranging from betting and gaming to real estate. She is co-head of the firm's Retail group and takes a lead role in the firm's mentoring programmes with the British Fashion Council and Walpole, and sits on the UK Council of the Creative Industries Federation. Prior to qualifying as a lawyer Sally worked in brand management for Benckiser (Reckitt Benckiser), Heinz and Budweiser where her responsibilities included new product development, advertising, promotion, PR, packaging and sponsorship. She is frequently called upon by both the press and broadcast media to comment on brand related developments.
Hall of fame
Sandra is a Partner of the Firm’s Family department. She has over 40 years' experience of family law practice with Mishcon de Reya.
She specialises in complex high net worth and ultra high net worth cases, often with an international element and involving complex tax and trust issues, substantial business assets and partnerships, disputes concerning children - particularly leave to remove and abduction - and pre- and post-nuptial settlements.
Her clients include celebrities, entrepreneurs and financiers. Sandra's career highlights have included representation of the Princess of Wales, Jerry Hall, Thierry Henry and Tamara Mellon as well as involvement in leading cases on third-party financing of financial settlements and jurisdiction.
She is a member of Resolution, the International Bar Association and a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Chambers & Partners call her a "phenomenal" lawyer and "the go-to solicitor for high net worth cases". She is described in the Legal 500 as "a giant in the family law world".
Sandra won the Gold Award in the Woman of the Year: Leadership (Professional Services) category at the Citywealth Awards and is included in the Citywealth Leaders List 2020. She is also listed as a Family Law expert in the London Super Lawyers directory, which has named her one of the Top 100 Lawyers and one of the Top 50 women. Sandra is also recognised in The Legal 500's Hall of Fame.
Sandra is a frequent broadcaster and chairperson, organiser and speaker at conferences on family law issues.
Sarah is a partner in the firm's dispute resolution department, specialising in UK & EU competition law. She is experienced in acting for both claimants and defendants in complex, high-profile cases involving competition law based claims or defences. She advises on both strategic and legal issues associated with litigation, such as choice of forum and reputational issues.Sarah represented Microsoft in its cartel damages claims against Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Sanyo and LG Chem. Sarah also represented Sainsbury's in its successful claim against MasterCard, the highest damages recovered in a European competition damages claim. Sarah has also been advising two former directors of companies involved in separate investigations by the Competition and Markets in the construction and pharmaceuticals sector, for breach of competition warranties and aspects of individual liability. She assists businesses that find themselves under investigation by Competition Regulators, and those concerned about the way their affairs may have been conducted, e.g. attending dawn raids, advising on defence strategies and assessing potential civil liabilities.Sarah regularly undertakes competition law audits and provides training and compliance materials to businesses. She also advises on the competition law aspects of transactions and commercial agreements, including ways to structure agreements and alter commercial behaviour to minimise competition law risks.
Sarah is a Partner in our Employment department and has more than 25 years' experience advising on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law, from large scale strategic reorganisation programmes to discrimination issues and executive disputes. She has considerable advocacy experience and particular expertise in all areas of Employment Tribunal and High Court Litigation. Sarah has successfully litigated a number of landmark cases, including RDF v Clements, a landmark restrictive covenant dispute and Reinhard v Ondra and The Royal Bank of Scotland v Grant Hogben, an unfair dismissal and age discrimination dispute. Her clients are drawn from all areas of business, with a particularly strong following in the finance and media sectors. She works for a range of corporate clients from well-known global brands and internationally listed organisations to mid-size domestic organisations. Sarah also spends a small proportion of her time advising senior executives on a range of issues from high profile disputes to negotiating contracts of employment or severance terms. Sarah speaks regularly on employment law at seminars and conferences.
Sarah is a member of the Finance department. She is an experienced finance lawyer whose practice focuses on domestic and cross-border debt financings, advising corporates, investors, developers, banks, funds and other financial institutions from a variety of industries and countries. Her work comprises property acquisition and development finance, corporate acquisition finance and general corporate lending, in which context she advises on all aspects of bilateral and syndicated finance and guarantee, security and inter-creditor issues. Sarah also has considerable experience of acting on restructuring and enforcements.
Saul is a Partner in the Corporate department and Head of the Africa group handling complex cross-border corporate finance transactions. His practice covers a broad spread of areas including equity capital markets, general corporate, public and private M&A and joint ventures.He has advised on a number of UK and cross-border transactions in a wide range of sectors including minerals and mining, clean-tech, advertising, software, life sciences and consumer products.Saul has particular experience advising international businesses raising money in the London and European markets and in a wide range of transactions in the metals and mining sector. These range from negotiating project development agreements in sub-Saharan Africa to leading multi-billion dollar M&A transactions with mining majors.He also regularly advises companies on international joint ventures, particularly in the retail or franchise industries.
Shaistah is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution group specialising in complex commercial litigation, fraud, investigations and regulatory compliance. She is an expert on sanctions law and leads the team in this area. Her experience spans a number of industry sectors ranging from financial services (global investment banks, investment funds, asset management firms and private equity houses) to pharmaceutical companies, real estate developers, software firms and the defence industry. She also acts for high net worth individuals. She has particular experience in advising on contentious investor related claims and investigations, including shareholder and partnership disputes, fraud, negligence and misrepresentation claims, as well as matters involving contractual interpretation, warranties and termination. Shaistah has also acted in disputes and on enforcement actions both for and against governments involving state immunity issues. Shaistah has a long track record of acting for life sciences companies in both general commercial litigation and specialist areas such as follow on damages claims, product liability, procurement disputes and arbitration under the PPRS scheme. She has also advised on industry compliance issues arising under the ABPI Code, UK Bribery Act and FCPA. Examples of her work include: representing senior individuals in the Central Bank of Bahrain investigation as part of the US$10 billion Saad v Al-Gosaibi dispute; acting for UK and offshore insolvent investment funds in litigation and regulatory investigations to recover significant assets, including recovering almost £100 million for Connaught Income Series I Fund UCIS investors in its claim against Capita Financial Managers Limited; and advising senior management of GlaxoSmithKline in the Chinese Government's corruption investigation. She is representing parties involved in a multi-billion dollar tax evasion investigation encompassing offshore trust litigation and multi-jurisdictional criminal and civil proceedings.She also led the team acting for the Government of Nigeria in challenging a $10 billion arbitral award in favour of a BVI company arising from a failed gas deal, on the basis that the underlying contract and the award itself were procured through fraud and corruption. A successful application was made to the English Commercial Court to secure an unprecedented extension of time to challenge the arbitral award more than three years after it was made, extending the usual 28 day limit in which arbitral awards must be appealed, on the grounds that there was strong prima facie evidence of fraud and bribery. Shaistah's practice frequently has an international element and she has extensive experience of litigation and investigations in a number of European, Middle Eastern, Asian and African jurisdictions. This includes advising on sanctions involving Russia, Iran, the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to many other jurisdictions where sanctions are in operation, in both an advisory and contentious capacity. She has led internal investigations relating to alleged violations and advised on regulatory challenges involving sanctions in numerous sectors including financial services, life sciences and the travel industry, including making reports to HM Treasury and OFAC. She has also advised the Law Society and OFSI on its Guidance on sanctions regulations. Shaistah is a recommended lawyer in legal directories, described as "excellent" for commercial litigation, "tenacious” and a “real street fighter”, achieving successful outcomes in some of the most challenging cases. She has spoken at and chaired a number of conferences, including regular slots with the BVCA and the Cambridge Economic Crime Symposium. Shaistah is Co-Editor of Dispute Resolution in the Gulf: GCC Approaches and Egyptian Influences.
Sharon is a Partner in the Employment department with significant experience advising on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law. She brings a commercial and strategic approach to the increasing array of employment issues that clients face, and is adept at handling matters ranging from executive contract negotiations/exit arrangements, business restructurings and redundancies to Remuneration Code issues and the operation of forfeiture provisions (malus and claw-back). Sharon has particular expertise in complex, high-value Employment Tribunal disputes, and High Court litigation, including team moves and the enforcement of restrictive covenants, as well as bonus, discrimination and whistleblowing claims. She has advised LLPs on partnership matters and is well-versed in the issues that affect their members. She also has a breadth of experience advising on the employment aspects of domestic and multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions, and in managing international projects involving complex legal issues and sensitive business considerations. Her client base spans multiple business sectors and includes financial and private equity institutions, manufacturers, insurers, sporting organisations, charitable foundations and online businesses. Clients range from well-known global brands and internationally listed organisations to entrepreneurial businesses. Recognised as a leading employment lawyer by Chambers UK and Legal 500, Sharon is the subject of excellent reviews, with clients and peers citing her in these publications as “a tremendously clever lawyer” who is “really on the ball”, "supportive and commercial" and “on top of the case”. Chambers UK states: 'Sharon Tan has a comprehensive grasp of the entire spectrum of employment law, attaining effusive recommendations from senior market sources. To cite one client, "she gets the relevant points very quickly and takes time to understand our business."' Sharon is also one of only two employment lawyers to be named in The Lawyer Hot 100 2016 and has been recognised by Who's Who Legal: Labour, Employment & Benefits every year since 2016 as a leading practitioner in the employment law field. Sharon also advises on data privacy and data security laws, and the creation and deployment of data privacy programmes, with a particular focus on the applicability of such laws to the personal data of employees.
Sheena is a Partner, Knowledge Lawyer in the Family department, as part of Mishcon Private.
She provides training and technical support to the department and acts as in house counsel.
Sheena practised at the independent Bar for 17 years before joining Mishcon de Reya. She has significant experience in complex financial remedy cases, private law Children Act applications, nuptial agreements and cohabitant disputes. She has further experience in cases in which there are concurrent investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Sheena has represented private individuals, receivers and government agencies.
Sheena is also a member of the Family Law Bar Association and the Proceeds of Crime Lawyers Association.
Silvia is a Managing Associate in the Family Team in the Private department.
Silvia advises on all aspects of family law, including financial relief, divorce and dissolution proceedings, and children matters.
Silvia has worked on numerous high-value cases, and is experienced in issues such as non-matrimonial property, the valuation of business assets and multi-jurisdictional assets. Silvia advises on cases with international elements, matters involving multiple trusts and various company structures, issues of serious non-disclosure, and cases involving nuptial agreements.
Silvia frequently acts for parents in applications under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, including those featuring non-compliance and enforcement, and has built a substantial practice in international cases, dealing with issues of Schedule 1, relocation, child abduction and jurisdiction.
A native Italian speaker, Silvia has assisted Italian clients in numerous high value and complex matters, including cross-jurisdictional disputes.
Simon is a Partner in the Real Estate department, specialising in high value commercial and residential real estate. He is a founder member of our Private Real Estate initiative.
He is a trusted advisor to a broad and varied client base, ranging from quoted corporates and established property companies, through to individual entrepreneurs and family offices from around the world.
Simon is well-connected and often facilitates valuable introductions for his clients and contacts through his network. His clients value his commercial skill and proactive approach to dealing with their matters.
Simon was recognised by Spear's as one of the Top Recommended Property Lawyers as part of their Property Advisors Index for both 2020 and 2021.
Simon has a keen social conscience and enjoys his role as Impact Partner, overseeing Pro Bono, Fundraising and Impact activities for the Real Estate Department.
Simon is a Partner in the Real Estate department, with particular expertise in investment, property development and development funding work for quoted companies and funds. He also has considerable experience acting on real estate focused corporate acquisitions and disposals. Simon understands the complexities associated with large transactions and has a reputation for finding practical solutions to issues that arise during the course of such matters. He acts for listed companies and institutions including AEW Europe, Brookfield and UBS Global Asset Management (UK) in relation to investment, development and asset management matters. Recent highlights include advising Brookfield on the acquisition of Arlington, a UK science, innovation and technology real estate platform from TPG for £714 million, and advising Brookfield in relation to the acquisition of a portfolio of retail parks from Hammerson for £330 million.
Simon is a Partner and heads the non-contentious construction team in our Construction department. He has over 30 years' experience in the sector, initially as a chartered surveyor and then as a lawyer. He acts for developers, property owners, funders, contractors, consultants and sub-contractors and has particular expertise in the following sectors: residential (both private rental sector (PRS) and prime residential for high net worth private clients), hotels, student accommodation, office (in particular flexible work spaces) and distribution centres.
Simon advises on construction procurement strategy and prepares and negotiates all forms of construction agreements, including forward funding agreements, building contracts, consultants' appointments, warranties, bonds and guarantees, He advises a number of property development and investment companies including Delancey, PGIM, UBS, AEW, Dominus, Watkins Jones, Get Living and Student Roost.
Examples of Simon's relevant deals includes acting for QDD in respect of the ongoing development of the East Village in Stratford, east London, acting for Allianz/AEW in respect of distribution centres around the UK, and acting for Thamesbank Developments in respect of a mixed-use hotel, student accommodation and retail scheme in Plymouth.
Simon is an Managing Associate in the Mishcon Private department. He has experience in acting for a wide variety of clients ranging from companies to high net worth individuals to charities, across a wide range of domestic and international commercial disputes. Simon has a particular interest in art and cultural property law and, as a member of the Art Law team, advises galleries, auction houses, artists, collectors, foundations and other public and private institutions on non-contentious and contentious art related matters. Before starting his carrier in law, Simon worked for an Italian commercial art dealership in Mayfair and Milan for seven years. This experience, and his understanding of the market, has proved invaluable when working with individuals, galleries and institutions on both contentious and non-contentious art matters. Simon has previously been recognised in Legal 500’s 2020 Art and Cultural Property directory as being a Rising Star and in Chambers & Partners HNW 2020 as an Associate to Watch.
Sonal Thakrar is a Partner in the Residential Property team. She is described as a ‘dynamite conveyancer and hugely energetic’. She provides advice on all aspects of UK residential property and secured lending to banks and her expertise focuses on purchasing or disposing of prime or super-prime residential property in Central London, often involving complex offshore structures and time sensitive lending requirements whilst navigating deal driven sensitivities.
Sonal effortlessly navigates the regulatory and fiduciary requirements specific to the region when acting on multi-jurisdictional transactions. She also has strong connections throughout the UK and globally.
Throughout her career, Sonal has built a dynamic and diverse client base ranging from overseas investors, UHNW individuals and their companies, and family offices to trust companies, investment companies, trading companies and banks. She is able to adapt effortlessly to cultural and time-based needs that a client may have in the course of a transaction and delivers on very high profile and high value transactions in prime and super prime Central London despite difficult market conditions. Sonal injects infectious drive and enthusiasm into aspects of her work, whilst leading teams of experts both internally and externally on a range of complex matters.
Peers describe her as ‘very dynamic, very high-tempo and very client-focused’ as well as ‘commercial and pragmatic’. Sonal leads a team which, through their breadth of knowledge, understanding of their clients’ unique situations and their success in building close working relationships with all parties involved in transactions, has grown to become one of the largest dedicated residential property practices in London.
Sonia is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department. She specialises in complex commercial disputes (litigation and arbitration), including breach of contract and tortious claims involving breaches of fiduciary duty, dishonesty, trust issues and shareholder disputes. She has particular expertise in dealing with insurance coverage disputes. Sonia is regularly retained to act in international arbitrations, and is experienced in all major forms (LCIA, ICC, Bermuda Form, ad hoc). In the insurance sector, Sonia acts only for policyholders/insureds in insurance coverage disputes against their insurers. For this reason she also tends to be conflict free. Sonia usually represents corporate and high net worth clients, and advises across a broad range of sectors, including: pharmaceutical and life sciences; betting and gaming; retail and consumer; real estate and construction, and financial services. Within these sectors, Sonia deals with directors' and officers'; cyber; employment practices; fidelity / crime, fiduciary/PTL and professional indemnity liability issues. She also advises on a broad range of risk management issues. Sonia is the firm's Head of BAME Diversity & Inclusion.
Stephen is Chair of the Real Estate department with over 20 years' experience. His expertise lies in commercial real estate work including high value portfolio acquisitions and disposals, development work, joint ventures and structuring. He acts for a broad range of UK and overseas clients including Delancey, Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco), Almacantar and The London Business School. His transactions often lead to his involvement with a cross-departmental team providing advice on associated tax, finance and corporate issues. Recent matters include advising Delancey, Qatari Diar, APG and Oxford Properties on the purchase and long-term management of East Village in east London. The Village, adjacent to the Olympic Park, currently has over 2,800 homes (housing 6,000 people) with around 2,000 more homes planned. Stephen also acts for Capital & Counties Properties PLC in relation to its Covent Garden portfolio.
Stephen is a Partner in the Employment department and leads the Incentives team. He has significant experience advising on the strategy, design, implementation and compliance of UK and global employee incentive arrangements including long term incentive plans, all-employee share plans, HMRC tax-advantaged plans, management incentive plans and growth share and joint ownership plans. Stephen also advises on all related corporate, tax and trusts aspects, corporate governance issues, disclosure of directors' remuneration and share dealing regulations. In addition, Stephen works with companies on the impact corporate actions have on their incentive arrangements and has acted on many public takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, public to private transactions, initial public offerings, capital raising activities and private equity deals. He works with a wide range of businesses across several industry sectors including financial services, natural resources, entertainment, aerospace and transport. He acts for companies that are listed on the London Stock Exchange, AIM and overseas exchanges, together with private equity houses, private companies and owner-managed businesses.
Steven is a Partner in Mishcon Private and heads up the Immigration group. With over fifteen years’ experience working as an immigration lawyer, Steven provides strategic, commercial, and informed advice to private individuals and organisations. Steven works with clients from all over the world with a specific focus on the United States, India, Europe, China, and South America. Steven is dual qualified as a lawyer in both England/Wales and also the United States and is a licenced attorney with the State Bar of California.
Steven advises clients in respect of UK High Net Worth visa categories and is at the forefront of changes to these categories, regularly consulting with the Home Office to shape policy.
Steven regularly advises in respect of asylum applications in the UK. Working closely alongside the firm's in-house Extradition group, he assists high profile individuals seeking political asylum in the UK.
Steven provides long term strategic advice to help clients obtain ILR status and subsequent British citizenship. He has extensive experience with complex applications that require a solution based approach.
Steven plays a pivotal role in the firm’s corporate immigration group, working with the Employment and Corporate departments to provide an integrated client service. He advises in respect of all business immigration issues for both employers and employees including sponsor licence applications, Skilled Worker visa applications, and general compliance issues.
Steven also advises on European free movement rights, long residence applications, family-based applications, litigation matters in the Tribunals and claims for Judicial Review often with a human rights based element. He is also a leading authority on Brexit and works closely with the Firm's Brexit working group.
In addition to Steven's UK based immigration work he also advises in respect of US immigration issues.
Stuart is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department. He specialises in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions for both public and private companies. He advises on listed company transactions, including flotations, takeovers and fundraisings. He also advises on joint ventures, private fundraisings, shareholder disputes, regulatory issues and corporate re-organisations.
Stuart is a member of the Betting and Gaming group, and has extensive experience within this sector. Representative examples include advising two substantial shareholders of PartyGaming Plc on its merger with bwin Interactive Entertainment AG and advising on private equity investments and mergers and acquisitions within the gambling and technology sector. He also advises on wide range of regulatory issues within the online gambling sector. Stuart also acts for clients in a number of other sectors, including real estate, technology and renewable energy.
Stuart also advises on the corporate aspects of insolvency-related transactions, including insolvent business sales, debt for equity swaps and schemes of arrangement.
Stuart is a Partner in Mishcon Private. He helps clients to preserve, grow and pass on their wealth and provides UK and international tax advice. As acknowledged by Chambers High Net Worth: "Stuart is astute and technical. He is precise, has a clear mind, and is extremely personable."
A large part of Stuart's practice is advising non-UK domiciled clients who are considering a move to the UK, providing them (and the other advisors supporting them) with pre-arrival tax advice as well as advice on residence, their domicile status, trusts, and other asset holding structures. Conversely, he advises non-doms who have been living in the UK for several years and those considering leaving the UK. He also advises international families who often have little or no connection to the UK and who are looking for effective governance structures through which to organise the long-term transition of wealth. In that regard, Stuart is an expert in the creation of international Wills and asset holding structures such as trusts, foundations, companies, and partnerships.
Stuart is the co-lead of Mishcon de Reya's Latin America & Iberia group, and has a particular interest in advising clients with connections to those regions, in particular Brazil.
As a member of Mishcon de Reya's Blockchain group, Stuart can provide comprehensive tax and structuring advice to individuals and business who trade or invest in cryptocurrency and other cryptoassets.
He is often involved in matters where there is active litigation, or the prospect of it, working closely with the firm's Private Wealth Disputes and Family specialists.
A full member of STEP, the world's leading organisation for private wealth professionals, the Association of Contentious Trust, and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and The Law Society's Private Client Section, Stuart regularly gives seminars on private client law and practice and has published articles in many of the leading professional publications as well as editing and writing for key texts.
Stuart is the recipient of multiple industry awards and is consistently ranked as a leading individual for his technical specialisms.
Susan is a Partner in the Real Estate department. An experienced real estate lawyer, her in-depth understanding of the property market, the emerging world of tech and her business training as a Sloan Masters MSc (London Business School) graduate, combined with a wide circle of contacts is an effective combination. She is also the business development Partner for her department and uses her commercial know how and connections to benefit clients and the firm. Susan's contacts help to make the firm’s programme of client seminars and events “must attend” networking opportunities.
In 2021, Susan received an honorary doctorate from the University College of Estate Management (UCEM), in recognition of contribution to the built environment.
She is ranked in Bisnow's 51 Most influential Women in UK real estate list 2018 as "the woman who knows everyone". She is also listed in Property Week's Women's Power List, which describes her as "a world-class networker" with "a contact book full of CEOs", and ranked in Newington's Women of Influence List 2020, which celebrates women in planning, property and the built environment. Legal 500 described her as "immensely well-connected", while Estates Gazette comments that she is the "consummate hostess and business networker."
In the tech sector, Susan is ranked 40 in the Tyto Tech Top 500 List 2018 and also one of the Top 10 Most Influential Online Commercial Real Estate People in 2018 by Duke Long, the "most quoted man in commercial real estate". She was also ranked number 31 out of 100 individuals singled out for their contribution to PropTech in the 2016 Onalytica PropTech influencers list. Susan is a member of the Mishcon Technology Group, which has recently launched MDR LAB - an incubator programme for tech start-ups in the legal space. She has also mentored for Pi Labs accelerator programme for proptech start-ups since it launched and is a regular speaker on the #proptech circuit.
She is also on the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory board of Property Week and is an active member of a number of property-related organisations, including Vice Chair of the British Property Federation's newly formed Technology and Innovation Group. Susan is a member of the new ULI Europe Technology and Real Estate Product Council and chaired the FUTURE: Proptech Advisory Group which brings together key influencers in real estate and proptech. She is on the board of BEE Midtown, the Holborn and surrounding area's Business Improvement District and chairs its Property Group. She is also on London Chamber of Commerce Property and Construction Committee.
Susan currently writes for Property Week on property industry issues and is active on twitter as @Propertyshe.
She is ranked in 25th position in The #CREi List of Top Twitter Influencers for 2022, and was listed in 27th position – the highest ranking British female – in Duke Long’s Top 100 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Follow On Twitter in 2019. In 2022, Ascendix listed PropertyShe as one of their Top 10 Commercial Real Estate podcasts.
Susan undertakes regular speaking and panel engagements and hosts a regular PropertyShe podcast interviewing an eclectic mix of property influencers who define and make a difference to the real estate industry and built environment. The podcast series is recognised on Incube's list of top commercial property and PropTech podcasts.
Hall of fame
Susan Breen is a Partner in the firm's top ranked Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department. Susan's practice spans both corporate and M&A, as well as regulatory and commercial advice with over 20 years' experience acting for gambling industry clients. A particular strength of Susan's practice is her ability to blend her corporate knowledge with regulatory, infrastructure, and compliance advice to many of the industry's leading operators, service providers and business owners both in the UK and internationally.
Much of Susan's work is international with a particular focus on helping clients buy or build businesses in an environment that has become increasingly complex from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective. She has been involved in many of the sector's high profile and innovative transactions over the last two decades.
Clients include significant operators, regulators, governments, affiliate marketing groups, games developers and service providers. Susan has been a senior trusted adviser for many years to certain high profile clients and governments in other jurisdictions. She has extensive experience of advising operators and their key shareholders on the risk management and issues facing operators in regulated or yet to be regulated markets. In addition to advising established businesses, Susan has also advised new entrants to the online gambling market in the UK, Africa and the US.
Susan is regarded as a pre-eminent lawyer in the betting and gaming sector by Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers Global, particularly for "servicing clients on complex, cutting-edge transactions, providing the regulatory overlay which makes her skillset so unique in this sector". Clients say that her "industry knowledge and understanding is unparalleled", "she cuts to the crux of the issues and gets on with it" and that she "really goes the extra mile for her clients".
Susannah is a Partner in the Firm’s Employment Department. She acts for employers and employees on contentious and non-contentious matters with experience of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court and Employment Tribunal. She works at the forefront of the legal landscape advising clients on matters arising out of the “gig” economy and is a recognised commentator in both the press and legal profession on matters relating to worker status. Susannah acted for Pimlico Plumbers in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in the landmark case on worker status and holiday pay respectively.
Susannah frequently advises businesses and individuals in relation to restrictive covenant, theft of confidential information and team move cases, including in respect of applications for injunctive relief. She is recognised in this area and has authored a chapter on the subject in the pre-eminent employment practitioners' textbook: Harvey on Industrial Relations and Employment Law.
Susannah also advises both businesses and senior individuals in relation to (and conducts) investigations, particularly (but not exclusively) in circumstances where there is a regulatory and/or serious reputational risk for her clients.
Susannah advises on strategic issues as well as on terminations, redundancies, settlement agreements, all aspects of discrimination and whistleblowing legislation, restrictive covenants, executive remuneration issues and corporate strategy and structuring issues. Susannah also has experience of advising on confidentiality and privacy issues in relation to both Court and Tribunal proceedings.
Susannah frequently advises C-Suite Executives on a wide-range of employment-related issues.
Susannah is recognised as having a strategic, pragmatic and commercial approach by her clients who come from a range of sectors including financial services, private equity, insurance, professional services, Fin Tech, design, fashion and recruitment.
Susannah is a member of the Firm’s Technology Group, Retail and Fashion Group and Recruitment Services Group and advises on start-up and scale-up issues for companies. Susannah is also a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association and a board member of Cosmetic Executive Women. .
Susannah undertakes regular pro-bono work. She represented the Jewish Labour Movement in relation to the referral of the Labour Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission on issues of antisemitism. Susannah also advised the Criminal Bar Association in respect of the Equality Act issues arising out of the proposed extended operating hours. She also acted for the family of Siham Hamud in connection with the legal proceedings threatened by her school following her refusal to comply with the school's uniform policy on the grounds of her religious belief.
For her involvement in some of the biggest employment cases in recent years, Susannah has been recognised by The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2020 as a standout lawyer shaping the legal profession in the UK.
Tom Barton is a Managing Associate in the Planning Team in the Real Estate department.
He has experience of advising clients on a range of town and country planning and highway law matters with a particular focus on advising on planning related matters associated with the acquisition and disposal of established properties and development sites. He also has expertise in the promotion of compulsory purchase orders, objecting to planning applications (including development consent orders), negotiating s106 agreements for large scale developments, defending planning enforcement actions and appealing against the refusal of planning applications, including public inquiries. Tom has considerable experience in drafting and negotiating agreements under s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and s177/ s278 of the Highways Act 1980.
Tom prides himself on giving practical and commercial advice always focussing on achieving the best possible outcome for clients. Tom has experience of instructing communications teams to engage with both local and political stakeholders. He is a member of the Town and Country Planning Association.
Victoria is a Partner in Mishcon Private, a commercial litigator acting for a wide variety of clients including high profile and high net worth individuals, corporations, families and family offices. Victoria advises on complex commercial cases, including director and shareholder disputes as well as partnership issues, general contractual matters and fraud. She is experienced in the issuing and defending of freezing injunctions, asset protection and defending extradition requests. As a key part of her private client work, Victoria acts as a trusted advisor - assisting her clients with any dispute that might arise; including issues between partners (business and romantic), disputes over gifts/loans, problems involving children/their education or issues with friends and family. Victoria sits on the Board of Mishcon Private, being Division Head for three practice areas in the Department; Private Commercial Litigation, Reputation Protection and Art Law. Her role as Divisional Head for these practice areas provides Victoria with access to a wide range of specialities and skill sets, so crucial for ultra high net worth individuals and their diverse requirements. Victoria is a member of the London Solicitors Litigation Association.
Will is a Legal Director in the Employment department, dealing with contentious and non-contentious matters. He acts for employers and employees, and many of his clients come from media, advertising and the finance industry. He is a member of the firm's Recruitment group, advising recruitment agencies in relation to all types of employment issues, and a member of the firm's Technology group. Will has considerable experience drafting and negotiating service and settlement agreements. He has acted in claims involving discrimination, wrongful and unfair dismissal, whistleblowing and restrictive covenants. He also advises on the employment aspects of real estate and corporate transactions (in particular, in relation to TUPE). He regularly advises senior executives and employers in relation to the drafting of service agreements, bonus provisions and compromise agreements. He also advises LLPs and members of LLPs on their rights and obligations and provides day to day HR advisory advice to employer clients on all aspects of employment law including redundancies, "family friendly" policies, holiday entitlements, data protection, and conduct, performance and sickness management. Will has a particular interest in training and development, speaks regularly at client seminars and writes on a range of legal topics. He is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, he worked in the film and television industry for several years.