Hedges Law > OXFORD, England > Firm Profile
Hedges Law Offices
243 Banbury Road
OXFORD
OX2 7HN
England
Hedges Law > The Legal 500 Rankings
Private client > Family: Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40 Tier 2
The Oxford-based family team at Hedges Law handles complex, multi-jurisdictional, high-net-worth financial remedy cases to highly vulnerable children matters. Zoe Rose heads the offering, and is recommended for her expertise regarding complex pension arrangements. Nicola Poole frequently handles prenuptial agreements, and is experienced in disputes over inherited wealth. Alexandra Baggallay joined the team in April 2023 from Hunters Law LLP in London, followed by Ian Davies, who joined from Cotswold Family Law in May 2023, further strengthening the firm’s offering.Practice head(s):
Zoe Rose
Other key lawyers:
Nicola Poole; Carrie Rudge; Ian Davies; Alexandra Baggallay; Lauren Pilcher
Testimonials
‘The family law team are dynamic and proactive, while also understanding how difficult a divorce can be, and they work well together to make the process as smooth as possible.’
‘Lauren Pilcher and Zoe Rose really understood the emotional trauma I was experiencing and provided invaluable support and guidance through an incredibly difficult time. When my world around me was in pieces, they were there for me, giving stability, comfort, reassurance and understanding, while also being firm with the other solicitors and protecting my interests. Responsive, incisive and supportive – what you need in a crisis!’
‘Hedges has a family feel to it, you feel cared for as a client, part of the family, not just a valued customer. ’
‘Alexandra Baggallay is excellent: committed to achieving the best outcomes for her clients; prompt in her communication; and she has very good client care.’
‘Ian Davies’s addition to Hedges Law’s family practice significantly enhances its reputation for dealing with financial arrangements arising from relationship breakdowns. His expertise not only broadens the team’s capabilities in handling diverse cases but also reinforces the firm’s commitment to providing comprehensive support to clients from all sectors. Ian’s experience in strengthening family law departments underscores the practice’s dedication to excellence and innovation in client service.’
‘Ian Davies distinguishes himself through his wide expertise in financial arrangements related to divorces, with a special focus on cases involving pensions, particularly police pension schemes. His approach is characterised by a blend of compassion, thoroughness, and a proactive stance, ensuring clients receive the best possible outcomes even in the most challenging situations.’
‘As an employee owned business the Team at Hedges are all invested into the success of the business and it shows in their approach and attitude towards clients. The team work together, playing on each others strengths where appropriate and different colleagues holding differing specialisms and interests serves to provide an outstanding service to clients.’
‘The team as a whole are always happy to assist with queries and looking to improve their own knowledge to understand potential problems and pass on to other professionals where additional input and advice is required. ’
Work highlights
Hedges Law > Firm Profile
Formed in 1789, Hedges has been providing legal services for over four consecutive centuries. The last member of the founding family, Sir John Hedges, died in 1983 but his legacy lives on in the firm, with his portrait hanging in both the Oxford and Wallingford offices. The firm restructured in 2012 as a limited company and is now steered by MD Nicola Poole.
Nicola is seeking to maintain the very best of the established values of personal service and lifetime loyalty, while moving the practice into the modern world with a fresh and forward-thinking outlook. This is a law firm where all staff live and breathe the company values, and are recruited and evaluated monthly against these. Making the difference to clients and to each other lies at the very heart of Hedges’ culture and is deeply embedded in its daily life.
To recognise the outstanding work of their employees, Hedges Law became employee-owned in May 2021, only the fifth law firm in England to do so. By giving ownership to the team, the firm seeks to empower every employee to continue delivering the same exceptional service that our clients so greatly value.
The philanthropic nature of the Hedges family has been retained within the business, another of its values being actively to give back. Hedges’ staff are regularly found raising funds for local and national charities. It is a happy and fulfilling place to work.
The firm: Hedges Law has positioned itself as the legal advisor of choice to high-net-worth individuals and their families. The firm’s excellent reputation and visibility has further grown recently with the opening of a new office in the Northern suburb of Oxford, Summertown. This allows the business to continue to serve its long-established clients in and around Wallingford whilst being close to where many of the firms Oxford-based clients live, with easy access to the city centre and great links nationally and internationally.
The firm, its client base and reputation continue to grow year on year. The areas of law the firm offers to clients are family, property, private client and dispute resolution, with a new flourishing team dedicated exclusively to contentious probate.
Types of work undertaken: Hedges advises in all areas of residential property law and has an unrivalled reputation in the area for offering a superior service to their clients that is both personal and proactive, with the most thorough legal expertise applied, combined with complementary services such as inheritance planning.
Hedges’ family team is a very strong team of five specialist solicitors. Led by Zoe Rose, they have a proven track record of achieving excellent outcomes in court, as well as having a deep understanding of the emotional impact divorce and separation has on their clients and families. Carrie Rudge, who has been with the firm for many years, is both a highly experienced lawyer and mediator, so the team is often sought after for their superior mediation services. All of the team are members of Resolution and adopt a practical and conciliatory approach to resolving matters on their clients’ behalf where possible. They act for a range of high-net-worth clients across the whole spectrum of family and divorce law, as well as serving clients growing interest in pre- and post-nups. The firm’s Managing Director Nicola Poole also has a reputation for being a tenacious but highly practical and approachable lawyer.
The private client team is historically one of the strongest practice areas in Hedges’ long history. With teams led by highly experienced lawyers, Daniel Boyle and Rachel Carrington-Matthews, their attention to detail, intelligence and delightful interpersonal skills win them high praise and loyalty from both clients and colleagues alike. The team deals with all aspects of wills, probate, tax, trusts, estate and inheritance planning, and powers of attorney.
Christopher Ozimic heads up the firm’s dispute resolution team who take on a wide range of litigation matters including property, business, consumer, and employment. They have a growing reputation for their work in property disputes with an excellent track record of getting the best outcomes for their clients.
The firms new dedicated contentious probate team is headed up by Claire Cox. An extremely passionate leader, Claire takes pride in navigating her clients through times of crises with a superior track record of achieving the outcomes desired by her clients. Claire is an Associate Member of ACTAPS, the industry recognised qualification for lawyers specialising in contentious trust and probate work.
Other offices: Wallingford
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Director | Nicola Poole | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
| Business Development Director | Rebecca Kashti | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
| Practice Director | Wayne Pollock | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
| Family | Zoe Rose | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
| Probate | Rachel Carrington-Matthews | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
| Contentious Probate | Claire Cox | [email protected] | 01865 594265 |
Solicitor Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nicola Poole | Managing Director and Family Lawyer | View Profile |
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Zoe Rose | Head of Family Law and Senior Associate | View Profile |