Adrian is a Partner in the Real Estate department. He has extensive experience in many aspects of commercial real estate work including investment, development and property finance. Adrian also has experience of acting for corporate occupiers and multi-site occupiers in the leisure and hospitality sector.
Alice is an Associate in Druces’ Private Wealth team. She advises on a broad range of Private Client matters including the drafting of Wills for UK domiciled and non-domiciled individuals, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work, trusts, administration of UK estates and estate and tax planning. She is also developing her practice in Contentious Probate and Charity law.
Antony is a Partner and the Head of Banking & Financial Services in the Corporate and Commercial team. He has built up a wealth of expertise in transactional work such as advising clients on M&A, private investment, and joint ventures. Over time, Antony’s practice has pivoted away from general corporate transactional work and towards financial services. Today he spends much of his time advising banks and other lending institutions and corporate borrowers on a wide array of leveraged financing transactions including acquisition, real estate and trade finance as well as general corporate lending and Sharia’a compliant finance. Antony regularly advises clients on FCA regulatory issues surrounding financial promotion and regulated activities. He also advises managers in relation to the set-up, structuring and documenting of property, venture, debt and hedge funds.
Benjamin Lomer is a Partner and Head of Property Litigation in Druces' Dispute Resolution team. He has wide experience in dealing with both property litigation and commercial litigation matters. In respect of commercial property, Ben acts for both landlords and tenants and specialises in business tenancies including advising lease renewals, terminations, and dealing with associated notices and Court proceedings. He is familiar and experienced with advising landlords on the implications of tenant insolvency events, including those who have entered into CVA’s. Ben regularly deals with enforcement issues, including recovery of rent arrears, dilapidations claims, and recovering vacant possession of property when necessary. In respect of residential property, Ben acts for landlords and tenants in dealing with enfranchisement both on an individual basis (lease extension) and collective basis (purchase of freehold). He also deals with high value cases regarding breaches of lease and with the associated notices, Court or Tribunal proceedings.
Caroline is a Partner and Head of Corporate Restructuring in the Corporate and Commercial Department. She deals with a broad range of corporate work, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and investment agreements and structuring. Caroline’s focus is corporate restructuring, in both solvent and insolvent situations. She is regularly instructed to advise international group companies, charities, investors and high net worth individuals on corporate law issues and corporate governance.
Cheryl is a Solicitor in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial team. She joined the firm as a corporate legal assistant in January 2019 and started her training contract with Druces in March 2021.
Christopher is the Head of Corporate and is a member of Druces Executive Committee which manages the firm’s direction and vision for the future. He deals with a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including AIM and AQSE work, national and international joint ventures and group restructuring. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions in regulated industries and has particular expertise in advising financiers, investors, owners and operators in the leisure and healthcare sectors. He is also experienced in dealing with Sharia’a compliant transactions.
Christopher is a consultant in our Real Estate team. He specialises in planning and compulsory purchase, advising both the private and public sectors on all related matters and has practiced in this area since qualification. He advises on planning policy, applications and appeals for planning permissions, negotiation of section 106 agreements and submission of unilateral undertakings, as well as CIL liability. He also deals with contracts for sale of land conditional on planning permission, compulsory purchase matters, both promoting and resisting, and town centre and other brown field site regeneration. He advises on infrastructure agreements, listed buildings and conservation areas, the risk of judicial review and road closure orders. He regularly speaks on planning and related matters, both at conferences and individually for his clients.
Christopher Evans is a Consultant in Druces’ Corporate and Commercial Department. He is experienced in a wide range of corporate, commercial and employment matters, particularly in the media, technology and creative industries. He also has experience of dealing with government and non-profit making bodies.
Claire is a Senior Associate in Druces LLP’s Corporate and Commercial team. Claire deals with a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate re-organisations as well as advising on a range of property and acquisition finance transactions. She specialises in mergers and acquisitions in regulated industries and has particular expertise in the healthcare sector. Claire is also experienced in dealing with Sharia’a compliant transactions.
Consultant in the Corporate and Commercial department, with over 35 years’ experience of advising entrepreneurial growing companies, both public and private. His practice focuses on capital markets and a combination of capital raising and mergers and acquisitions, often with a cross-border element. David has been actively involved in AIM since its inception in 1995, and has acted as company secretary to a number of listed and AIM companies. While David represents clients across a range of industries, his practice has some emphasis on the life sciences and natural resources sectors; to that end, he has lectured and written on the application of royalty financing securitization structures in the pharmaceutical industry. He also has a growing renewable energy and cleantech practice.
Dominic is a Partner in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial team, specialising in corporate law, listings and takeovers, M&A and corporate finance. Dominic has acted on several AIM admissions and reverse takeovers, acquisitions, joint ventures and secondary fundraisings, with a particular focus on the natural resources sector.
Partner in the Private Wealth department, Helen's background and specialisms include incorporating Wills, probate including UK and foreign domiciliary estates, trusts, court of protection work, lasting powers of attorney, tax planning and charity law. She also leads Druces’ Charities and Philanthropy practice. She has written articles for the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph and has appeared on BBC TV and Radio to discuss a range of private client topics. Helen speaks fluent German and has experience taking on cases with a German or Austrian element.
Jack is a Partner in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial Department. He advises clients in relation to initial public offerings on both AIM and the Standard Segment of the Main Market, as well as equity capital raisings, convertible loan notes, M&A, commercial contracts, due diligence and disclosure, the incorporation and set-up of companies and a variety of public company work. Jack has developed a particular expertise advising companies in the oil and gas sector, and mining sectors, with operations spread across the world. Clients include international oil and gas companies, a gold exploration company, an African integrated natural gas producing utility company and a major petrol forecourt retailer. Recent experience includes advising AIM and Standard Segment listed companies on their respective IPOs, private placements, secondary fundraisings, reverse take-overs and re-admissions, cancellations from the Main Market and admission to AIM and other capital markets, corporate and M&A-related transactions.
Jacqueline D’Arcy is a Solicitor in Druces’ Real Estate team. She has experience in residential property and conveyancing, this includes acting for all types of clients buying and selling freehold and leasehold residential property, refinancing, and general assistance. Jacqueline has a proactive and straight-forward approach, taking great pride in the level of care she provides her clients.
James Brand is a Consultant in the Real Estate team, specialising in Construction. James is experienced in all aspects of construction & engineering law. His work covers a wide spectrum of commercial development, residential and mixed use construction and development projects for developers, consultants and contractors. In addition he advises on all methods of construction procurement including strategic framework and/or partnering strategies.
Jo is a Senior Associate in our Real Estate team and specialises in Commercial Property. She qualified as a solicitor in 2014 and joined Druces LLP in 2023. Jo’s expertise includes portfolio asset management, the acquisition and disposal of freehold and leasehold commercial property and all aspects of non-contentious landlord and tenant matters. Jo also acts for borrowers and guarantors in connection with secured lending and assists with the property aspects of corporate sales and acquisitions. Jo loves to travel and lives in West Sussex with her husband and two young children.
Kajal is an Associate in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial team. Her experience includes completing UK and offshore company share acquisitions and sales, luxury asset acquisitions, joint venture deals, refinancing, advising crypto start-ups and on crowdfunding platform set-ups. Kajal also has experience supporting clients in the healthcare industry, where she has advised on the sales and purchases of pharmacies, nurseries and dental practices.
Partner and Druces' Head of Real Estate, Karen has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial property and landlord and tenant related work, with a particular emphasis on investment and unregulated co-investment structures. During her time at Druces LLP she has acted on over 200 property syndicates. She acts for a variety of clients including private investors, retailers, developers and property companies. Karen is also a member of the Druces Executive Committee which manages the firm’s direction and vision for the future.
Karen is a Legal Executive in Druces LLP’s Real Estate team. She is experienced in all residential property transactions including sales, purchases, remortgages, lease extensions (acting for the landlord or the tenant) and plot sales (acting for the landlord) and plot purchases.
Katie is a Senior Associate in Druces LLP’s Real Estate team. She has experience in leasehold enfranchisement, including the right of first refusal and UK commercial and residential high value property transactions. Katie advises a wide range of clients from individuals to collective groups of tenants and entrepreneurs to large multi-national companies. Katie also works closely with the Corporate and Commercial Team on transactions involving property aspects, in particular share purchase agreements and franchise agreements.
Krupa joined the firm in August 2021 as an Associate in the Private Wealth department. Prior to joining Druces, Krupa worked at a regional firm, based in Richmond-upon-Thames.
Lisa is a Solicitor in Druces LLP’s Real Estate team. She advises on a broad range of commercial real estate matters ranging from landlord and tenant work to the sale and acquisition of commercial properties.
Mark is a Senior Associate in Druces LLP’s Corporate and Commercial team. He deals with a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate re-organisations, due diligence and disclosure and acquisition finance transactions. Mark is also developing his practice in relation to initial public offerings on both AIM and the Standard Segment of the Main Market.
Matthew is a Partner and Head of Private Wealth. He has an extensive private client practice and has specialist expertise in a number of areas. His particular expertise includes dealing with complex tax planning, trust and estate issues for both UK and international high net worth individuals and trustees. Matthew deals with complex high level estate and succession planning with particular emphasis on entrepreneurial clients and family businesses. Furthermore he has developed a strong contentious probate, trust and disputed wills practice. Worthy of particular note, Matthew is registered as a will draftsman in the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) Wills and Probate Registry where he is authorised to draft and advise on the production of DIFC compliant wills. Matthew was the first non Dubai based solicitor to be awarded this title. Furthermore he is a professional deputy for the Court of Protection and has a number of complex professional deputyships, Executorships and Trustee appointments. Matthew offers pragmatic, practical and personable advice. He is consistently praised by clients and intermediaries for his care and attention and excellent advice.
Michael is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution team, he specialises in Property Litigation for mainly commercial clients and has experience of dealing with a wide range of property related issues.
Michael is a Senior Associate in Druces’ Private Wealth Department. He has experience in advising high net worth clients, often with an offshore connection through asset ownership or citizenship, on UK and International succession and tax planning. This frequently involves the drafting of wills to accommodate for complex family dynamics and asset bases, advising on residence and domicile, with the associated tax ramifications, and the creation and administration of trusts. Michael adopts a holistic approach to ensure clients’ needs are met and to mitigate their exposure to tax. He has experience in providing advice to individuals who own UK-situate property through a company structure. This includes providing advice regarding the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED), ATED Capital Gains Tax and the pros and cons of removing property from a corporate structure. Michael also provides advice regarding Non-Resident Capital Gains Tax. Assisting executors in the administration of estates is also one of Michael's strengths, including those with assets in various jurisdictions. Where appropriate, he advises beneficiaries regarding the use of post death variations to mitigate tax and restructure asset ownership. Michael also advises clients regarding mental capacity law and has much experience in drafting Powers of Attorney and making applications to the Court of Protection.
Michelle is a Senior Associate in Druces’ Real Estate team. Michelle specialises in leasehold enfranchisement and in commercial and residential property. Michelle has experience assisting both landlords and tenants in leasehold enfranchisement (including in respect of lease extensions, collective enfranchisements and rights of first refusal) and in UK residential and commercial property. Michelle advises a variety of clients, including individuals, developers and companies.
Neil is a Partner in Druces’ Commercial Dispute Resolution team, specialising in general commercial litigation, all areas of dispute resolution and insolvency work. Neil has over 30 years’ experience in general commercial litigation and all areas of dispute resolution. In addition, Neil specialises in insolvency work and has undertaken numerous restructurings of insolvent companies. Neil’s pragmatic approach to litigation and his ability to get the optimum outcome is greatly prized by his clients.
Neil Pfister is a specialist Commercial, IT & IP Partner in our Corporate and Commercial department. Neil brings his real-life experience at the sharp-end of the IT world to the advice he gives in his core specialism of Commercial Law – in particular the Telecoms, Media and Technology sectors, on matters such as IT and Internet, start-ups as well as Intellectual Property-related issues. Neil specialises in advising clients based in technology and software, including terms and conditions, agency agreements, confidentiality / NDAs, consultancy, distribution, e-commerce, franchising and intellectual property law. He also advises commercial clients, particularly in the technology sector, on how to structure their businesses, as well as on buying and selling companies, partnerships, LLPs or sole trader businesses.
Consultant in the Real Estate department. Formerly the Head of Real Estate, Nick became a consultant in May 2022 and has wide experience of all areas of commercial property – development, investment, property finance and corporate occupation.
Nicole is a Partner in Druces’ Private Wealth team. Nicole’s practice covers a broad range of private client work, including estate planning, will drafting, incapacity and probate, particularly with a cross border element, most frequently in France and other French speaking jurisdictions. She also advises on a wide variety of issues relating to French property. She has extensive experience of structuring transactions to meet clients’ personal and tax needs. Nicole’s interest in cross-border issues was piqued as early as her teens when she saw the additional difficulties a surviving spouse faces in international situations. She is passionate about helping international families plan their estates, and helping their families deal with their estates after a death. At a difficult time, the international elements are often “the final straw” for the bereaved. Nicole focuses on explaining the different processes and considerations in a sympathetic and practical manner and aims to make the whole process as stress-free as possible. She liaises across borders with the different family members and professionals involved and ensures that any misunderstandings or complications are dealt with promptly and smoothly.
Nigel is a consultant in our Real Estate team. He specialises in legal issues arising in construction, engineering, procurement and property development. He acts for developers, employers, property owners and occupiers, contractors and professional consultants. He advises on the full range of projects from major public procurement schemes and energy projects to office, retail and residential developments and individual sites. He has knowledge and experience of an extensive range of building contracts, consultants’ appointments and related documents and regularly gives seminars and workshops on these. He is the author of “Let the Builder Beware-a guide to professional appointments and warranties on construction projects”.
Nigel Adams is a Partner and the Head of Dispute Resolution. He is a versatile lawyer who combines a wide raging commercial litigation practice with media-focused work. Throughout his career, Nigel has acted for a variety of individuals and businesses on areas such as contract and shareholder disputes, professional negligence, insolvency and agency matters. With regard to his media practice, Nigel has been involved in everything from defamation claims and other reputation management work, to royalty disputes, and intellectual property issues. He has particular expertise in classic car disputes, civil fraud and international arbitration. Nigel prides himself on working hand-in-hand with his clients to guide them through the dispute resolution process, working towards their ultimate goal as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
Parveen is a partner in Druces’ Residential Property team. She has expert knowledge in all aspects of residential conveyancing including leasehold and freehold sales and purchases, re-mortgage transactions and transfers of equities. Parveen prides herself on giving clear and straightforward explanations of the complexities of these transactions to her clients. Having particular experience with the prime and super prime London sectors and the Home Counties market, Parveen’s expertise particularly comes to the fore in dealing with high value freehold and leasehold properties and a range of other complex transactions. Recent examples of her work include the purchase of a central London property for £17m and a freehold purchase of a large residential development in Richmond by a management company from a major developer. In her spare time, Parveen likes to paint, read, travel and spend time with her two young children.
Paul is a Partner at Druces and a business and property tax lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in the City. He is a member of the firm’s private client, wealth management and tax group, and work closely with all the transactional practices of the firm to provide advice on corporation tax, income tax, capital gains tax, value added tax, stamp duty and stamp duty land tax. He has extensive tax planning and advisory experience, particularly in UK and cross-border finance, property and corporate transactions.
Paul is a Partner in the Private Wealth department. His practice covers a broad range of work for UK and international families and entrepreneurs, encompassing everything from Wills and probate to the most complex tax planning. He has a particular focus on working with international clients, especially concerning trusts and other wealth structuring opportunities. Court of Protection work forms another part of Paul’s caseload. He is experienced in advising elderly clients (Lasting Powers of Attorney, tax mitigation and the like) and in recent years has developed an expertise in handling trust and probate disputes, itself a specialist area. Paul acted for the widow, in her claim regarding her late husband’s Will, in the case of Eade v Hogg [2021] EWHC 1057 (Ch).
Paul is the Team Lead for Tax Compliance and Disclosure in the Private Wealth department. His compliance work includes the preparation of accounts for trusts and charities, tax returns for trusts and individuals along with trust administration and ad hoc advisory assignments. His disclosure work involves assisting individuals and trusts in circumstances where the correct amount of tax has not been paid and taxpayers need to bring their affairs fully up to date.
Phillip is a Partner specialising in Employment and Immigration law. He has a wealth of experience in handling a broad range of employment and immigration cases with particular expertise in resolving intricate HR issues and providing advice on sponsor licence and corporate visa applications. Phillip’s work has covered matters arising out of recruitment, employee absenteeism, whistleblowing, TUPE transfers, business reorganisation, employee grievances, disciplinary proceedings, dismissals, and the enforceability of post-termination restrictive covenants. Alongside his Employment experience, Phillip also provides expert Immigration advice. He regularly advises on sponsor licence applications and supporting visa applications for individuals whom businesses wish to recruit. Clients come from a diverse variety of sectors, including manufacturing, IT, charities, retail, and professional services. Phillip regularly represents SMEs and large corporates, as well as senior individuals negotiating their exit. Below are some recent examples of Phillip’s work: Advising on and negotiating the settlement of a proposed constructive dismissal claim of a senior employee Supporting a business with an application for a sponsor licence and the subsequent visa application of their new COO and his wife Advising and negotiating a settlement on behalf of a senior employee following the unfair termination of his overseas secondment and subsequent proposed redundancy from his substantive UK role Supporting with the management of a sponsor licence following a change in corporate structure and the resulting changes, which required a new licence and transfer of migrants to the new licence.
Rebecca is a Solicitor in Druces’ Corporate and Commercial team. She has gained experience in a broad range of corporate advisory matters and transactional work, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions and banking and finance. Rebecca advises domestic and international clients on acquisition finance and corporate lending, real estate finance, and Sharia’a compliant and Islamic finance transactions.
Richard is a highly regarded Construction lawyer with broad experience across the sector. This encompasses the drafting of all forms of construction contracts and the handling of complex disputes in construction and engineering cases, both domestic and international. His clients include contractors and subcontractors; property owners and developers; consultants and project stakeholders. Multi-party litigation is a particular specialism. Richard has acted in a number of major disputes before the courts, as well as in arbitrations, adjudications and mediations. These cases have focused on a range of infrastructure projects including, light rail, PFI agreements, hospitals, residential developments and sports stadia. Richard also regularly conducts international arbitrations or co-counsels with other firms in international arbitrations. Today, Richard splits his time fairly equally between dispute resolution and non-contentious advisory work. Richard regularly advises on the terms of contracts and other related contractual documentation. He provides a contract review and advisory service to his contractor clients and regularly advises developers on development agreements and putting together suites of contract documents for major projects.
Robert is a Partner and Druces' Head of Private Wealth. He has significant experience with UK and international tax planning, trust matters, probates, tax disclosures and disputes for banks, high net worth individuals, trustees, international companies, UK collection societies and partnerships. Robert specialises in complex tax planning for international and domestic clients. He leads Druces’ International Wealth & Fiduciary team which specialises in securing low profile successful outcomes for high profile family offices and their interests. He also has expertise in dealing with copyright in relation to film and television directors and the UK representative body of those directors. He has been involved in notable matters successfully assisting clients caught up in the HSBC data theft in Switzerland and advised fiduciaries drawn into litigation with a Middle Eastern state government following the Arab Spring. He also pioneered the successful use of various tax reliefs with claims for the remittance basis of taxation. Robert acts for trustee companies around the world with an emphasis on trustees based in the jurisdictions of the BVI, Switzerland, Mauritius, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Ronak is a senior associate in Druces’ Real Estate team. She qualified as a solicitor in 2014 and joined Druces in 2023. A residential property specialist, Ronak has a wealth of real estate experience. Her clients include first time buyers and experienced property investors, developers and high net worth clients purchasing multi-million-pound homes in the prime central London market. Ronak has previously worked internationally, particularly in Dubai and Iran, and has a particular affinity with clients from the Middle East. Her clients include a prominent Middle Eastern royal family.
Roy is Druces’ Senior Partner. With over 40 years’ experience as a qualified solicitor, Roy specialises in all aspects of Private Wealth work, including the deployment of private capital, tax and estate planning, probate and administration of estates through to Wills, commercial ventures and services for international clients.
Sarah is a Senior Associate in the Real Estate team. She has broad commercial property experience with an emphasis on landlord and tenant work, disposals, acquisitions and the property aspects of corporate transactions. Sarah acts for a range of clients including banks, major retailers, developers and private clients.
Stephen is a partner in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial team, with over 30 years’ experience in corporate law. Stephen also acts as company secretary for several publicly listed companies.
Partner in the Real Estate department. She has broad experience in commercial property, most notably in investment, development and property finance. She also has experience in dealing with Sharia’a compliant transactions.
Terri is a Solicitor in Druces’ Dispute Resolution team. She has experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters.
Toby Stroh (LLB) is a Consultant in Druces’ Corporate & Commercial team. He specialises in general company and commercial work. His experience ranges from first round start-ups for small to mid-size businesses in sectors as diverse as hi-tech university spin-outs and property, leisure and financial service entities, to venture capital, private equity and capital markets work involving fund raising and investor exits, to major project work and mergers and acquisitions. He has also worked on almost everything in-between, including most of the commercial work that clients involved in such diverse areas typically require ranging from IP and IT to distribution, agency, franchise and joint venture agreements and advice on competition law. For a number of years Toby has also specialised in representing high net worth individuals (typically in the financial services sector) in employment related matters both contentious (High Court and Employment Tribunal) and non-contentious. He has built up a considerable expertise in this highly confidential and complex area.
Victoria Novikova is a Consultant in the Dispute Resolution team. She specialises in commercial litigation and international arbitration and is experienced in dispute resolution of complex commercial disputes involving fraud, conspiracy and misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, interim injunctions, jurisdictional issues and enforcement.
Wendy is a Solicitor in Druces’ Dispute Resolution team. Wendy joined Druces in September 2023. Wendy has particular expertise in Property Litigation, with experience covering a wide range of commercial and residential landlord and tenant matters including: Possession claims Service charge disputes Statutory and voluntary lease extensions Rights of first refusal Assured Shorthold Tenancies Exercising landlord and tenant break notices Collective enfranchisement claims Recovery of rent/ service charge arrears Debt claims Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 lease renewals (opposed and unopposed).