Slater Heelis

Associate Partner Alexandra specialises in all areas of private family law work, including relationship breakdown, divorce, financial settlements and children arrangements. A member of Resolution, she is also a committed member of the Young Resolution committee. She has particular expertise in providing advice in respect of high net worth divorces involving complicated financial issues, including businesses and pensions, which can be one of the most significant assets in a marriage. She uses her unique breadth and depth of experience from her 4 years of practice as a Pensions lawyer to enable her to provide effective advice in this complex area. Alex deals with pre-marriage issues including pre-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements and disputes arising between cohabitees. She also has significant experience acting for clients with international and religious elements including both Islamic and Jewish divorce. Patient and understanding, Alex gives her clients a first-class service with a structured approach, meticulous preparation and excellent client care. In the Legal 500, Alex is explained to “really fight for her clients, no matter how difficult the case is. She is passionate and energetic and you definitely want her in your corner. Alexandra Goldrein is tenacious. She is deeply compassionate and committed to her clients.”

Anne Irwin

Anne has specialised in commercial property and residential development for 35 years and was a partner at both Cottrills and Slater Heelis. She now works with the firm as a consultant bringing her extensive experience and knowledge in two key areas: Residential Development – specialising in acquisition, disposal and development including complex heritage sites, the conversion of listed buildings to residential use, joint ventures and public/private sector agreements. Leisure Development – detailed knowledge of the planning, development and legal issues affecting home and holiday parks. Anne’s skill is in quickly understanding a client’s needs and providing a high quality, personal service. She takes time to understand exactly what each situation needs and negotiates on clients’ behalf to get the best deals possible, adding real value to a transaction.

Charlotte Beck

Partner Charlotte Beck has a great deal of experience in acting for clients not only in divorce and cohabitation disputes, but also in wider areas of property disputes. She brings with her expertise in advising on complex high net worth financial cases and intricate children disputes. Charlotte is a collaboratively trained lawyer and has a rare ability to see alternative routes to resolving issues. This approach has won her much praise from peers and a particularly loyal and growing following of clients and trusted contacts, evidenced by the fact she routinely receives referrals from ranked firms. Her clear and concise approach makes clients feel at ease whilst trying to make hard decisions in difficult circumstances, providing a thorough and relevant analysis of the facts to achieve solutions that work for clients. Charlotte is currently dealing with complicated litigation in the High Court concerning the valuation of private equity shares, an overseas trust, compensation, and Wells sharing principles. On a recently concluded matter (finalised November 2022), counsel instructed by Charlotte (Piers Pressdee KC of 4PB) commented that the matter was: “Probably the most conflicted private law case of my 30-year career. But for Charlotte Beck’s extraordinary input, there is no way our client would have prevailed.”

Chris Partington Tep

Chris is a Partner at Slater Heelis. He is one of 22 Court of Protection Panel Guardians and also one of only 71 Court of Protection Panel Deputies in the country acting on behalf of, or protecting, mentally incapacitated individuals (as Deputy or Attorney). As a member of Solicitors for the Elderly, he specialises in advising clients on the best way of protecting their families and their loved ones’ assets. He assists with Court of Protection applications and gives guidance on Lasting Powers of Attorney. Chris also acts as a Professional Executor for many of our clients. His considerable experience in this area of the law has been recognised by the Courts in his appointment as a neutral executor for complex estates. Due to the potentially stressful nature of this type of work, Chris has a particularly sensitive approach to advising in these matters, recognising that many clients need friendly support and reassurance in addition to uncomplicated advice on the legal issues. Chris qualified as a solicitor in 2005 after reading law at Manchester Metropolitan University gaining both an Honours Degree and a Masters Degree. He completed his training contract at Slater Heelis in 2005 having joined the firm in 2003. Chris became a Partner in 2009. Chris is recognised as a Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 directory 2024. Professional Memberships STEP; Court of Protection Panel; Solicitors for the Elderly.

Chris Bishop

As Senior Partner, Chris is heavily involved in the management of the business but still does a lot of client work. He is experienced in a variety of contentious disciplines, specialising in commercial disputes, property litigation, professional negligence and contentious trusts and probate. Clients range from private individuals, small companies and partnerships, to PLCs and not-for-profit organisations.

Daniel Wise

Daniel is an Associate Partner at Slater Heelis. He has over twenty years of experience in Litigation and Dispute Resolution. His main areas of specialism are contentious wills and probate, and trust and property disputes. This includes claims under the Inheritance Act 1975, disputes relating to the validity of wills (e.g. capacity and undue influence claims), and claims relating to property (including TOLATA claims, constructive trust/proprietary estoppel, and neighbour/boundary disputes).

Daniel Stern

Daniel is a Partner and Head of the Property Litigation team in the Manchester office. He has expertise in commercial, insolvency, banking, and real estate litigation, advising both national UK and overseas clients on a wide range of residential and commercial property-related contentious issues. He is known for his clear, pragmatic, and cost-effective solutions to complicated issues and his proactive approach to resolving disputes. His client base ranges from FTSE companies to SMEs, high-net-worth landlords and investors.

Elizabeth Wilkinson

Head of Department, Elizabeth has over 20 years PQE advising on a wide range of commercial disputes including large-scale complex contract cases, professional negligence actions, shareholder and breach of warranty claims, board disputes and pre-emptive actions to protect businesses from departing employees or previous owners.She advises on the rights and obligations of directors and shareholders, partners and members of LLPs and has advised large corporates and PLCs, SMEs and owner-managed businesses as well as individuals.Elizabeth has been recognised as a Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 since 2009.

Fakhruddin Maimoon

Fakhruddin is primarily based in the Private Client Team in the Manchester office but deals with both contentious and non-contentious matters. He advises on Inheritance Act claims, disputes in relation to Wills and Trusts, and claims against Executors and Trustees. Fakhruddin previously worked at a top tier international law firm gaining invaluable experience in commercial litigation. At his time there, he worked in-house for a large insurer client which meant that he was able to understand and appreciate how his client operates and their requirements. He most recently worked for a South Cheshire boutique practice advising in all areas of private client matters. Fakhruddin has many attributes but what makes him stand out is his personable nature and his ability to provide a practical approach whilst ensuring the best possible solution is found for each of his clients.

Georgina Garner

Georgina is a Partner and Head of the Court of Protection Department at Slater Heelis. She is also the Director of Slater Heelis Trust Corporation, with over ten years of experience managing mentally incapacitated individuals’ property and financial affairs. Within this role, she makes best-interest financial decisions for clients who cannot make them themselves. Through the Trust Corporation, Georgina acts as a Professional Deputy or Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs – working with various clients, from young children to the elderly in care homes. She has experience with managing multi-million-pound settlements and is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly, CoPPA and the Professional Deputies Forum. Her speciality is advising clients on all Court of Protection Matters and Lasting Powers of Attorney aspects. Georgina works closely with several Local Authorities who refer vulnerable clients directly to her. Georgina is approachable, and her clients benefit from her empathetic nature, which makes them feel secure and assured. Georgina was recognised as a Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 directory 2024.

Hannah Costley

Hannah is an Associate Solicitor with our Crime and Regulatory team. She qualified as a Solicitor in November 2019 and is also an accredited police station representative. Her specialisms lie within RSPCA prosecutions as well as road traffic offences. From advising suspects during police interviews to defendants appearing before the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts, Hannah has plentiful experience in working with a vast range of individuals. Hannah also has experience advising Police Officers involved in misconduct proceedings and representing Foster Carers who face allegations made against them by children in their care. She has experience representing defendants involved in Fire Safety prosecutions.

Jay Lafinhan

Jay is Partner & Head of Real Estate Finance Jay has extensive knowledge and experience in all areas of commercial and residential property law. He acts for a variety of clients including property investors, developers, corporate investors, private landlords, corporate landlords, commercial property portfolio managers, mainstream lenders as well as private corporate lenders. He also specialises in acting for lenders on short-term development loans, bridging finance and for private property developers and advises clients on all property aspects of infrastructure projects and renewable energy projects. With the high-level of experience and expertise he has acquired throughout his career, Jay provides an efficient, knowledgeable and user-friendly service to all the clients he acts for. Jay is recognised as a Leading Individual in the Legal 500 law directory 2024.

John Gorner

John specialises in contentious probate and trusts, residential property disputes, contentious Court of Protection, community care law (including safeguarding), public law/regulatory matters. He joined Slater Heelis to develop specific areas of work and use his experience, expertise and connections for the benefit of the firm.

Ken Salmon

Ken is a specialist dealing with contentious and non-contentious building and civil engineering matters.He is familiar with all UK methods of procurement and standard forms of contract, and he has extensive experience of dispute avoidance and all forms of dispute resolution – including litigation, arbitration, adjudication, expert determination and mediation.His clients include developers, contractors, specialist sub-contractors and construction professionals. Ken is also experienced in regulatory work, which includes advising and attending PACE interviews, dealing with enforcement notices and defending enforcement proceedings and prosecutions under health and safety at work, and environmental legislation.Ken is also a CMC-accredited and highly regarded mediator, experienced in conciliation techniques and procedures.

Kim Aucott

Kim is a Consultant in the Family team at Slater Heelis. She has a wealth of experience as a family lawyer and is a Resolution mediator, bringing a common-sense and focused approach to complex disputes. Working in the area of finances and wealth protection, Kim advises business owners and professionals across the UK on the breakdown of relationships as well as pre and post marital agreements where there are substantial UK and international assets. Kim is highly regarded throughout the legal community for her straightforward and sensible approach in areas of complex financial and children work. She has extensive experience with firms at both national and local level and regularly works with and receives client referrals from her professional peers. Kim’s clients include sport and media clients, business owners, doctors and fellow lawyers. Her work has an emphasis on intricate financial arrangements including detailed corporate structures and trusts and more challenging children cases where parental alienation plays a big part. A key feature of her financial practice is advising on nuptial agreements and wealth protection for clients.

Mark Heptinstall

Mark joined Slater Heelis in 2005 and is Partner and Head of the Family Department. Mark holds two part-time judicial appointments. He has recently been appointed as a Deputy District Judge (Civil & Family) and a Recorder (Family) on the Northern Circuit. Mark specialises in private family high net worth finances, complex children cases and is a Collaborative Lawyer. He has a niche in dealing with cases where capacity is an issue and cases involving contested trusts/probate and often cases with an international element. Mark has an array of clients both in the UK, particularly the South East and overseas including other professionals such as Barristers, Solicitors, business directors, media & sports personalities and medical professionals. Mark’s clients are almost exclusively personally referred to him by former clients and other professionals locally, nationally and internationally. Mark is recognised as a leading lawyer in the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession and is described as a “very thorough, proactive and a hard negotiator” and recognised as a leading individual in the Legal 500.

Nick Goodman

Nick Goodman is a Partner and Head of Insolvency Law at Slater Heelis, having joined in 2023.

Rachel Fletcher

Managing Partner & Head of Crime & Regulatory

Rebecca Muirhead

Rebecca Muirhead is an Associate Partner in our Family team. Rebecca qualified in 2010 and has over 13 years of experience dealing with matrimonial and civil partnership finance work, including those with complicated business assets. She has a developing practice of advising business owners and senior leaders in the technology sector. She has a specialist interest in cases involving inherited assets and preserving non-matrimonial property for current and future beneficiaries. Her international client base often includes assets spanning multiple jurisdictions, including the USA, South Africa, Russia, Germany, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Her approach to a case goes beyond simply applying and interpreting the law, she thinks creatively and commercially to get the best results for her clients often working closely with other professional advisers. Alongside her matrimonial finance work she advises on children matters often running cases concurrently. Her non-contentious practice includes advising on cohabitation agreements, pre and post-nuptial agreements offering her clients a full service for all the legal issues that can arise during a relationship. Her clients frequently refer to her as fair, honest and efficient, with an ability to avoid arguments for argument’s sake and a focus on the bigger picture.

Rebecca Lang

Rebecca is an Associate Partner in the family department and she deals with all aspects of private family law. She advises clients in relation to divorce and civil partnership dissolution as well as financial settlements, arrangements for children and cohabitation issues. Rebecca has specialised in Family Law since qualifying as a solicitor in 2011 and has a wealth of experience. She is a member of Resolution, the national association of family lawyers who are is committed to resolving family disputes in a constructive manner. She strives to reach resolution as cost-effectively as possible and in accordance with the client’s objectives. Rebecca is also a collaboratively trained lawyer. She acts for a wide range of clients, including business owners and professionals, and deals with cases involving assets both in England and Wales and overseas. Rebecca provides clients with clear, straightforward advice and is praised for her patience and empathy whilst also striving to achieve the best possible outcome.

Richard Wilson

Richard is a partner in the personal injury department, handling claims arising out of road traffic accidents, accidents at work and accidents in public places. He has extensive experience of claims involving serious injuries and recently settled a claim in which a motorcyclist suffered serious leg fractures which led to a below knee amputation. Liability was disputed and the claim was compromised at £500,000. He has dealt with a claim in which the claimant suffered a nerve injury to his shoulder and received £300,000. His largest settlement was £1,200,000 in a case in which a doctor suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident, including various fractures and a brachial plexus injury, which reduced his earnings capacity. He has also dealt with claims arising out of fatal accidents.

Richard Riley

Richard joined Slater Heelis in 2011 and became a Partner in 2023. He is experienced in commercial matters including drafting and reviewing business-to-business and business-to-consumer contracts (including standard terms and conditions), legal issues relating to online businesses, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights, IT agreements (including software/app development agreements, Software as a Service contracts, End User Licences), franchise agreements and has experience of dealing with the Information Commissioners Office in respect of GDPR/Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act issues. He advises on corporate matters including business sales and purchases, mergers and acquisitions, disposals, management buyouts and group reorganisations. He also advises clients on corporate governance matters including issues including drafting and advising on Articles of Association and Shareholders Agreements.

Simon Wallwork

Simon is a Partner and Head of the Corporate Team at Slater Heelis. He has over 30 years' experience in the industry, and advises on acquisitions, disposals and corporate transactions. He has specific sector experience of life sciences and technology, with particular expertise in advising early stage companies through their funding rounds to eventual exit.In addition to his life science specialism, he acts for a wide range of companies within the digital, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors.Simon has been consistently ranked in the top three of corporate transactional lawyers according to the Experian guides from 2015 to 2018, and held top positions for Most Active Legal Adviser in Manchester in 2019 and 2020.

Simon Adamson

Simon is a Partner and Head of Personal injury team. He specialises in all aspects of personal injury work, including road traffic accidents, public liability claims, accidents at work and holiday claims. Acts for claimants in mid and high value claims, including fatal accidents.

Sunil Mohindra

Sunil is a Consultant Solicitor here at Slater Heelis. Sunil has taken part in numerous DTI and other trade delegations and over the years has established a large network of overseas contacts, particularly in India. Sunil’s work has focused on commercial transactions including banking, mergers and acquisitions and cross-border transactions, especially between the UK and India. Sunil is a recommended lawyer in the Legal 500 law directory and was a Partner until 2021 when he stepped into a Consultant position.

Vicki McLynn

Vicki is a Partner in our Family team. Vicki is a highly regarded family lawyer with over 20 years of experience in the sector. She has particular expertise in high-value financial disputes, which frequently involve business interests, complex investments and asset tracing. Vicki also represents parents and grandparents in contentious disputes with regard to arrangements for children. Vicki is a specialist in international family law cases and often advises clients who live abroad or have connections outside England and Wales. She is also well used to representing high-profile individuals and can provide guidance with regard to issues around reputation, privacy and media. Vicki is an accredited specialist in high-net-worth divorce and children matters, and her breadth of experience and knowledge ensures she achieves the very best outcomes for her clients. With a raft of accolades to her name, Vicki has been recognised in the Legal 500, named in the Chambers directory and also listed in City Wealth as a leading matrimonial and family lawyer. She is also a regular contributor to national media publications and makes appearances to comment as the legal expert on radio and television.

Will Henson

Will is a Partner and the Head of Commercial Property and has built an excellent reputation for his keen commercial approach and his established client base includes a wide variety of private and corporate investors, landlords and tenants. He acts for a number of high-profile regional developers and has particular expertise in residential and commercial property development.

Zara Banday

Zara is a Partner and Head of the Residential Property team at Slater Heelis. Zara joined the firm in February 2016 after her former firm, Darbys LLP, were merging with Knights Professional Services Limited. Zara spent just under two years at Darbys LLP and prior to this she spent seven years in a national city centre firm where she gained superb experience in all aspects of residential property transactions, ranging from sale and purchase transactions to boundary disputes and Landlord and Tenant issues.Zara has a wide variety of clients and has acted for numerous sports personalities. She is often asked to act for high net worth individuals in complex property transactions. She also acts for lending institutions providing short term lending. Zara has a number of loyal clients and contacts and most of her work is generated from personal recommendations. Zara has strong links with numerous sports personalities and regularly gets asked to act on their behalf in complex sale and purchase transactions as well as drafting and approving Tenancy Agreements.

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