Joelson > London, England > Firm Profile

Joelson
2 Marylebone Road
LONDON
NW1 4DF
England

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market Tier 6

Joelson's practice covers disputes involving the media, technology, and hospitality and leisure sectors. The team also acts in fashion, financial services, gambling, and food and drink-related claims. Jo Gregory is 'intelligent and calm under pressure', while Jennifer Maxwell- Harris's contentious employment caseload increasingly encompasses shareholder and director issues.

Practice head(s):

Jo Gregory; Jennifer Maxwell-Harris

Other key lawyers:

Reema Jethwa

Testimonials

‘The team is friendly, approachable, proactive, efficient, effective, and good value for money.’

‘Jo Gregory is intelligent and calm under pressure.’

‘Jennifer Maxwell-Harris is a real star. She’s a great lawyer, with a practical head, and a calm, calming and persuasive manner.’

‘Jennifer Maxwell-Harris gets great results.’

‘Joelson is very well placed to service the mid-market of commercial litigation.’

‘Combining excellent partner and senior associate input, the firm is able to act swiftly and effectively on disputes.’

‘They take the time to understand the business and work with clients.’

‘Excellent client service and support, and they are knowledgeable and give realistic expectations.’

Key clients

Firstplan

Deepki

Untold Studios

Talan SAS

Jamjar

Puttshack

Finatal

Addison Lee Group

Eedi

Arete Research

With Intelligence

Remoteli

Pets As Therapy

Work highlights

  • Acting for the UK subsidiary of French company Talan in relation to conspiracy, team move and contractual issues, as well as breaches of restrictive covenants.
  • Acting for Remoteli in a complex contractual matter.
  • Acting for national charity Pets As Therapy in a dispute involving various, alleged IP rights.

A key partner in our business’ success, we’ve been working with Joelson since our very beginnings. Smart, entrepreneurial and commercial – our favourite law firm.’ Richard Reed, co-founder, Innocent Drinks.

The firm: From its offices at 2 Marylebone Road, Joelson advises clients from a wide range of industry sectors, including food and drink, hospitality and leisure, media, tech and financial services. The firm offers a range of top-ranked legal services spanning corporate, real estate, employment, litigation, licensing, immigration, property litigation, construction and planning. Joelson became B Corp certified in 2023.

Types of work undertaken
Corporate and commercial:
a highly-regarded team advising on a broad range of corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, for private equity and VC-backed businesses, management teams on PE transactions, acting for entrepreneurs, start-ups and early stage growth companies on funding and general corporate advice on seed capital fundraising through to pre-IPO. The team also advises on joint ventures and a wide range of commercial agreements to enable and facilitate clients’ ability to trade and expand. The team has acted for a number of successful start-up companies, advising on initial funding rounds, development capital through to exit. The team has also developed an active practice acting for AIM-listed clients in relation to IPOs, placings and reverse takeovers. The firm has an active role in facilitating foreign direct investment into the UK and regularly assists clients who wish to establish businesses in the UK. Its clients include start-up businesses, serial entrepreneurs, SMEs and large multi-national companies.

Employment: the team provides innovative, commercially focused solutions to both corporate and senior executive clients. Clients benefit from a high level of partner involvement. The team has substantial experience in acting for employers in defending tribunal claims and also has experience of litigating in the High Court in relation to restrictive covenants and team moves. It also acts for senior executives (including management teams on buyouts and investment runs) advising on new terms of employment and in negotiating exit terms (often complex and high-value involving deferred elements).

Immigration: Joelson’s immigration team provides specialist business immigration advice and assistance and helps clients with obtaining Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas, Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visas and Representative of Overseas Business visas for entrepreneurs, talented individuals and businesses who want to set up and/or develop business in the UK. Our team also helps employers with the employer’s sponsor licence and hiring skilled and experienced employees under Tier 2. We also help individuals and their families with EEA permits, indefinite leave to remain (permanent residency) and UK citizenship. The team works closely with accountants, tax advisers and asset management advisers, together with Joelson’s corporate and property teams.

Commercial litigation: the team undertakes a wide range of high-value and complex disputes, both in the UK and internationally, for corporates and high-net-worth individuals. It has many years of experience of prosecuting and defending matters through the UK courts, arbitration and ADR. The team has extensive experience in advising on a range of commercial matters, including breach of contract, shareholder and partnership disputes, commercial property disputes, infringement of intellectual property rights, debt recovery and asset tracing, insolvency and professional negligence.

Real estate: The team assists developers and investors in the residential, retail, leisure, industrial and office sectors with all aspects of the property life-cycle, from acquisition and funding through to development, asset management and disposal. The team also has particular expertise in property finance and acting for retail and leisure operators.

Real estate litigation: The team, headed by Daniel Swimer, covers the full spectrum of commercial and residential real estate disputes often to clients in the retail and residential development sectors. The team works closely with the firm’s real estate lawyers to minimise the risk of disputes escalating to litigation. The team’s expertise includes contested and uncontested lease renewals, dilapidations, property asset management, service charge disputes, boundary disputes, sale and purchase disputes, and enfranchisement. The team acts for developers, investors, and landlords and tenants.

Construction: The team is highly rated and dynamic providing commercially focused advice in both non-contentious (transactional) and construction dispute related matters. The team acts for developers, property investors, funders, contractors and professional consultants, and has a leading specialist practitioner in development funding transactions. The team’s commercial and pragmatic approach facilitates our clients to regularly achieve their objectives in relation to construction projects.

Clients: Joelson acts on behalf of leading multi-national companies, including Addison Lee, Innocent Drinks, Itsu, Little Moons, Elvie, Eat Natural, Remoteli and Sustainable Ventures.

International: Joelson has well established relationships with firms throughout Europe and the USA. It is a member of the European Lawyers Network & Affiliated Firms and the DIT UK Advisory Network and has been a commercial partner to London & Partners for many years.

Department Name Email Telephone
Managing Partner - Corporate Paul Chiappe paul@joelsonlaw.com
Managing Partner - Corporate Phil Hails-Smith phil@joelsonlaw.com
Real Estate Andrew Clissold andrew.c@joelsonlaw.com
Real Estate Litigation Daniel Swimer daniel.s@joelsonlaw.com
Corporate David Grossbard david.g@joelsonlaw.com
Real Estate David Hershkorn david.h@joelsonlaw.com
Disputes & Employment Jennifer Maxwell-Harris jennifer.mh@joelsonlaw.com
Disputes Jo Gregory jo.g@joelsonlaw.com
Corporate Matthew Overton matthew.o@joelsonlaw.com
Construction Myles Levy myles.l@joelsonlaw.com
Chairman Sheldon Cordell sheldon.c@joelsonlaw.com
Photo Name Position Profile
Paul Chiappe photo Paul Chiappe Paul is Managing Partner and Co-Head of the Corporate Team with over…
Andrew Clissold photo Andrew Clissold Andrew advises on a broad range of commercial property transactions including the…
Sheldon Cordell photo Sheldon Cordell Sheldon works alongside many well-known CEOs of public and private businesses. He…
Jo Gregory photo Jo Gregory Jo is a Partner at Joelson, which she joined in 2006 to…
David Grossbard photo David Grossbard David has extensive experience in a broad range of corporate & commercial matters, as…
Phil Hails-Smith photo Phil Hails-Smith Phil’s main practice areas include a broad range of UK and cross…
David Hershkorn photo David Hershkorn Since qualifying in 1997, he has worked in both London’s West End…
Myles Levy photo Myles Levy Myles is a specialist in all areas of UK construction law, contractual…
Jennifer Maxwell-Harris photo Jennifer Maxwell-Harris Jennifer advises companies and employees on all aspects of employment relationships including…
Matthew Overton photo Matthew Overton Matthew practices across a broad range of transactional and advisory work for…
Daniel Swimer photo Daniel Swimer Daniel is a partner and the Head of Property Litigation at Joelson. He…
Partners : 12
Associates & solicitors : 24
Other fee earners : 6
Support staff : 17
Spanish
French
Japanese
Hindi
Greek
The Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS)

CLIENT: Kara Rosen (Founder)
COMPANY/FIRM: Plenish
TESTIMONIAL: “Joelson is the perfect partner to support founders through all stages of a growing business. They’ve supported Plenish through several fundraises, setting up an EMI scheme, employment law and an eventual exit to Britvic PLC. Their wealth of experience in FMCG has added so much value and I’ve never met a harder working team!”


CLIENT: Chester King (Managing Director)
COMPANY/FIRM: Stoke Park
TESTIMONIAL: “Joelson steered us carefully through this sale, always taking the time to communicate clearly with us and outlining the options and decisions we needed to make, every step of the way. The successful outcome is not only testament to the long-term relationship we have with them but their extensive experience and enthusiastic approach. Thank you for all the hard work from Sheldon and the whole team at Joelson.”


CLIENT: Rob Quayle (CEO)
COMPANY/FIRM: Direct Life
TESTIMONIAL: “Magda has guided us through three transactions over the past four years – one MBO, and two significant investments, and we wouldn’t want anyone else. Magda and Paul’s understanding of our needs shone through from the outset. Their advice went way beyond the legal issues and guided us to a successful conclusion from a personal and business perspective. We were always convinced they had our back, acting with our best interests at heart, minimising our costs, maximising our opportunity and always a pleasure to deal with. Thank you guys!”


CLIENT: Cassandra Stavrou (Founder)
COMPANY/FIRM: PROPER
TESTIMONIAL: “Joelson have now guided PROPER through two successful deals. It is a true testament to the long-term support and relationship we have with them. Paul and the team have been truly focused and attentive throughout the whole process. PROPER took nearly a decade to build and Joelson understood that finding the right partner was a major moment for me personally and the business. We are delighted and deeply appreciative of Joelson’s hard work in making this a successful deal.”


CLIENT: Alessandro Savelli (CEO & Founder)
COMPANY/FIRM: Pasta Evangelists
TESTIMONIAL: “We have enjoyed working with Joelson over the past four years since our inception, they have been with us since the start, supporting us every step of the way. Their understanding of our business and values have been instrumental in ensuring the smooth delivery of this deal. The sale is an exciting step for us and we are glad to have had Phil and his team to advise us throughout. Their in-depth sector experience, commitment and pro-active approach has been so valuable in getting this deal completed in these challenging times. We look forward to working with Joelson in the future – I would highly recommend them to any consumer business.”


CLIENT: Tania Boler (Chief Executive Officer and Founder)
COMPANY/FIRM: Elvie
TESTIMONIAL: “Paul and the team at Joelson are an excellent partner to us – because of their responsiveness, attention to detail and understanding of our vision for Elvie and the scale of our growth plans.”


CLIENT: Antonia Kinlay (British Actor)
TESTIMONIAL: “Thank you to the team at Joelson for helping me achieve this fair result. I hope this inspires other actors to step forward and fight for fair treatment and not accept discriminatory practices. Jenny and Reema were attentive, meticulous, and extremely supportive throughout the whole process.”


CLIENT: Liam Griffin (Chief Executive Officer)
COMPANY/FIRM: Addison Lee
TESTIMONIAL: “We are delighted to have worked with Joelson again on this transaction. Having worked with them for many years they always deliver and continue to provide us with the practical, commercial advice that we need as we continue to grow our business. They are always great to deal with, responsive and always go the extra mile when it comes to supporting the key developments for Addison Lee. This acquisition will allow us to continue serving our clients with the utmost safety and comfort around London.”


CLIENT: Praveen Vijh (Co-Founder)
COMPANY/FIRM: Eat Natural
TESTIMONIAL: “We really wanted to have advisers who understood our business and our industry. Selling our business was such a milestone in our careers and came with significant emotional turmoil. The team at Joelson were fantastic. Knowledgeable, calm and willing to go the extra mile at all times to get us to this point. Their commercial understanding of the sector, ability to handle all aspects of the transaction and manage all the stakeholders was a key part in the success of this exciting deal. Thank you to Phil and the team.”