VWV > Bristol, England > Firm Profile

‘Con Alexander is a trusted and leading specialist who has helped our charity to navigate complex charity law surrounding trust land.’

‘They give sound advice, based on experience and expertise, in intelligible language.’

‘Con Alexander has enormous experience. He has handled a very complex and innovative cross-border transaction in the charity sector, coordinating advice from lawyers and tax advisers in different jurisdictions.’

‘Con Alexander is an expert in his field, combining deep technical knowledge with years of practical experience dealing with clients, boards, and the Charity Commission. This combines to give clear, focused advice which is pragmatic and proportionate.

‘Rachel Tonkin is a highly capable, thoughtful lawyer who is clearly highly experienced in her field. I am as happy to trust her advice and judgement as that of a partner, which is a reflection of her ability.’

‘The legal professionals I have worked with from VWV are intelligent and competent, as one would expect, but also personable and kind. They are brilliant at keeping in regular communication, and at explaining complex legal matters clearly. There is a brilliant wealth of expertise when it comes to charity law, probate, estate accounts, inheritance tax, and anything else to do with estate planning and/or charity legacy income.’

‘Notable mention should go to Laura Chesham; efficient, communicative, and always ready to answer a quick question by phone or email.’

‘One of the largest teams of contentious trusts and estates specialists in the South West. They have the resources to manage substantial disputes.’

‘Julia Hardy is an exceptional senior associate producing partner level work. Julia tactical judgment and negotiating abilities are a real asset in litigation.’

‘VWV have an exceptionally strong contentious trusts and probate team, with vast experience in the wide variety of issues that arise in this field.’ 

‘Michelle Rose is a hugely experienced team leader, who brings sound judgment and a pragmatic approach to all her cases. She is ably supported by her team, including the excellent Julia Hardy; Julia is intelligent and meticulous and has such a reassuring manner with clients.’

‘Michelle Rose is a regional heavyweight in the practice area.’

‘Fiona Lawrence is a calm individual who has guided us through a complex case with expertise and resilience. Her advice has always been commercial and pragmatic, and she explains complex matters in clear terms.’

‘The VWV Bristol team are recognised as market leading in relation to offering advice and guidance in the Independent School’s market, which stems from their deep understanding of the sector.’

‘Barney Northover has huge experience in the schools sector and the unusual ability to genuinely listen and learn from clients prior to coming forward with innovative and creative solutions.’

‘ VWV continue to be the most personable and professional in all that they do.’

‘Chloe Brunton is amongst the best.’

‘Specialists who know the area, the relevant legislation and guidance and apply all that to the problem at hand.’

‘Kris Robbetts  provides the right level of tailored advice.’

‘VWV’s team has a broad range of experience, which means that we are confident that any legal query will be dealt with by someone with an understanding of the education sector.’

‘Chloe Brunton is a genuine leader in the sector. She is responsive, empathetic and comes up with solutions rather than focusing on the worst case scenario. Nick Murrell has provided valuable advice on some tricky employment law issues and has a very sensible approach to solving problems.’

‘Good, broad knowledge of all education law.’

‘The VWV Education team is regarded as a market leader in the independent schools sector. They remain up-to-date in all issues facing schools and are therefore able to actively advise and participate in strategic debates with the executive and governing bodies, rather than merely provide advice on identified solutions.’

‘Barney Northover is a highly knowledgeable and experienced legal professional who understands the issues facing schools and how effective management and governance impacts on outcomes. He treats each school on an individual basis, seeking to identify solutions that are relevant for their particular solution rather than enforce a previously used methodology. He is rare in the legal profession in that he is willing to spend much of his time listening! Barney is often in a position where he is presenting solutions to issues that schools have yet to identify.’

‘Sian Champkin’s positive can-do attitude has ensured that outcomes have been achieved when with others the project may have ground to a halt. She is very knowledgeable and understands both the issues facing schools today and potential issues on the horizon.’

‘Tom Brett Young provided an excellent service, being prompt to respond, clear in the responses and patient with multiple queries’.

‘Tom Brett Young is extremely responsive, which is an asset in the industry that I work in. He works very well with us to meet our demands. They are proactive often offering guidance on recent changes in the law’.

‘Speed, accuracy, responsiveness, kindness. Strong team with great reputation. Talitha is a conscientious and service-focussed lawyer’.

‘Good quality, bespoke advice with a solid legal approach, from a regional base’.

‘Talitha Degwa – thorough, practical, capable and unfussy approach’.

‘Talitha –  is a fountain of knowledge and I would go as far as to say she is an expert in business immigration, private immigration whether on personal matters or human rights’.

‘Very competent and efficient team, effective and helpful advice. Tom Brett Young provides excellent service‘.

‘Tom Brett Young is an exceptional Partner on immigration and has consistently provided us with high quality, commercial, pragmatic advice on any immigration issue we encounter. He is always on hand when needed and approachable‘.

‘We have an immediate team that supports us on a regular basis, they are always responsive and easy to get along with, they are pro-active and advise us in advance of potential issues and offer solutions which is appreciated by us, a small Board of Trustees‘.

‘Nicola Bickham – very knowledgeable. Understands the importance of detail. Deals with clients, experts and opponents brilliantly.’

‘A compassionate group of lawyers who aim to achieve the best result for their clients.’

‘Jonathan Peacock brings a wealth of industry knowledge to bear on his cases and is able to advise and represent the very seriously injured.’

‘Jonathan Peacock is a long-standing serious injury solicitor. Considerably experienced and willing to fight.’

‘It is a rarity to have a smaller specialist personal injury firm to represent claimants in a market flooded by larger firms. VWV retains a local presence with quality advice for injured claimants where you know you will be able to speak to your solicitor at the end of the phone.’

‘Nicola Bickham deals with complex and often high value serious injury work covering both personal injury and clinical negligence practice areas. She is absolutely dedicated to her clients and never leaves a stone unturned.’

‘From the moment I made my initial inquiry with VWV, I was made to feel like an individual rather than just a claim number.’

‘They are extremely helpful, always get back to me promptly and explain the situation and make suggestions that are always timely and on point.’

‘Honest, open, and professional whilst being friendly and approachable. They will be my solicitors from now on.’

‘My requirements have been accurately captured and understood. A realistic timescale was established, work has progressed in accordance with the agreed schedule and within the cost estimate. The quality/progress of the initial work undertaken gave me confidence to engage VWV in further follow-on work and additionally recommend VWV to a family member.’

‘Because VWV is so large, it has the capacity to cover a wide field of expertise, so we have been able to consult on different legal matters with confidence. I have used this firm over the past 40 years.’

‘VWV is the first firm of solicitors I have used for various legal requirements e.g selling a business, buying a residential property, writing a will, contract law etc. In every case, we have been given the highest level of professionalism & customer care. When you get this service, the billing takes care of itself. Total value for money!’

‘Leila Goodarzi is highly knowledgeable and has excellent client relationship skills. She is practical in her advice and very focussed on solutions and positive client outcomes.’

‘The team is extremely well-placed to advise on a wide range of topics, and we have come to rely on their excellent advice regarding estates and legacies.’

‘Market-leading personal tax, trusts and probate practice’.

‘General approach is incredibly pragmatic and approachable. They provide sensible solutions for dealing with complex contractual issues.’

‘Jason Prosser puts forward realistic yet robust solutions to enable parties to agree contractual clauses.’

‘Honest and professional advice is provided by Jason Prosser, who gives you a full understanding of the position without complicating issues.’

‘VWV are always available and what sets them apart is their attention to detail.’

‘Huw Morgan is a strong, down to earth, and realistic litigator.’

‘Excellent and pragmatic support at a reasonable cost.’

‘Huw Morgan is excellent – very knowledgeable, pragmatic and easy to work with.’

‘The team manage to make the experience of being involved in a dispute remarkably stress-free, with clear advice, constant focus, excellent availability, efficient systems and reasonable rates. I would definitely recommend.’

‘Michelle Bendall is hugely impressive. She is clearly very experienced, sets a clear strategy, is hands-on in delivering that strategy, and achieves excellent outcomes. Michelle inspires confidence and is a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Their breadth and depth of knowledge is impressive. A very approachable group of professionals that are always there to help.’

‘Very reactive and able to explain complex legal matters in a clear and concise fashion.’

‘Very easy to work with.’

‘Extremely approachable and always provide sound commercial advice very effectively.’

‘Michelle Bendall is excellent and reacts very quickly, providing sound commercial advice tailored to our needs.’

‘VWV’s knowledge, responsiveness, and drafting skills are well-matched to our needs, which are often complex. The VWV lawyers we have worked with show real interest in our objectives and have played an essential role for us.’

‘Morag Roddick and her colleagues stand out because they genuinely understand the charity sector. Morag’s drafting is on point and crystal clear, which is a real boon to helping us achieve a meeting of the minds with the counterparty.’

‘VWV provides a good, full service.’

‘The corporate team are very easy to work with. They give practical advice, bearing in mind both the commercial and legal ramifications. They explain legal concepts clearly in plain English and follow clients’ instructions rather than trying to needlessly ‘point score’ against the other side.’

‘Emma Cameron, Richard Phillips and Samantha Chaney are easy to get on with and a pleasure to work with. They put clients’ minds at ease rather than adding to stress levels. Their advice is practical without ignoring the legal minutiae.’

‘I have found them very knowledgeable within my area and hence have a great deal of confidence in their advice. I have used the VWV team for a number of projects over the years, a lot of contracts but also advice on competition law, GDPR etc. The team are able to provide an expert for every situation that I have requested and their internal communication is very well joined up.’

‘I like to use them as I get fast access to the people I need and quick resolutions. They have always been able to understand and accommodate my urgent requests.’

‘Responsive, personable and understanding to the needs of our unique situation and size. We like their human approach.’

‘Their friendliness and detailed knowledge of our practice and to be available when needed for urgent advice.’

‘We deal mainly with Emma Cameron and have done for many years. She is always available to help and has helped us through the growth of our firm over the years and has always dealt with us in a friendly efficient way being there when required to advise us correctly.’

‘Their partners have deep industry knowledge and are accessible easily, this means their advice is strategic and can meet the complexities of the current social climate.’

‘They have extensive experience and their advice is strategic. They are accessible on short notice and they take their time to understand the needs of our charity.’

‘I was very impressed with Paul Voller from the charities team who is extremely knowledgeable.’

‘I have mainly worked with Paul Voller who is knowledgeable and personable. He is able to provide detailed advice and put clients at their ease.’

‘Broad range of expertise within the team.’

‘Able to source the right individual for the job at hand.’

‘Jane Byford is excellent, really knowledgeable and accessible.’

‘Really strong Education focus.’

‘A rapid response is usually received from the team, and they keep on top of billing.’

‘A great team, incredibly responsive and professional at all times. A pleasure to deal with.‘

‘Nathan Guest is very knowledgable in relation to corporate M&A, particularly in the pharma field.’

‘Incredibly responsive. Clear accountability of when people are on leave and who is covering.’

‘Strength and depth of medical and GP contracting knowledge is impressive.’

‘Oliver Pool is responsive, pragmatic and really clear in all the advice that he gives. A real pleasure to work with him.’

‘VWV stood out as a full-service law firm with experience in the local government sector.’

‘Excellent knowledge of the employment law and, in particular, how it operates within the public sector.’

‘Partners and associates are accessible, well informed, and are able to distil complex information for clients.’

‘A very strong medical partnership group with a standout partnership practitioner, Jos Moule. Jos Moule is a class act. He is extremely knowledgeable, excellent with clients and superb on drafting too.’

‘Oliver Pool is one of the very best on health sector partnership disputes.’

‘With a particular specialism in GP disputes, but also an excellent general partnership and commercial offering, VWV are leaders in their field.’

‘Nick Martindale’s practical and commercial approach, backed up by serious knowledge of the law and the ability to write a compelling letter make him an excellent solicitor.’

‘Rachel Kelsey is one to watch. She is smart, efficient and knowledgeable.’

‘This team has partners who have very good knowledge of their business sector and provide excellent service tailored to suit individual requirements.’

‘A vast breadth of experience across a wide range of industry sectors. Jos Moule and Nick Martindale are terrific.’

‘Jos Moule is the go to expert on partnership law. Jos Moule has rare expertise, coupled with a refreshing ability to explain difficult concepts clearly and concisely.’

‘Experienced team, with clear up-to-date technical and practical knowledge (e.g. dealing with regulators) and a pragmatic approach which helps to manage time/costs without compromising on the quality of advice’.

‘A highly knowledgeable but pragmatic approach from Con Alexander and Rachel Tonkin. They gave clear, detailed advice but without over-complicating things. They understood our aims and priorities as a client, and sought to achieve those in a balanced way’.

‘A real range of expertise in the charity sector’.

‘Con Alexander – an excellent all-round adviser.  Shivaji Shiva – hugely experienced and excellent with clients from the faith-based sector’.

‘The way they worked as both individuals and as a team. Their communication must be excellent. They are personable and robust, always looking for the best interests and solutions for their clients and usually achieving results through ADR.’

‘Julia Hardy is calm, firm and knowledgeable litigator with excellent judgment. You’d feel reassured if your mum was in litigation and had Julia on her side. Michelle Rose has led the team for many years. She is respected in the market and often invited to act as a litigation friend.’

‘The team has a really well-deserved reputation in the area of contentious trusts and probate. They really know this field inside out and their judgment and advice are incisive and reliable.’

‘Michelle Rose is frequently appointed as an independent administrator or trustee where war has broken out and as a result she has seen almost every permutation of tricky situation. Valuable experience which makes her and her team’s judgment unfailingly sound.’

‘Julia Hardy is great to work with. Thorough, dedicated, practical and bright. She really drills down into the detail and gives wise and practical client advice.’

‘Our principle contact is Michelle Rose, but we also have had dealings with Fiona Lawrence. They have been both extremely professional and responsive.’

‘They are easily the market leaders in the West of England in contentious probate and trusts work. The team has an exceptional reputation for handling high-value difficult cases well and particularly for acting as administrators/trustees on contentious cases.’

‘Michelle Rose is still one of the most sought-after independent trustees/administrators/litigation friends in the business. Cool-headed, efficient and very intelligent. She brings authority to every room she enters. Marianne Nankervis deals with sensitive and difficult family disputes with compassion and competence in equal measure. She always goes the extra mile for her clients.’

‘A strong reputation in this area, very knowledgeable in disputes and non-contentious issues. Excellent team with real expertise.’

‘Oliver Pool is a really superb individual. Top of the tree.’

‘Rachel Crean is a class act and an excellent litigator.’

‘Ben Willis is very good with clients, and has great knowledge.’

‘Rachel Crean and Ben Willis have strong experience in the sector and have invaluable insight.’

‘Rachel Crean is a really good, solid regulatory litigator, she knows her way round healthcare trouble spots.’

‘The team have a wealth of knowledge within the education sector which is a massive benefit. The legal team I have dealt with have always been professional, prompt and highly supportive with a collaborative approach and excellent understanding of our school‘.

‘Kathy Halliday takes the time to understand our organisation and tailor the advice accordingly and we have built an excellent working relationship over the past 2 years. In her absence we have been very satisfied with the advice of Katie Hurst and Lorna Scully‘.

‘Our main contact was Kathy Halliday. She was pragmatic and pleasant to deal with. She went out of her way to help us reach a resolution‘.

‘Very skilled and able team of employment lawyers‘.

‘Kathy Halliday is an excellent partner and very knowledgeable‘.

‘VWV are excellent in being able to bring to life the importance of good legal advice. First class at explaining principles behind private client work in a clear and accessible way’.

‘Rachael Armstrong has a wonderful manner with clients and can never do enough for them. She is also technically brilliant’.

‘Rachael Armstrong delivers work of outstanding quality on a consistent basis. Very much cares about her clients and ensures their total understanding of all relevant matters’.

‘The team is close knit and has the ability of covering Birmingham and the Midlands and having a Bristol Head Office means the team can easily cover the whole of the M5 corridor’.

‘The team I deal with is lead by an exceptional partner Rachael Armstrong aided by Courtney L’homme an associate. Both  individuals are hardworking, efficient, communicative, empathetic and extremely pleasant to work with. A great team under the strong leadership of Rachael Armstrong‘.

‘They provide a rapid response which reassures clients followed by excellent advice. They do not raise expectations that are unrealistic just to raise funds. They are reasonable in their fee structure and ensure the client knows what they will expect to pay -again very reassuring to client‘.

‘Rachael Armstrong is an outstanding partner. She leads by example. Rachael combines excellent legal skills with a very personable approach – her ability to build relationships and add an element of care into her service makes her unique in the industry’.

‘Courtney is a stand out lawyer with superb client care skills. She inspires confidence from the start and my clients are delighted with the technical knowledge and results that she achieves’.

‘The firm is interested to develop international matters and the solicitors I have been working with understand that, because the legal and tax rules are often different, the solutions to be put into place therefore often have to be adapted’.

‘The team have always acted in a very knowledgeable and professional manner’.

‘Angharad Lynn is a great asset to the company and is highly respected within her field. I have always found her excellent to work with and would trust her judgement and advice on professional matters’.

‘Judith Cuxson and Michael Byrne – their key strength is their knowledge and experience, of trusts in particular, which I find invaluable. The team’s attention to detail and their clear, concise and timely communications make working with them a pleasure and incredibly rewarding’.

‘Strength in numbers. I am always assured when working with the team at VWV that my matter will be handled with prompt efficiency and technical excellence’.

‘Angharad Lynn is a generous and wise lawyer who is a pleasure to work with.’

‘We have an immediate team that supports us on a regular basis, they are always responsive and easy to get along with, they are pro-active and advise us in advance of potential issues and offer solutions which is appreciated by us, a small Board of Trustees‘.

‘VWV are excellent in being able to bring to life the importance of good legal advice. First class at explaining principles behind private client work in a clear and accessible way’.

‘Rachael Armstrong has a wonderful manner with clients and can never do enough for them. She is also technically brilliant’.

‘Rachael Armstrong delivers work of outstanding quality on a consistent basis. Very much cares about her clients and ensures their total understanding of all relevant matters’.

‘The team is close knit and has the ability of covering Birmingham and the Midlands and having a Bristol Head Office means the team can easily cover the whole of the M5 corridor’.

‘The team I deal with is lead by an exceptional partner Rachael Armstrong aided by Courtney L’homme an associate. Both  individuals are hardworking, efficient, communicative, empathetic and extremely pleasant to work with. A great team under the strong leadership of Rachael Armstrong‘.

‘They provide a rapid response which reassures clients followed by excellent advice. They do not raise expectations that are unrealistic just to raise funds. They are reasonable in their fee structure and ensure the client knows what they will expect to pay -again very reassuring to client‘.

‘Rachael Armstrong is an outstanding partner. She leads by example. Rachael combines excellent legal skills with a very personable approach – her ability to build relationships and add an element of care into her service makes her unique in the industry’.

‘Courtney is a stand out lawyer with superb client care skills. She inspires confidence from the start and my clients are delighted with the technical knowledge and results that she achieves’.

‘Their partners have deep industry knowledge and are accessible easily, this means their advice is strategic and can meet the complexities of the current social climate.’

‘They have extensive experience and their advice is strategic. They are accessible on short notice and they take their time to understand the needs of our charity.’

‘I was very impressed with Paul Voller from the charities team who is extremely knowledgeable.’

‘I have mainly worked with Paul Voller who is knowledgeable and personable. He is able to provide detailed advice and put clients at their ease.’