Geoff Hazlewood > Ashtons Legal > Bury St Edmunds, England > Lawyer Profile

Ashtons Legal is ‘a firm with a broad range of legal skills that enable it to support business across multiple sectors‘, and clients praise the fact that the key partners ‘understand their business and where they can add value‘. Practice head Geoff Hazlewood in Ipswich, who leads the team’s corporate advice to care home owners, sets the example. Newly promoted partner Craig Fiddaman, also based in Ipswich, specialises in share and asset acquisitions and disposals, and takes over the work of retiree Paul Whittingham in advising veterinary practices. The firm also calls upon niche expertise in commercial agency law, franchising, technology and banking.

The corporate and commercial group at Ashtons Legal is led from Ipswich by Geoff Hazlewood but its Norwich office is home to an experienced group of partners whose work spans key sectors regionally and nationally. Franchising specialists Damian Humphrey and John Chambers, who increasingly work for franchisees as well as franchisors, have a nationally recognised practice. CEO James Tarling helped establish the firm’s presence in the technology sector, and corporate transaction specialist Richard Bailey is a key adviser to national and international trade organisations and associations. Senior associates Mark Watson and the ‘friendly and diligent‘ David Sloman also play key roles in the practice.

At Ashtons Legal, the core group of finance partners is ‘knowledgeable, highly professional and always go the extra mile‘. Former practice head Ron Clare in Bury St Edmunds (who is ‘very commercial, experienced and readily available‘) remains active in the management of key panel relationships and handles high-value secured lending transactions. Newly promoted partner Greg McCurday in Norwich, whose main focus is real estate finance, has taken the reins. He recently acted for HSBC in the funding of the £4.8m purchase of a multi-let mixed use business site. Agriculture specialist Jeanette Dennis in Cambridge and Ipswich-based corporate partner Geoff Hazlewood frequently act for major bank clients.