Stone King LLP

Alison Allen

Alison is a Partner and Stone King's Chair. Alison joined Stone King in 1998 and acts for a wide range of clients advising on general private client matters, including inheritance tax, trust drafting and administration, wills, including complex wills and tax efficient wills and administration of estates. She has particular interest in advising older clients and their families and carers, including advice regarding NHS continuing care funding and NHS complaints procedures, means-testing and care funding disputes with the local authority, court of protection matters, powers of attorney and deputyships.

Andrew Mortimer

Andrew specialises in estate planning advice for private individuals, particularly inheritance tax planning, strategic advice to families on managing and passing on assets and businesses, the drafting of wills, the establishment and running of trusts, and advising elderly clients on managing their affairs. Andrew also practices as a Notary Public, providing notarial services to clients on cross-border transactions and other matters.

Andrew Banks

Andrew is a Partner and Head of the Court and Regulatory Team. He is an experienced Criminal practitioner who practices in the Crown Court and Magistrates Court. Andrew is a Solicitor Advocate having attained his Higher Court qualification. Andrew also represents transport concerns at Public Inquiry and in the courts. He is a panel solicitor for the Freight Transport Association and an affiliate member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Andrew’s practice also involves representing clients regarding regulatory breaches ranging from PLC's to private individuals. The range of breaches encompasses Health and Safety issues, CITES, Trading Standards prosecutions, Property Mis-description, and Planning and Environmental breaches. In addition, Andrew defends motoring offences. He has an excellent record of ensuring that clients facing discretionary disqualification from driving avoid disqualification. Offences defended include speeding, failing to identify a driver, drink driving and also tachograph and roadworthiness offences.

Caroline Taylor

Caroline is Head of Stone King's national property team and has extensive experience of all aspects of commercial property with a particular focus on retail leases with turnover rents, pre-lets, commercial and mixed use leasing and development projects as well as acquisitions and disposals of investment properties. Her experience also encompasses the acquisition and disposal of land for residential and commercial developments, regeneration of brownfield city centre sites and the greenfield development of urban expansion areas. Caroline's advice to clients extends to advising clients on site assembly, the use of options and site promotion, profit share and joint venture agreements as well as funding large scale purchases.

Caroline Fell

Caroline is Head of Stone King's Family & Mediation Team and recognises that, with the right guidance, it is eminently preferable for a couple to resolve issues following separation themselves, rather than having decisions forced upon them and their family by the court. She looks to assist clients in achieving this end through a variety of processes, to include mediation, collaboration and constructive negotiation. Where litigation is unavoidable, Caroline adopts a thorough and robust approach to ensure the client's interests are best met. Caroline has a particular interest in family cases with an international element, whether assisting foreign nationals based in England, or British nationals with assets abroad.

Ciara Campfield

Ciara has amassed a wealth of experience advising a range of education institutions on corporate, commercial and governance matters.  She has a particular interest and specialism in advising on the development of joint ventures and multi-partner collaborations comprising local authorities, education and business. She has a particular interest in advising general further education colleges and sixth form colleges on corporate and commercial matters, including mergers, restructures and federations. A core aspect of Ciara’s work involves advising on the set up of new education institutions (academies and group training organisations offering skills-based learning focused on local area and needs).Ciara also provides a range of commercial and corporate advice to academy trusts and spends her time advising the largest multi academy trusts on project work and public procurement issues and strategy.

Helen Tucker

Head of Independent Schools Team

Hugh Pearce

Hugh is a Partner and advises on a broad range of property matters including construction contracting and planning though, by his own admission, he has a special interest in the more complex development joint venture and project related work.Hugh works most closely with Stone King’s charity and education clients and is a senior member of both the firm’s Charity & Social Enterprise Property and Education Property Teams. He also leads the firm’s Faith Organisations Team.

Matthew Graham

Matthew is a Partner and Head of Stone King's national Criminal Law Team. He is a specialist criminal and regulatory solicitor, with associated civil expertise and experience.  He is widely respected by colleagues and peers, and regarded as one of the most technically able solicitors in the field: driven, fearless, incisive and a figure to respect in court.

Michael Brotherton

Michael is a Partner and specialises in all areas of Education Law, he has also built up an enviable reputation dealing with the more contentious aspects of school life including procedural issues, admissions, exclusions, parental complaints, and Equality Act claims.Michael’s other skills include advising on many academy conversions, from single academy projects to multi academy conversion projects; advising on safeguarding issues, abuse allegations, policy drafting, general governance, best practice and whole school issues.