Clarion

Alice Pratt

Partner in business restructuring and insolvency. Alice works across all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency, both contentious and non-contentious on behalf of a wide range of insolvency practitioners. Alice also acts for individuals and companies who are facing financial difficulties.

Andrew McAulay

Andrew created the Costs and Litigation Funding team at Clarion which has substantially grown to be a national and international service. Andrew leads a team of over 30 people who specialise in all areas of costs law. Andrew deals with multi-million pound claims for costs, solicitor/own client disputes and litigation funding issues. Andrew enjoys advising on high value and complex costs litigation matters, with his specialist areas being commercial litigation, personal injury, medical negligence and solicitor/own client costs disputes. Andrew also has extensive experience and knowledge of litigation funding, with a real specialism in conditional fee agreements. Andrew is a costs lawyer and is a member of the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL). Andrew is the former chair of the education committee for the Association of Costs Lawyers and a former tutor for the ACLT training school. He is an accredited costs lawyer meaning he is authorised by the Costs Lawyers Standards Board to deliver CPD training. He is a board member for the Costs Lawyers Standards Board, which is the regulator of Costs Lawyers in the UK. He is regularly invited to speak on costs law and litigation funding at seminars across the country.

Carolyn Lord

Partner and Head of Planning. Considered by clients to be a first-rate planning lawyer with strong planning legal skills coupled with an ability to make things happen, Carolyn has over 30 years’ experience in planning and related areas of law. Carolyn has an excellent reputation for being thorough, pragmatic and personable. Carolyn takes pride in her ability to anchor and co-ordinate consultant teams but also to act as an effective team member. Carolyn has particular expertise in advising on large or challenging sites with legal planning or highway complexities and she brings experienced, detailed involvement in and practical knowledge of the entire development process. Clients describe her as persistent in trouble-shooting and following a job through, coupled with focused attention to detail, effective strategic thinking and sensitive stakeholder management. She has worked across the country with a number of prominent developer and infrastructure clients on major brownfield and greenfield projects, including residential, commercial, education, leisure and retail, rail, waste and waste water, energy, minerals and aggregates-related work. Her experience spans projects on key heritage sites and protected wildlife areas as well as those with rights of way and highway issues. She advises on contentious judicial review and enforcement matters as well as dealing with complex planning and highway legal agreements.

Christian Hellmund

Partner. Christian is a non-contentious energy lawyer and a partner in Clarion’s Energy & Projects team. Prior to joining Clarion, Christian spent six years at an international law firm advising on a number of high-profile energy and low carbon transactions. During his career, Christian also spent considerable time advising National Grid Gas Plc’s gas transmission and distribution business, Scottish Power’s Energy Management team and Drax Power’s Fuel Procurement and Trading team while being there on secondment. Christian advises on a wide range of national and international energy and infrastructure projects including electricity and gas transmission, distribution and supply, energy from waste (EfW), distributed and embedded power generation, decentralised energy solutions, district energy (incl. district heating), energy storage as well as renewables projects such as solar pv, onshore wind, hydro, bioenergy (incl. biomass, anaerobic digestion (AD) and biofuels). He advises project developers, investors, energy suppliers, utilities, public authorities, housing associations, asset/land owners and equipment manufacturers in a number of sectors ranging from food & drink, retail, hospitality, leisure, construction, manufacturing, transport and many others.

Daniel Carlton

Dan heads our highly regarded Debt Recovery team and assists large corporate and blue-chip companies throughout the UK to maximise cash flow. The UK continues to have a poor payment record and Dan works with clients to streamline credit control processes, reduce DSO and find answers to aged debt problems. Delivered with sound commercial advice, Dan is committed to making clients’ internal processes work more efficiently and cost effective, all of which may involve looking at systems and providing complimentary training. Dan has worked extensively with clients in the construction, commercial landlord, leisure, retail, recruitment and utilities sectors and his down to earth pragmatic approach means his team are able to seamlessly dovetail into the client’s own credit control procedures.

David Cunningham

David is a partner in the commercial practice at Clarion and having spent 15 years working as a non-contentious commercial lawyer in a number of national and international practices. David has experience acting for both customers and suppliers across a number of sectors including the financial services, health and transport sectors each with an emphasis on technology and business process outsourcing. He specialises in technology and business process outsourcing in both the private and public sector and throughout his career has worked on a number of high profile projects for Transport for London (Congestion Charging Scheme), the Department of Health (National Programme for IT), Co-op financial services (Banking Transformation Programme) and the Highways Agency (National and Regional Traffic Information Services). He also works with InterSystems Corporation (a US based healthcare software provider) assisting with all their UK commercial legal work. In the past year David has advised The Highways Agency, The Ministry of Justice, Royal Mail and InterSystems.

David Williams

Partner. David is a well-known and highly regarded litigator, noted for his tenacity in problem solving and his commitment to clients. David has expertise across a wide range of corporate and commercial disputes, both domestic and international, and related regulatory issues. He has worked with listed and privately owned businesses as well as public bodies. His extensive experience over many years includes disputes relating to joint ventures, corporate acquisitions, shareholder and investor disputes, related insolvency issues, projects, information technology, infrastructure, business interruption, support services, injunctive claims, fraud, supply chain issues, international trade, product defects and recalls, bribery and corruption. David’s expertise includes international and domestic litigation and arbitration, expert determination and mediation, and includes overseas project and investment disputes, particularly in Africa, and international trade.

Dominic Higham

A commercial contracts dispute resolution specialist with a wealth of experience in assisting Government bodies and large corporate institutions in managing technology & outsourcing contracts and disputes. Dominic assists clients in contract drafting, contract management, supplier/customer management, issue resolution and full-scale £multi-billion commercial disputes, both in the UK and internationally. HM Government/Technology/Healthcare: advising in relation to issues and disputes arising out of IT and outsourcing contracts with international suppliers which have been the subject of media speculation over many years. The settlement of the CSC disputes secured a £1bn write down on the value of CSC’s contract with the Department. HM Government / Technology / Healthcare: advising in relation to headline-grabbing on-going issues and disputes arising out of IT and outsourcing contracts including Atos regarding NHS IT Systems and Intersystems regarding hospital implementations in the Middle East.

Esther Kirwan

Partner; experienced in all areas of contentious and non-contentious IP, including patents, designs, trade marks, copyright and confidentiality. Acts for well known brands international brands. Has acted on leading Court of Appeal cases relating to patent entitlement. Manages global IP portfolios in over 50 countries.

Jonathan Simms

Partner. Jonathan has been with the firm for nearly 20 years and is experienced in providing advice on a wide range of corporate matters including domestic and international mergers and acquisitions (share deals and business asset deals), private equity transactions as well as joint ventures, shareholder arrangements and group reorganisations. Jonathan also advises companies on a variety of corporate governance issues as well as helping many clients with their corporate strategy including buy and builds, management incentive share schemes (EMIs and LTIPs) and exit planning (including Employee Ownership Trusts). Jonathan has advised clients operating in a number of sectors including technology, media, marketing, telecommunications, logistics and waste services.

Lindsey Wrenn

Partner. For more than 25 years as a trade mark specialist, Lindsey has held senior roles within a number of national and international law firms as well as having worked for a boutique trade mark practice and in-house. A Registered Trade Mark Attorney and member of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, Lindsey advises on all aspects of trade mark and registered design protection from brand clearance, filing applications in the UK, Europe and internationally, through to drafting and negotiating licences and assignments. She also has wide experience of the enforcement and preservation of trade mark and design rights, including filing and defending oppositions, invalidity and revocation actions, and the conduct of hearings.

Lynsey Harrison

Partner – Head of Contentious Private Client Team. Lynsey deals with all aspects of contentious private client matters and regularly deals with all types of private client litigation. In particular she advises on complex and high value Will disputes, Inheritance Act claims, Trust disputes and actions relating to the administration of estates. She also advises regularly on professional negligence claims arising out of this area of law. Lynsey is also nationally recognised for advising on mental capacity disputes including all manner of Court of Protection applications. Lynsey receives referrals from private individuals and professional clients including a large network of other legal firms.

Marie Pugh

Partner. Marie heads up the Banking and Finance team and regularly advises clients across the UK. Marie deals with all aspects of banking and finance work with extensive experience and expertise in real estate investment finance and development finance. Marie and her team act for mainstream banks, challenger banks, alternative lenders, asset-based lenders and invoice discounters. Marie regularly handles deals which require a rapid turnaround and the team is renowned for its service delivery. Her experience extends across a range of sectors including industrial, leisure and retail enabling her to have real insight into these sectors.

Martin Grange

Partner and head of property. Has dealt with a number of large-scale and complex development matters with commercial, residential, leisure, and mixed-use schemes. Currently dealing with a number of new hotel developments and large scale corporate occupiers. Also specialises in property finance, advising a number of banks and building societies on investment and development finance. Client relationship partner for Persimmon plc, Redrow plc, Etihad Airways Ltd, Kodak Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Leeds Building Society, Caddick Developments Ltd, Sirius Minerals plc and Bruntwood Ltd.

Matthew Hattersley

Partner and head of the commercial team, Matthew deals with non-contentious commercial matters. Matthew’s experience includes general commercial advice, supply agreements for goods and services, terms and conditions, and advice on incorporation, agency and distribution agreements, franchising, outsourcing (including to offshore providers), licensing arrangements, system procurement and systems integration agreements and facility management agreements (including cleaning and catering). Since arriving at Clarion in January 2010, Matthew has successfully been appointed to support a number of legal teams at high profile organisations.

Nicholas Choiniere

Nicholas Choiniere specialises in private wealth disputes and has experience acting for professional trustees, executors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. He has acted for clients in disputes at the High Court, County Court and Court of Protection. Nicholas has a broad range of experiences and notably has experience working in two jurisdictions (England and Wales and Canada) and two languages (English and French). Nicholas works for both local and international clients and has a particular interest in trust litigation. Nicholas is a proud trustee of Trust Leeds, a local charity which helps members of the community change their lives by building financial independent, confidence and self-reliance.

Paul Matthews

Ranked as a leading individual for Health and safety in the Legal 500 for Health and Safety work, Paul Matthews heads up the Regulatory team. Paul has been involved in some of the most high-profile regulatory investigations and prosecutions cases in recent years including the Bosley Mill explosion and the Grenfell Tower Fire Public Inquiry. The UK has one of the most highly regulated frameworks for businesses in the world. The consequences of breaching regulatory requirements can include multi-million pound fines for relatively modest failings; the threat of individual fines and imprisonment for directors; civil penalties and interventions by regulators; and reputational damage. As an experienced and respected Regulatory defence specialist, Paul provides advice, support and representation to organisations and individuals in relation to regulatory investigations and prosecutions by regulators such as the Health & Safety Executive, Environment Agency, Local Authorities and the Police, amongst others. When faced with the challenges and anxiety of a regulatory investigation or prosecution, Paul provides advice, support and representation at every stage of the process. As clients have previously commented, “Proactive and professional. Guided us through a situation that none of our team had experience of. Available to have meetings at short notice to discuss matters….very professional and cohesive…always available to discuss issues as they arise” Paul’s experience spans corporate manslaughter, health and safety, environmental liabilities, food safety and trading law, product safety and recalls, advertising and marketing compliance, bribery and corruption.

Phil Morrison

Partner. Phil is head of Clarion’s construction offering. He is dual-qualified in English and Scottish Law and has over 25 years' experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters advising large private and public sector bodies and all parties involved in the construction industry. Phil provides commercial advice concerning procurement, development agreements, building contracts, including JCT, FIDIC, and PFI contracts, sub-contracts, professional team appointments and collateral warranties. He works closely with his commercial property and banking colleagues providing construction related input into their transactions and documentation. Phil’s contentious experience includes representing parties in mediation, adjudication, arbitration and the Technology and Construction Courts. These contentious issues are often complex, involving a number of parties in multi-million-pound claims across different jurisdictions.

Philip Dine

Partner. Phil is a real estate finance partner in Clarion’s Banking and Finance team. He has extensive experience acting for funders and borrowers on a broad range of real estate finance transactions, including senior and mezzanine investment and development debt finance. He regularly deals with complex intercreditor agreements and joint venture arrangements. He has a reputation for being pragmatic and having a solution focused approach. He also acts for several asset-based lender clients

Rachel Spencer Robb

Head of Family Law

Richard Moran

Senior partner. Described as ‘exceptionally calm under pressure’ and having a ‘tough approach to negotiating’, Richard is a corporate finance lawyer with over 25 years' experience. He works with a wide range of clients on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and debt transactions and management buy-outs. Advising on strategy as well as delivering transactions, Richard’s focus is on long-term client relationships. He has particular experience in handling the delicate issues at the heart of succession planning for complex family-owned businesses and is comfortable dealing with large corporate businesses alongside those with limited previous experience of working with professional advisers. Richard is also part of our International team and works with clients with interests around the world particularly international businesses with interests in the UK and Europe.

Roger Hutton

Roger, joint managing partner and founder of and a partner in Clarion’s business restructuring an insolvency department. He has dealt with a series of high-profile administration and restructures. He has specialist knowledge in both the sporting and retail insolvency sectors. In addition, Roger has a reputation for dealing with substantial litigation matters arising out of insolvent or distressed situations. Significant transactions include advising directors on a £250m liability to HMRC, negotiating restructuring deals on two businesses exceeding £100m. Roger has an excellent reputation as a communicator of no-nonsense commercial advice. He acts not only on behalf of the vast majority of the major licensed insolvency practitioners in the North of England, but he also provides advice in relation to companies and partnerships that find themselves in distressed positions, or to individuals or directors who find themselves subject to substantial claims arising out of insolvent or distressed situations.

Ryan Millmore

Joint managing partner and head of business restructuring and insolvency, Ryan specialises in corporate administrations and liquidations on behalf of a wide range of insolvency practitioners, as well as acting for a number of asset-based lenders both from an insolvency and turnaround aspect. Also covers personal insolvency and litigation, particularly pursuing directors for antecedent transaction claims.

Sarah Tahamtani

Employment partner with extensive experience in Employment Tribunal advocacy, specialising in strategic workforce issues such as TUPE, outsourcings and redundancies. Sarah also advises clients on senior executive severances and delivers value-added, bespoke training programmes.

Sarah Molloy

Sarah focuses on trade mark filings and portfolio management within our Intellectual Property team, using her excellent knowledge of different trade mark systems around the world to the benefit of our global brand clients. Advising clients on all aspects of global trade mark portfolios, Sarah helps clients with the registrability of marks, brand clearance, successfully overcoming objections and oppositions, renewals, enforcing trade mark rights against third parties and agreements relating to trade marks. By reviewing clients’ trade mark portfolios regularly, Sarah can provide detailed recommendations about how best to improve the existing protection for brands and identifies areas for cost saving. Sarah has also worked on several high-profile intellectual property cases in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court acting for both Claimants and Defendants.

Sarah Harrison

Partner. Sarah provides the full range of corporate advice from delivering large transactions including acquisitions, sales, management buy-outs and private equity investments, to assisting companies and business owners with their corporate governance and ongoing development including group re-organisations, shareholder agreements and Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) schemes. With particularly strong experience in working with owner-managed businesses, Sarah is a problem solver who thrives on getting to know clients and their objectives in order to provide solutions which are tailored to their needs and desires. She combines excellent technical knowledge with the ability to take a commercial and pragmatic approach in order to resolve issues in a way which is proportionate to the level of risk/value involved. Sarah also works closely with our Private Wealth team to deliver estate planning solutions for high-net-worth individuals and business owners including the implementation of family investment companies and cross option agreements.

Simon Young

Partner and head of commercial dispute resolution. Simon is a highly rated litigator having advised on many high-value commercial disputes, including those involving commercial contracts, shareholders, partnerships, professional negligence, landlord and tenant, development disputes, civil fraud and compulsory purchase order claims. Acted for The FA Premier League and 14 Premier League clubs in the case of FAPL and Others v Panini (UK) Ltd, which became the precedent for incidental inclusion of an artwork in a picture.

Simon Mydlowski

Partner. Experienced in providing advice on residential and industrial developments, commercial leases and property finance. Simon works for landowners, promoters, developers, housebuilders and occupiers, he has in-depth knowledge of the property market in the North of England and brings a strategic approach to getting a deal across the line at the best value. In addition, Simon advises on site assembly, acquisition and set up, while providing solutions to issues relating to title or easements and negotiating rights of access or overage agreements. Projects include major residential developments, business parks, retail and mixed commercial developments. He also advises commercial landlords and tenants on lease negotiations and renewals, and is experienced in the licensed trade where he acts for owners of bars, restaurants, hotels and breweries.

Sophie Morley

Partner. Sophie has specialised in property litigation for almost 20 years and has developed a reputation for working closely with her clients to resolve issues with a commercial and practical approach. Sophie enjoys working with the wide variety of issues and clients that property litigation involves. From managing property portfolios of residential and commercial properties to advising on issues arising on a development site; almost every business, whether within the property sector or not, will experience property litigation issue as at some point and Sophie has the experience and expertise to deal with all issues arising. Sophie has extensive experience in all areas of estate management including lease renewals, rent reviews, break clauses, dilapidations, and applications for consent. She has also acted on multi-party litigation and professional negligence matters, and has acted in court proceedings, mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

Stephanie Parish

Head of Private Wealth. Stephanie assists and advises clients nationwide on a diverse range of legal issues from Wills and powers of attorney to inheritance tax and succession planning. She provides expert advice regarding the probate procedure after a death and her specialism is assisting those families where the estate is high value, complex or requires post-death variations. She works with the family and personal representatives of the deceased to administer the estate as quickly and efficiently as possible, spotting opportunities regarding inheritance tax. Often having to deal with difficult and sensitive personal matters, Stephanie prides herself on being able to communicate sensitively and openly with people, whether it be high net worth individuals, the recently bereaved, business owners or the elderly. She strives to ensure that her clients feel comfortable with her and can discuss their affairs freely and honestly in ‘plain English’.

Sue Streatfield

Partner. Sue has extensive experience of all aspects of intellectual property (IP) law, including litigation in respect of all types of IP rights (such as patents, confidential information, know how, designs, copyright, trade marks and domain names) as well as drafting R & D agreements, licences and assignments and filing trade marks and designs. Sue’s practice also includes advising on reputation management and defamation law. The chemical, pharmaceutical, IT, engineering and university sectors have significant IP requirements and Sue supports a large portfolio of international organisations with their research and collaboration agreements, clinical trial agreements, assignments and licences as well as enforcing their IP rights and defending IP infringement claims and IP validity attacks.

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