Disputes Team

For many years I predominantly practised family and civil law. I qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives in 1997 and in 1999 qualified as a solicitor.

I have experience of all types of litigation including housing, commercial, dispute resolution, disputed wills and probate, insolvency and debt recovery.

I have successfully concluded a case in the Supreme Court, which clarifies the law surrounding harassment: Hayes v Willoughby.

I am a member of ACTAPS which is the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists.

My main area of practice now is contentious probate advising upon the validity of wills, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for family and dependants) Act 1975 and disputes in relation to trusts.

I qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and have worked in private practice ever since, both in London and later in a regional practice where I became a partner and head of the litigation team.

I have experience of all types of litigation including contractual and commercial disputes, negligence actions, property litigation and disputed wills and probate. I joined Sharmans in May 2018 and in April 2022 I was made an Associate. I act for both individual and commercial clients and also advise on alternative dispute resolution, including mediation.

My legal career started in 2007 as an in-house debt recovery officer, which in 2009 was followed by a promotion to an in-house legal adviser specialising in court litigation. I completed my formal legal qualification as a Legal Executive in 2013 and in 2016 additionally qualified as a Solicitor. From 2016 I have worked in several private legal firms as a dispute resolution solicitor before becoming a consultant in 2021 and joined the disputes team with Sharmans in 2023.

My passion is resolving disputes in the most pragmatic way and finding solutions that are not only legally sound but make business sense too. I seek to employ negotiation skills and smart strategies to avoid or shorten expensive litigation wherever possible.

In addition to my legal qualifications, I have a first-class degree in economics and exceptional business acumen.