Foot Anstey

Rob Antrobus Head of Enable Law and partner, Rob is based primarily in our Plymouth office, where he specialises in pursuing clinical negligence claims on behalf of claimants. Rob deals with all claims but has a particular interest in claims resulting from injuries sustained at or shortly after birth, meningitis claims and those arising out of the management of orthopaedic injuries. Rob is a member of the Law Society's Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and a Senior Litigator with APIL. Rob has been awarded the status of Eminent Practitioner. Rob Antrobus - Partner | Enable Law

Ashley is an expert in advising clients on complex data privacy and confidentiality issues, brand protection and exploitation and software development and licensing matters. She has previously worked with a number of high-profile clients across the technology, pensions, retail and financial services sectors and was seconded to Ambassador Theatre Group and Deliveroo.

Paula Barnes joined our firm as a consultant in December 2022 working within our Clinical Negligence team. She has over 25 years of experience in clinical negligence, community care and public law matters. She undertakes clinical negligence claims at all levels, including catastrophic brain damage cases, cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury and spinal injury cases. Paula is a trustee at Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity and has extensive experience supporting families with community care advice to help them access the services they need. She has clients throughout the country but retains a professional presence in both the SW and Southampton. Paula Barnes - Enable Law

Karen is a member of the Firm’s Management Board and is responsible for the leadership of a team of over 45 lawyers within the Firm’s commercial and employment teams. Karen has been particularly involved in developing the firm’s employment, pensions and business immigration team as a team of advisory specialists within the business group. Karen’s approach is to think about the bigger picture and advise clients on the best way to achieve their goals. Her main experience lies in complex people strategy and HR risk management as well as bespoke advice on the full range of people issues arising in business. This ranges from large scale restructuring and redundancy, TUPE, transactions and workforce integration and high value employment litigation. Karen also often advises clients’ boards on a broad spectrum of business issues.

Hannah helps clients to make the most of their intellectual property (IP) rights and other IP related opportunities, by providing strategic advice on the ownership, protection and exploitation of IP rights. Hannah has particular expertise in drafting and negotiating IP licences, but also advises on a wide range of other non-contentious and transactional IP agreements and other matters. This includes assignments, collaborations, franchising and sponsorship arrangements, as well as IP issues arising in M&A, joint ventures and investments. She regularly advises on IP ownership within a corporate group structure, and has significant experience of advising charities on trade mark ownership and licensing arrangements. Hannah takes a very human approach to her advice, and has been described by her clients as ‘approachable’, ‘diligent’ and ‘tenacious’. She finds earning the trust and confidence of clients the most rewarding aspect of her work, as this leads to genuinely collaborative relationships and the ability to add real value through a deeper understanding of the wider circumstances and personalities (as well as the commercial priorities) involved in a particular situation or deal.

Michelle Biddulph

Michelle Biddulph heads our Clinical Negligence team nationally and specialises in all aspects of clinical negligence cases, with a special interest in gynaecology cases, delay in diagnosis of cancer and orthopaedic cases especially where an amputation sadly results. She has a maximum severity case load and manages some of the most technically complicated cases where clients have suffered catastrophic injury following receiving negligent medical treatment. Michelle is responsible for leading the Clinical Negligence team and ensuring that excellent advise and keeping the Client at the centre of the case resonates throughout the team. She is a natural leader and excellent litigator whose experience in managing difficult cases and vulnerable clients sets her apart from her peers. She receives a lot of direct referrals from other solicitors and has represented many clients who they themselves work for the NHS so have a good understanding of the value having the right solicitor in your corner brings. Michelle is a member of the Law Society's Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and a senior litigator with APIL. Michelle Biddulph - Partner | Enable Law

Mike Bird is the clinical negligence partner based in Truro, covering Cornwall. He has over 20 years' experience of claims involving complex medical and legal issues on behalf of claimants, particularly children with acquired brain injuries, but advises on cases of all types. He led the Group Action against Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (re Mr K R Jones, 204 claimants). He also is Assistant Coroner for West Midlands and represents families at inquests in fatal claims. He regularly appears in local media commenting on legal issues. Mike is an AvMA Accredited specialist panel member (over 15 years), an APIL Senior Litigator, and an Assessor for APIL's Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/mike-bird/

Becki acts for commercial clients to resolve disputes in connection with their property portfolios and acquisitions. She has experience in acting for retailers, developers, local authorities and land-owners to resolve high value disputes about residential and commercial developments and landlord and tenant matters. Becki always aims to identify client objectives as soon as she is instructed and ensuring that all of her efforts are geared towards achieving, and often surpassing, that goal. Innovation is key to Becki’s approach and as a champion of the firm’s Innovation Hub she is always thinking creatively about how the firm can meet client needs through new technology, processes or approach.

Lara Borrett-Lynch

Lara is the firm’s Head of Affordable Housing. She has over 20 years’ experience in residential development acting for Housing Associations, national and regional housebuilders and local authorities. Her key area of interest is the provision of affordable housing and she’s passionate about working with clients to satisfy the ever increasing need for quality housing. Lara looks to add value to her clients by being an extension of their team. She takes time to understand the aims and objectives of each transaction in order to achieve these.

Emily is a specialist matrimonial and divorce lawyer who can advise clients on a variety of areas relating to family law. A Senior Associate in our Exeter office, Emily joined Foot Anstey in April 2020 from Ashfords. Clients approach Emily for her advice as it relates to the various stages of a relationship, including cohabitation issues for non-married couples, married couples that are considering a separation and what affect this may have on their situations, to couples that have separated and are seeking a divorce. In particular, she has over eight years’ experience in helping clients to separate finances and other assets, including property, businesses, pensions and trusts following a divorce. Clients also approach her for help with drafting and concluding pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements in which she advises on preserving their important assets, such as property, in the event of a future divorce. Emily also works with many clients who have children and want to make sure their best interests are protected during a divorce or separation. She can help parents resolve disagreements about a wide range of issues such as where a child should live and what time they should spend with a parent or carer. In addition, Emily has experience dealing with cross-border and inter-jurisdictional issues, for example where one parent lives or is moving abroad. She also advises grandparents and other family members who have an interest in a child’s wellbeing in this regard.

Joanne is an employment lawyer specialising in providing practical strategic advice and dealing with complex employment tribunal litigation including unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing on behalf of large multisite clients. She also has a range of commercial experience, including transactional, strategic and day-to-day human resources support and has developed a niche for delivering management development training programmes in an innovative way. She advises on a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious matters including advising employers on issues such as complex organisational restructures, enforcement of restrictive covenants in the High Court, corporate support for all aspects of acquisitions and disposals including the effect of TUPE and regularly provides practical advice on redundancy programmes – always taking into account a client’s commercial considerations. Joanne also specialises in providing employment law support in the restructuring and insolvency sphere, working seamlessly with the wider team. Joanne is regularly called upon by a number of clients considering change management programmes including business reorganisations and bringing about cultural change. Joanne has delivered a number of cultural change programmes, including some around diversity and inclusion, to assist companies to get the best out of their talent and build a more sustainable workforce.

Karl is experienced in a range of corporate commercial transactions with particular experience in joint ventures and the structuring, establishment and running of private investment funds. Karl’s secondments at international asset management and real estate companies have given him valuable insight into the requirements of our clients, streamlining transactions and anticipating potential pinch points.

Rachel is a Partner in the Private Wealth team who advises clients on tax and estate planning, with a particular niche in rural and landed estates. She can help her clients with drafting a Will, tax planning and administration of complex estates, particularly where there are succession issues. Rachel looks at the strategic planning of assets through the generations for landed estate clients and Farming families. Recently, she has advised on how to do this using business property relief and agricultural property relief to reduce inheritance tax bills and so avoid the need to sell part of the estate. She has also helped clients with creating trust structures and family offices for the protection of assets through successive generations. Rachel can provide sensitive and pragmatic advice to families on the law of mental capacity as well, which many families now find themselves needing to understand when it comes to supporting a loved one with their affairs.

Paul Butterworth

Paul is a Legal Director in our Affordable Housing team. Paul acts for Registered Providers and Local Authorities dealing with affordable housing development, and has expertise in housing-led regeneration and the public sector grant funding system. Outside of work, Paul enjoys rugby, photography and travelling.

Fiona Campbell-White

Fiona is a leading expert in the field of trust and probate litigation. She has advised on a full range of contentious trust and probate issues for over 19 years, with a decade of general litigation experience prior to that. Fiona prides herself on having a proactive, yet pragmatic, approach to her work. She looks to achieve a swift, advantageous resolution to disputes in a manner that is cost-effective for her clients. She aims to resolve matters out of court, but will not shy away from active litigation where appropriate. Fiona has particular expertise in advising charities and understands the specific issues charities need to consider in the context of trust and probate disputes. Fiona’s charity client base ranges from most large national charities to a multitude of small local ones.

Real Estate John is a leading member of Foot Anstey LLP’s real estate team, delivering a broad range of high value, complex commercial property projects, with a particular focus on corporate real estate and large-scale development and infrastructure projects. Work highlights include: Acting for a local authority to acquire over 100 acres of land for a major mixed use “Garden Village” development of 3,500 new homes, shops, community facilities, schools, care homes, open space and a sports stadium. Acting for TClarke PLC in the relocation of their head office to the iconic Gherkin building in the City of London. Supporting Teignbridge District Council with the acquisition and long term management arrangements for over 100 acres of land designated as “Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space” to support the development of a large mixed use urban extension at South West Exeter. Leading the Foot Anstey team advising an international charity on the acquisition of land and development of a £110m education and leisure venue. Advising on the redevelopment of an historic airfield to create a mixed use creative arts and business hub. Space and Satellite John has a passion for space and leads Foot Anstey’s Space and Satellite team, supporting space and satellite sector businesses and organisations in both the upstream and the downstream segments. Work highlights include: Leading the Foot Anstey LLP team advising Spaceport Cornwall on the legal and regulatory framework for launch under the Space Industry Act 2018, delivering guidance on state aid, legal structures, planning and environmental, property and infrastructure and health & safety, in preparation for the first sovereign launch of spacecraft from UK soil in 2022. Supporting an Argentinian space tech business set up their new operations and expansion into the UK. Client relationship partner for AeroSpace Cornwall, working with the wider Foot Anstey Space and Satellite team to support over 36 space and aerospace businesses with bespoke IP, data, commercial, corporate, real estate, infrastructure and employment advice. Contributing to the West of England Space Strategy. A member of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Data and Space Industry Advisory Group.

Kutahya leads the commercial property part of the EPIC team. Her clients are predominantly developers, investors and funders in the clean energy sector. She has worked on a multitude of complex and large scale solar and storage projects, as well as having experience with EV infrastructure, C&I, on and off-shore wind and other renewables projects. She deals with projects from inception through to sale and finance. Kutahya’s authenticity and love for what she does shines through – she enjoys being part of her client’s strategic team so she can gain a full understanding of what their commercial drivers are, working collaboratively with clients and tailoring her approach to their commercial goals.

Gillian Clark is a partner based out of the Enable Law Bristol office and was previously heading the Clinical negligence and Personal Injury Teams at Ince. She joined the firm in April 2023 bringing with her all 14 members of her team and their clients. She is a very experienced litigator and has run a wide variety of cases but through the years has developed a particular interest in brain injury cases including injuries at birth, catastrophic stroke cases as well as meningitis cases, she also manages a number of spinal injury cases involving negligently performed spinal surgery. Gillian manages the firm's relationship with Meningitis Now as well as with several charities and support groups operating in the greater Bristol area including the Bristol Conductive Education Centre. Gillian is a gifted leader with a lot of enthusiasm that empowers her team to learn from each other and benefit from the firm's collective expertise to get the best results for clients. Gillian Clark - Enable Law

Emma is a Principal Director in the Corporate Team. She deals with a wide range of corporate work, including mergers and acquisitions. Emma’s focus is on advising private equity backed portfolio businesses, with a particular specialism in bolt on acquisitions and implementing buy and build strategies. She is also a practiced advisor to the financial services sector and the retail sector, having acted for institutional and investor clients on national and international deals in these industries.

Dickon leads Foot Anstey’s Energy, Projects, Infrastructure and Construction disputes practice. He advises on major disputes and dispute avoidance processes for national and international clients. His focus is on resolving disputes arising out of significant energy, infrastructure and construction projects. Dickon’s almost 20 years of litigation experience includes disputes in both construction & engineering and in high value commercial litigation. Alongside construction and renewable energy issues Dickon has substantial experience advising on professional negligence and fraud recovery. Dickon frequently advises on difficulties arising from bespoke and specialist contracts as well as on standard forms including FIDIC, NEC, JCT, IChemE and IET. Dickon runs disputes though ADR, adjudication, the courts and arbitration. Dickon has been involved in a number of the early disputes in the battery storage space, which have included financing issues and catastrophic failure as well as delay and availability problems.

Angharad Davies

Angharad’s work focuses on employment tribunals (particularly respondent work) and has particular experience of defending disability, race and age discrimination claims, for clients in the public and private sectors. Angharad has also worked with the team to successfully resolve a multi-million pound TUPE information and consultation claim. Angharad frequently provides corporate support (including private equity) and advises a range of clients from a variety of industry sectors on contentious and non-contentious matters across a wide range of employment issues. This includes advising on disciplinary and grievance procedures, redundancies and drafting a number of employment documents such as Director’s Service Agreements and Settlement Agreements. She takes the time to understand her client’s business to ensure that the advice given is tailored accordingly and is practical and proportionate to what they are seeking to achieve.

Kate is a Managing Associate at the firm and has extensive experience in advising clients on a broad spectrum of commercial property matters, including investment transactions, landlord and tenant work, and property financing. In addition, Kate has particular expertise in commercial development projects, acting for developers, funders, landowners and tenants in relation to developments in sectors as diverse as leisure, retail and logistics to student accommodation and airports. Kate has acted for a number of large funds and investment managers in relation to purchases, forward-fundings, lettings and sales.

Georgia advises in all areas of family law including divorce and financial remedy proceedings as well as advising on private children matters, in particular around issues concerning residence and contact. She also advises clients on the breakdown of cohabiting relationships and in relation to pre and post nuptial agreements. Passionate about making a difference and providing a necessary service for people in difficult situations, Georgia is committed to adopting an understanding and empathetic approach to her work.

Aziz is a real estate specialist with a particular focus on Islamic finance transactions. He has acted for all of the major Islamic Banks operating in the UK in connection with senior, stretch senior and mezzanine debt structures, secured against commercial or high value residential property. He has assisted Islamic Banks with the preparation of suites of finance and security documents and helped with product development and advisory matters. He also acts for high-net-worth individuals and family offices on the acquisition, financing, equity release and disposal of real estate assets. He has also represented Foot Anstey internationally and has developed a client base from the Gulf states (particularly Qatar and Saudi Arabia). A passionate social activist, Aziz has been awarded for his social action work by the Faith and Belief Forum at the Houses of Parliament and has appeared on the BBC’s Question Time talking about racial and class issues. Aziz is the founder of the Legal Guides mentoring program run by The Association of Muslim lawyers which has matched over 400 mentors and mentees. Aziz is also heavily involved in promoting the Islamic Finance industry and has been involved in lobby efforts to level the playing field for Islamic Finance customers.

Terence Dickens

Terence is an experienced disputes lawyer and Legal Director in the commercial litigation team. He specialises in financial services litigation, including contentious regulatory matters and related insurance coverage advice and claims (including D&O defence) and procurement disputes. Terence has been an insurance partner at a leading international insurance firm and has advised numerous financial institutions/retail financial services firms, corporates, private individuals and public sector clients, including local authorities, central government departments and insurers/reinsurers, on a wide range of financial and commercial disputes. Terence frequently acts for IFAs and investment managers in contentious matters (on both an insured and uninsured basis), including defending claims and complaints of mis-selling/breach of mandate before both the Courts and the FOS, as well as FCA investigations and disciplinary proceedings and in respect of restrictive covenant and breach of confidentiality issues arising upon the exit of senior personnel/advisors. Terence takes a risk-based approach, with cost-benefit firmly in mind, and is keen advocate of ADR. He seeks to keep relationships on track by focussing upon both dispute avoidance and the resolution of disputes at an early stage, with commercial considerations front and centre in his advice.

Helen has extensive experience in the full spectrum of real estate disputes, working for a range of commercial clients including institutional landlords, household-name occupational tenants, and developers. Helen has a particular focus on the retail sector, and extensive experience in telecoms, having spent five years immediately prior to joining Foot Anstey working in-house for two of the UK’s largest telecoms operators. During that time she had conduct of a significant portfolio of litigation, including the first appealed case under the Electronic Communications Code. Through both her private practice and in-house experience, Helen has experience in a range of Courts, including the Court of Appeal. Helen spent a number of years practicing in the City, and has conducted a number of reported cases, both at first instance and on appeal, including the largest reported residential enfranchisement case and a key case on landlord’s consent, as well as a significant number of recent telecoms cases. Helen is known for tenaciously pursuing commercial and practical solutions to disputes, and has had excellent results using mediation and ADR.

Emma is a Partner in the firm’s Banking and Finance team. Emma has over a decade’s worth of experience working with corporate borrowers and lenders on regional, national and international transactions. Emma trained and qualified into the Banking and Finance department of the leading City firm Travers Smith. She has experience in a wide range of finance transactions, including acquisition finance, property finance, project finance and general corporate lending. Emma is familiar with bank standard form documents and Loan Market Association documentation and regularly advises on security structures and intercreditor arrangements.

Sam is a partner in Foot Anstey’s Commercial team. His expertise spans a diverse spectrum of commercial contracts, positioning him as a sought-after advisor across multiple sectors. Sam has a particular focus on franchising, agency, licensing, distribution, sponsorship, concession, supply of goods and services, outsourcing and hotel management arrangements. Sam is not just a legal practitioner; he’s a strategic ally for businesses navigating the intricacies of complex contractual landscapes, ensuring that they receive tailored advice that aligns with their unique needs. From structuring joint ventures to facilitating strategic alliances and overseeing bespoke projects, Sam provides comprehensive solutions that empower clients in various industries. Sam also specialises in handling ‘separation’ exercises in the context of corporate transactions. Sam is adept at drafting and negotiating transitional services arrangements, ensuring a seamless transition during pivotal moments in a company’s lifecycle. His meticulous approach provides an additional layer of assurance for clients engaged in transformative corporate activities.

Kee is a Partner in our Planning and Environment team. She has over 15 years’ experience acting for both public and private sector clients including several major housebuilders, utilities, banks and blue-chip companies. She has expertise in advising on all aspects of planning, highways, compulsory purchase and environmental law. Kee has worked extensively in the renewables and transport sectors advising clients on consents and permissions required for energy and infrastructure projects, managing planning appeals and issues of environmental liability. Kee also advises on commercial redevelopment and housing matters.

Michael has nearly 30 years’ experience advising financial institutions and high net worth individuals on international trust and tax matters. Michael advises clients all over the world but with a particular focus on the Middle East and China. Recent experience includes drafting and training on non-Dom tax changes for international banks and trust companies, structuring and providing advice for high value properties in London, advising on dynastic trusts and related tax planning for Asian families and advising trustees and beneficiaries on contentious international trust issues. Michael was recently able to provide invaluable advice to a client who needed to restructure his offshore finances in light of recent changes to UK Res Non Dom tax rules. Michael is also currently advising a global law firm on developing its private client offering for its specific client base.

Emma is a member of the firms Charity team and deals with a range of legacy matters. She advises charities on a range of legacy related matters. The majority of her work involves advising charities that have been left a gift in a will or trust and ensuring that the charity gets to use the money for its charitable purpose. She uses proactive, pragmatic thinking to unpick complicated scenarios to enable a release of cash allowing clients to fund their charitable objectives, such work relates to both legacy disputes and legacy administration. Emma also advises charities in relation to Will and Trust disputes and complex issues where the charity requires advice on its position as Executor/Trustee and/or Beneficiary. She also acts for charities as a legacy consultant undertaking legacy administration. She has gained invaluable experience working in-house on secondment with national charities as such Cancer Research UK, National Trust and Save the Children. This experience enables her to provide solution focused advice, based on her understanding of the issues at the heart of the organisation and the intricate connections between charity law, legacies and the importance of building and maintaining relationships with third parties. She oversees the day to day running of the legacy administration team at Foot Anstey. As the team has evolved and due to her in-house experience, Emma’s role also looks beyond the legal tasks associated with legacies and she is often called upon in an advisory capacity to provide support around accounting practices, risk management and procedures/processes for legacy teams. She has also carried out strategic reviews and audits which are tailored to client’s needs. Emma works closely with the firm’s dispute resolution, private wealth and mental capacity teams to provide a seamless service to clients. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS). She sits on the branch committee for STEP West of England (Chair) and is also a Non-Council Member Representative (Wales & West) on the England & Wales Regional Committee and the Chair. Emma has recently joined STEP’s Professional Development Committee.

Lucy is a Partner who leads our Legacies team and our Inheritance & Trust Disputes team. Lucy acts for charities and private clients advising on a range of issues relating to disputes arising about estates. For private clients this can be a stressful and emotional time and Lucy and her team help families navigate disputes in a cost effective way to achieve their objectives. Lucy is also known for advising charity legacy teams about all aspects of legacy income including contentious trust and probate matters, legacy administration, charity law and probate. Lucy delivers solutions for clients beyond simple legal advice and is proud to have developed an innovative product called Legacy Accelerator to assist charities to grow their legacy income. As part of that she has recently delivered a collaborative solution to a key charity client to work as an extension of a major national charity’s in house legacy team to manage the unpredictability of the work-levels associated with the administration of their legacy income. Having acted for many large charities, Lucy has a comprehensive track record in the sector and is able to share this experience and insight with her clients and apply it to her advice. The network she has built in her career enables her to make connections between contacts to enable a collaborative approach.

Mark Greatholder

Mark leads our Commercial Energy practice at Foot Anstey within our wider Energy, Projects, Infrastructure and Construction team. He specialises in advising on the legal aspects of delivering commercial projects for clients, with particular expertise in relation to clean energy projects. Mark’s expertise extends to solar and wind (both on-shore and off-shore), district heat networks, battery storage projects, nuclear development including new nuclear build and small modular reactors, EVs, energy from waste, carbon capture, geothermal energy and green hydrogen. Mark helps his clients to develop commercially-driven strategies for successful project delivery, agree appropriate contracting models, navigate procurement processes (often within regulated environments) and draft, negotiate and implement project agreements which contain suitable contract terms, incentivisation mechanisms and payment models. He also supports his clients to manage their contracts during delivery and operational phases by helping them to understand and resolve any contractual or operational issues that can often arise. Having undertaken a number of client secondments during his career, Mark has first-hand experience of the challenges that businesses can often face. Mark draws on this experience to help him deliver his advice in a commercial context.

Alexandra Hammond

Alexandra specialises in advising clients who operate in the retail and consumer sector on contract and consumer law. Her extensive in-house experience means she understands the demands that stakeholders can put on an in-house legal function and how to manage expectations and prioritise tasks based on business risk and strategic importance. Always looking to achieve clients’ goals whilst working collaboratively in a positive environment, she takes the time to understand each client’s needs and mirrors their culture and ethos in her communication style in order to become an extension of their team. Alexandra also acts as interim General Counsel for key clients, predominantly in the retail and leisure sector, whilst they source a more permanent solution. These roles mean she works directly with each business’ key stakeholders and helps to manage business risks whilst supporting new projects, which drive growth and revenue for these organisations.

Catherine Haugh

Catherine is highly experienced at resolving commercial disputes of all kinds, many of which are complex, high value and/or commercially sensitive. Her practice encompasses breach of contract claims, director/shareholder disputes, public procurement claims and negligence. She acts for corporate and individual clients in both the private and public sector, including utilities and logistics companies, local Government departments, retailers, individual shareholders/directors, technology companies and partnerships. Catherine has considerable experience of litigating in the various divisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and also regularly acts for clients in arbitrations and mediations. Catherine recognises that no two disputes are the same, and she works with her clients to understand their commercial objectives and then build a strategy designed to achieve those objectives as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

Kate is a Managing Associate in our Islamic finance practice and has experience in working on a wide variety of real estate-driven banking and finance transactions and multi-tranche development transactions encompassing a wide range of Islamic financing arrangements. Kate advises shariah compliant banks in single property and portfolio acquisitions and refinancing transactions involving commercial and residential assets, often with an offshore element. An example of Kate’s work includes advising Riyad Bank (London Branch) on their single largest real estate financing transaction to date: a £64m shariah-compatible facility used to refinance the UK HQ of an international law firm in Moorgate.

Claire is an employment partner with significant experience advising large national and international companies having worked for a large international law firm for over 10 years. Working closely with clients to understand their aims and objectives, Claire provides commercial and practical advice, helping clients to manage the employment aspects of complex transactions and internal restructuring exercises, as well as advising on the TUPE implications of business transfers and outsourcing arrangements. Claire is recognised for her responsiveness and down-to-earth approach and her ability to cut through complex areas of law to provide clear and straightforward advice. Claire also plays a lead role in the firm’s Financial Services Sector, with particular expertise advising Private Equity backed portfolio companies and Retail Financial Services’ clients, regularly advising on board level employment and strategic issues, such as senior exits and integration projects. A highlight for Claire was working on Ensono’s $405 million international acquisition of Wipro’s Hosted Data Center Services business. Claire advised on the employment implications of the stock and asset deal in the UK, including advising on the TUPE information and consultation process, as well as project managing the employment advice across eight jurisdictions.

Chantale Hooper

Chantale is an expert on banking and finance disputes, insolvency, debt recovery, contractual disputes, Enforcement of Judgment and regulatory matters and claims, including consumer credit claims. Committed to achieving the best result that is commercially satisfactory to the client, she says that she always gives the client options along with her recommendation on the best way forward. Outside of work Chantale enjoys dancing, being involved in the PTA at her children’s school, as well as walking the dog!

Alan is head of the firm’s Retail Financial Services sector and provides regulatory and commercial advice to a diverse range of clients including financial advisers, investment managers, platforms, insurance brokers, credit providers and brokers and Islamic banks. Alan is proud to have built a cross-disciplinary team which collaborates and uses its deep sector knowledge to ensure that our clients always receive focused sector-specific advice – enabling our clients to achieve their goals whilst managing their regulatory risk effectively.

Marianne Ironside

Marianne is an Senior Associate in the Planning and Environment Team. She has significant experience advising on a range of planning matters with a particular focus on the residential development sector. Her expertise includes strategic planning advice, drafting and negotiating Planning Agreements, undertaking and planning due diligence in respect of complex transactions and advising on the intricacies of the Community Infrastructure Levy. Marianne has considerable experience working with housebuilders, retirement living providers and hoteliers as well as advising retail developers, banks and investors.

Dan Isaacs is a Legal Director at Enable Law with significant experience in dealing with claims of maximum severity and birth injury claims. He has an expertise in these cases which experts and counsel comment on but remains committed to ensuring the clients are fully informed and engaged through their claim. He regularly acts on behalf of Personal Representatives in connection with fatal accident cases. Dan Isaac - Senior Associate | Enable Law

Tim Jones is a Legal Director and has extensive experience supporting clients following brain and spinal injuries. He is very active in his fields of expertise providing support to beneficiaries of the Brain Injury Group, the Major Trauma Group as well as a number of other charities. He stays on top of relevant case law changes and often drafts articles he shares with professionals that need to be aware of them to better service their clients. Tim has been fundamental at setting up a legal clinic supporting patients of the Intensive Care Unit in Treliske Hospital as well as the people that care for them. He has also been instrumental in setting up a clinic at Musgrove Hospital which has been successfully running now for over 10 years. Tim Jones - Legal Director | Enable Law

Toby has significant experience in advising clients on a range of banking and finance transactions, with a particular focus on real estate and leveraged finance and private equity debt work. He has acted extensively for the main clearing banks and various private lenders and borrowers in respect of investment and development finance transactions, with a particular focus on cross border transactions. In the Private Equity space, Toby has advised Piper Private Equity and others, together with their portfolio companies, on the debt and security aspects of numerous investments. Toby also acts for various corporate borrowers, particularly within our Developer sector where he assists on their core financing requirements.

Celine had over 18 years’ experience advising on trust administration, taxation of trust, restructuring and winding up in the UK. Her main area of work includes advising trustees and beneficiaries, managing a variety of family, personal injury, grant making charitable and employee benefits trusts.

Claire Leslie is a Legal Director with significant experience supporting women that have suffered injuries during their pregnancy or whilst giving birth. She manages the firm's relationship with MASIC, a charity specialising in supporting women with OASI injuries. In addition to that she manages the firm's relationship with Shine, the UKs specialist charity supporting children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Her easy going and caring nature means she can build connections of trust with clients that have suffered significant injury and whose long-term impact is of a personal and sensitive nature. In addition, she has a strong practise acting for families who children sustain catastrophic injuries arising out of birth.

Jan specialises in commercial dispute resolution, with a particular focus on media, sports, and tech disputes. He has acted for a number of big-name clients across many well publicised cases, and has extensive experience handling complex cross-border disputes, with cases spanning Japan, France, the USA, Singapore, Spain, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and India. He has experience in all aspects of heavyweight commercial litigation; including shareholder disputes, unfair prejudice petitions, warranty claims, directors’ duties, injunctions eg around team moves and also defamation, privacy and sports. As an accredited mediator, Jan brings substantial expertise in dispute avoidance and alternative dispute resolution.

Mark has over 16 years of experience, specialising in high value complex commercial property transactions. Mark’s experience encompasses general commercial property transactions including all aspects of landlord and tenant work, general estate management and the sale and acquisition of freehold and leasehold property. In particular, he has expertise in acting for infrastructure developers and owners in the transport and energy sectors and in dealing with development projects in both the public and private sphere. Mark is also heavily involved in the work the firm is leading in relation to electric vehicles and mobility services.

Jackie Linehan is a Legal Director with more than 30 years' experience managing claims for compensation involving the NHS. Historically she managed many clinical negligence claims valued in excess of £10million on behalf of the NHS litigation authority and various Acute Trusts. This means Jackie is excellently placed to bring complex claims as she has a really good understanding of both sides of the litigation process having also acted as a defendant solicitor in the past. This year Jackie settled 2 brain injury cases for children with hidden disabilities for over £24 million each. She regularly receives instructions to take over child brain injury cases transferred from other less experienced solicitors. She is passionate about disability rights equality and authors a column for Cerebral Palsy Plus' quarterly publication inspiring members to dream big and pursue their goals. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/jackie-linehan/

A key member of our Restructuring & Insolvency team, Lydia advises on all aspects of formal and informal insolvency procedures, including administration and liquidation sales, both buyer and seller side, with particular experience in retail and financial sectors. She regularly works with insolvency practitioners, providing strategic support throughout the insolvency process. Lydia also advises directors on supply chain issues and close down of companies through voluntary strike off or members’ voluntary liquidation processes. She also works on solvent sales, assisting with the turnaround of distressed businesses and restructures. Lydia has practical experience of the investment bank special administration regime. She has assisted with five of the small number of investment firms to enter into special administration following the introduction of this specialist procedure as a result of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Lydia enjoys collaboration and bringing people together across networks. She founded TMA UK NextGen Bristol, a networking organisation focused on running events to connect people at a junior level working in turnaround.

Kate is a Senior Associate in the Farms, Estates and Rural Land team. She acts for clients on a wide range of rural land transactions, including farm and land sales and purchases, refinances, landed estate management, first registrations, farm business tenancies and Agricultural Holding Act tenancies, sporting rights and high-value rural residential property transactions. Kate has been with the firm since she was a trainee solicitor and regularly works for high net worth individuals, landowners and landed estates. Kate’s farming background means she has an understanding, from her personal experience, of how rural clients’ businesses work and the matters important to them in transactions.

Andrew is a Managing Associate at the firm and has over 14 years’ experience in advising charities and other not-for-profits on governance and regulatory matters. He deals extensively with the formation and registration of corporate charities, charitable trusts and other community-focused structures, and advises their governing bodies on their duties, roles and responsibilities. He regularly carries out constitutional and governance reviews, and provides training to trustees at all levels. Andrew has acted on several charity mergers and has assisted with the charity law aspects of several charity acquisitions. He also advises on contracts between charities and commercial entities, charity fundraising and trading and intellectual property matters. Andrew acts for charities and not-for-profits of all sizes and forms, including companies limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs), charitable trusts, Royal Charter bodies and statutory corporations. He has particular experience with arts organisations, armed forces charities and charities in the healthcare sector. Andrew is a former trustee and chairman of the London Philharmonic Choir, as part of which he sang first tenor for many years. In his spare time, he enjoys travel, theatre and music.

Georgina Massey

Georgina is a Principal Director in the Affordable Housing Team and specialises in dealing with complex sites acting for registered providers with land and build, golden-brick and turn-key acquisitions, together with strategic land typically on a conditional on planning basis. Georgina is known for her proactive and straight-forward approach and working collaboratively with her clients and colleagues to provide a seamless service.

Melanie McGuirk

Melanie has a strong track record in resolving disputes for clients relating to intellectual property. She has extensive experience of acting for major retailers and clients in the fashion, manufacturing, and creative industries, helping to protect their brands, product designs and commercial know-how, including where they act as master franchisor. She has specialist expertise in trade libel and reputation management, particularly in relation to the adverse or intrusive media coverage of clients’ business interests or personal lives. Melanie is also an experienced supervising solicitor in search order cases. Melanie’s work highlights include cases where search and seizure orders were served or defended in multi-million-pound parallel import disputes and a key decision of the European Court of Justice in respect of jurisdictional issues arising from online trade mark infringement.

Adam focuses on advising private equity backed portfolio businesses with a particular specialism in bolt on acquisitions and implementing buy and build strategies. He is an important member of the transactional and integration team for key client businesses backed by Livingbridge, August Equity, Epiris, ICG and BGF. He regularly advises businesses at different stages of their life, from start ups seeking SEIS/EIS funding and angel investment through to M&A for PE portfolios.

Alex McKnight deals with all aspects of clinical negligence litigation but has particular expertise in birth injury cases, amputation cases, and cases relating to infection, including necrotising fasciitis. He has an impressive case load of very high value cases £10 million plus and is one of our up-and-coming leaders in the field of child brain injury. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/alex-mcknight/

Zahir is a partner in our award-winning Islamic finance sector and provides strategic counsel to financial institutions on real estate-driven transactions. He supports the leadership of the firm’s International Committee. He joined the firm over a decade ago as one of the first members of our then newly established Bristol office and was made partner in 2021. Zahir undertook a client-side stint as General Counsel of a privately-owned real estate investment firm in Mayfair and imparts solutions-focused advice to clients, having been one himself.

Charlene Nelson

Charlene is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney in our Intellectual Property team with over 10 years’ experience in the field. She assists clients in navigating through the complexities of trade mark and design right registration procedures around the world. In particular, she helps clients obtain a balanced and cost-effective portfolio of rights to enable them to support their strategic and commercial objectives and place them in the best position to avoid and resolve disputes quickly. Further, she regularly conducts clearance searches in the UK and elsewhere to ensure that new brands are free to use. Over the years, she has worked with a variety of different sized clients across different sectors and enjoys getting to know clients and understanding their businesses in order to provide targeted and bespoke advice. Charlene is an active member of ECTA and represents the UK on the Publications Committee.

Kate is a Partner and Head of the Property Litigation team at Foot Anstey. She has extensive experience across various sectors including retail, telecoms and developers. Kate finds commercial solutions to all manner of disputes concerning clients real estate. She has expertise in telecoms litigation having worked on the key leading test cases. Kate also has considerable experience working on a broad variety of disputes where clients need solutions that will often involve the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Kate also has extensive experience in a range of courts including the Supreme Court. Kate has a broad range of experience in both private practice and the corporate world following two years in-house at a leading telecoms operator. Kate is dedicated to mitigating the challenges and securing opportunities for businesses within the telecoms space through strategic solutions. She has a particular interest in portfolio work for real estate clients, where solutions need to be tailored to consider not just the subject property but also how it impacts their broader real estate needs.

Phil is a Legal Director at the firm. He is based at our Exeter office and has extensive experience in dealing with a variety of real estate centric matters, with specialisms in landlord and tenant matters, focusing on retail, industrial and corporate occupier work as well as leading on local development projects.

Nathan leads the firm’s Retail and Consumer Sector and is responsible for several key client relationships. He is also is responsible for the firm’s geographic profile and approach to working with the communities where we operate, particularly leading the firm’s Bristol presence and its engagement with local business and community initiatives. Specialising in regulatory work he leads on the firm’s multi-disciplinary risk advisory offering, helping to keep clients’ strategy on track with proactive and reactive risk advice they can trust. Nathan advises clients on governance, compliance and the defence of regulatory prosecutions. Nathan’s holistic approach to risk, and ability to join the dots between areas such as legal, reputation, procurement and risk is what helps his clients achieve their goals.

Anna leads the firm’s charity property practice which advises charities, social enterprises, RP’s and healthcare organisations in solving property related problems including title issues, freehold disputes, commercial and residential landlord and tenant disputes, business leases renewals and property related professional negligence. Anna is passionate about the not-for-profit sector and is driven by making a positive difference to the organisations she represents. Anna also applies her deep subject matter expertise in solving complex property issues to assist the firm’s receivership clients. Anna approaches her work with clients as a partnership – working closely with them and other parties involved to get the right result. Often this means ensuring that property problems are resolved in an efficient manner so that funds are received more quickly or at a higher level of recovery.

Carol is a partner in our Commercial Property team. She specialises in acquiring, managing and disposing of real estate whether through freehold or leasehold transactions, and supports retail clients with their property portfolios and helping them to plan for the future. Despite all of the challenges faced by retailers today Carol is a firm believer that the public will still want to be able to access compelling retail space in the future and we will never be content to only shop online. Having spent time in-house managing a large and diverse portfolio Carol empathises with the position that clients are in and uses this to tailor her advice. She also has extensive experience of managing teams to support clients as an extension of their in house function providing commercial legal advice that is focused on helping clients achieve their investment aims. Work highlights include supporting a number of clients through headquarter moves, and being part of the team that built our Real Estate Asset Management platform, which allows clients to access the up to date status of their real estate matters in real time.

Jessica is Head of the firm’s Family Team and the Private Wealth Sector. She provides advice on the consequences of relationship breakdown for married and cohabiting couples, pre-nuptial agreements and wealth protection within a relationship context. Jessica is trained as a collaborative lawyer with a focus on alternative dispute resolution for families. Driven by the desire to solve problems and deliver solutions, particularly for those clients who may have complicated finances, she helps to deliver a fair settlement in an amicable divorce process. She also enjoys working with other professional advisors to provide a seamless service to mutual clients. Jessica joined Foot Anstey as a trainee and is proud to have undertaken her journey to Partner within the firm.

Huw Ponting is a Partner and Head of the Personal Injury Department. He has over 20 years of experience supporting clients who have suffered catastrophic injuries bring maximum severity claims. He is the Chair of Trustees Trustee at Headway Bristol and a Trustee at Headway Herefordshire. Huw has been instrumental in the setting up and running of several free legal clinics around the country supporting patients of Intensive Care and Brain Injury Units. His expertise lies in supporting clients who have suffered maximum severity injuries following an accident with a specialism in supporting clients with an acquired brain injury the effect of which impacts them for the rest of their lives. He also has over 20 years of experience acting as a Court of Protection appointed Deputy for many of his clients and works closely with the Enable Law CoP team to ensure that client needs continue to be met for the rest of their lifetime. Huw regularly provides training to Solicitors, Barristers, case managers and other professionals supporting clients following a serious injury. He has very strong links within the charity sector and is viewed as an expert figure within the brain injury legal field. Huw Ponting - Enable Law

Tim is a member of our restructuring and insolvency team and provides advisory support to a broad range of businesses, directors, financial institutions and insolvency practitioners. Increasingly Tim advises distressed corporates and their directors in relation to their statutory duties, supporting them as they make ongoing decisions in respect of trading, investments and asset disposals. As a result of a secondment with a High Street Clearing Bank, Tim has significant experience in providing advice to financial institutions in respect of their stressed and distressed portfolios, covering new lending, security structures and enforcement. He also works with lenders and investors operating in the distressed debt sector. Another highlight has been advising five of the small number of investment firms to enter into special administration following the introduction of the specialist procedure as a result of the collapse of Lehman Brothers – Tim is one of a limited number of lawyers with significant experience in this area. Tim particularly enjoys the technical detail of restructuring and insolvency work, and has created a knowledge sharing culture around this within the firm enabling colleagues to learn from one another and be better prepared to assist clients.

Imam is a member of the real estate team and an Islamic finance specialist with considerable experience in dealing with a range of high-value and complex investment, finance and development transactions. An active participant in the Islamic Finance market for over 15 years, he has developed a broad Islamic Finance practice advising investors and financial institutions on a range of shariah compliant products and structures.

Katie-Jane Rees

Katie has spent just under 15 years in the City, gaining experience working on high value lending transactions, acting for UK and international syndicates of banks on a secured and unsecured basis, as well as advising corporate borrowers – whether on general financings or in restructuring situations. She has particular experience in the Nordic region, acting for a number of Nordic banks over the past decade. Katie has also built a practice advising corporate service providers on non-bank lendings, advising facility and security agents and also trustees across a range of capital markets and structured finance products. Katie has a commercial and personable approach and has been listed as a rising star by Legal Business.

Pamela-Jane Riley

Pamela-Jane Riley is a Senior Associate in Enable Law's Personal Injury team. Pamela has a particular interest in acquired brain injury claims for children and assists in managing our relationship with CBIT. Her expertise means she is well equipped to support children and identify their lifelong needs including future residence & care needs as well as more immediate adjustments required around their education and broader support. In addition, Pamela undertakes claims arising from sporting injuries. Some of her recent such cases include representing a client who suffered a brain injury as a result of a negligent tackle in a semi-professional rugby match and a client who suffered polytrauma (including suffering ongoing post concussion syndrome). Further to this Pamela is an avid horse rider and uses her own personal understanding to support clients who have suffered both injuries and financial losses as a result of equestrian accidents. In particular she has specialist knowledge in presenting claims for negligence resulting in loss of value in high value competition horses. An extremely gifted technical lawyer she has been recognised by Counsel, Case Managers and other Professionals for her creative thinking and problem solving. Pamela-Jane Riley - Enable Law

Alexandra Rogers

Alexandra specialises in resolving disputes about inheritance and trusts for individuals, charities and corporate trustees. She seeks to identify clients’ objectives early on and then works with them to design a strategy to achieve or even exceed those objectives. Much of Alexandra’s work involves untangling multiple issues, identifying problems that require resolution with other parties and offering practical solutions. Alexandra finds it rewarding to support clients during a difficult episode in their lives and to secure their desired outcome. Alexandra works closely with her colleagues in our UK and International Tax and Trusts teams, Agriculture team and Mental Capacity team, drawing on their complementary experience to provide a seamless service to clients.

Joanne leads our Restructuring and Insolvency offering collaborating with a broad range of businesses, directors, stakeholders and other professional advisors. Her role is focused on opportunities for turnaround rescue and restructure but also involves managing formal insolvency processes. She works closely with distressed equity and debt investors as well as with turnaround professionals and insolvency practitioners. Joanne is regularly found in the board room providing strategic advice to directors of businesses close to insolvency, particularly around their duties and responsibilities when dealing with distress. She also has significant experience advising stakeholders on managing their risk and exposure to businesses in financial difficulty. Joanne and her team are specialists in the investment bank special administration regime overseeing the return of significant values of client monies and custody assets across a portfolio of these cases. Joanne is proud of the Restructuring and Insolvency Team’s approach and says ‘we always try to be accessible, flexible, responsive and adaptable, seeking to deliver technical advice in a practical yet commercial way, with an ability to innovate and think creatively in order to deliver the best solutions for our clients’. Joanne enjoys contributing to the wider business communities in which she works and is a national director of TMA UK and the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association and more locally a board member of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. Joanne is also passionate about the importance of business inclusion and diversity and supports Foot Anstey’s work in this area.

Paul Sankey has vast experience in clinical negligence claims and has advised patients suffering negligent treatment by GPs, NHS trusts and private doctors. He has particular expertise in claims for adults with serious injuries including stroke, sepsis, haemorrhage, meningitis and raised intracranial pressure, in amputation claims and the delayed diagnosis of cancer. He is recognised nationally as an expert on medical consent and expert witness work. He gives training to medical experts and has regularly spoken at local and national events, including Inspire Medi Law and Specialist Medical Info conferences, hospitals including the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, British Society of Neuroradiologists and other national meetings of medical specialists. He regularly publishes articles on medical law. Paul's expertise is reflected in both his successes for clients, but also in the frequent requests we receive for Paul to provide training for those working in the medico-legal sector, including clinicians working as expert witnesses. We would appreciate it if you could reassess his position in band 2, as earlier editions of your directory ranked Paul as a 'Leader in the Field' in London and this seems a more accurate assessment of both his skill and reputation. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/paul-sankey/

Paolo is a Partner specialising in technology and data. He is a UK and Hong Kong qualified lawyer with substantial international experience advising clients on digital transformation, data protection, cybersecurity, technology contracting, telecoms, e-commerce and, most recently, navigating new technologies such as A.I. and blockchain. Prior to joining Foot Anstey, Paolo was a partner at an international law firm and based in Hong Kong for 13 years where he advised some of the world’s leading companies in the technology, retail and financial sectors. He has acted for many major global technology companies, particularly cloud and outsourcing service providers. He has a strong focus on the Retail & Consumer sector, advising on the launch of global e-commerce platforms and digital products and services. He has also been heavily involved in the fintech market, particularly advising start-ups, banks and other financial institutions on technology procurement and launching virtual financial services.

Michelle Seddon

Michelle joined the firm in September 2015 after relocating back to her home county of Devon from Bedfordshire. Michelle deals with all aspects of private client work including succession planning and tax advice, but she specialises in the administration of complex estates. Michelle’s work for previous clients has included dealing with Heritage Exemptions, Family Silver in Lieu of IHT, Agricultural Relief, Antiques and International assets. Michelle has more recently developed a Death in Service advice system for companies with benefit schemes, with the aim of being able to offer the trustees guidance for distribution of the benefits due to the family. Michelle is a Director of the Foot Anstey Trust Corporation, where she works alongside other Directors, to agree decisions in relation to estate administrations, court of protection applications, and attorneyships.

Peter Singfield

Pete is a partner in our Dispute Resolution team. He has significant experience advising established, national and international Media and Retail clients about a range of operational issues including contractual matters relating to distribution and supply and contentious data and Intellectual Property, as well as advising both funds and Private Equity owned portfolio companies about matters relating to their growth including shareholder issues and dispute adjacent to share or asset purchases such as warranty claims and deferred consideration. Pete’s recent career highlight came when he supported Guernsey lead counsel in a dispute for hundreds of millions of pounds relating to unfair prejudice petition brought by minority PE shareholders in an entity behind successful exchange traded funds. Pete strives to build relationships with clients that allow him to deliver bespoke solutions that achieve the desired outcome, rather than a ‘pre-packaged’ approach.

Rachel is an experienced property and estates litigation expert at Foot Anstey. She provides clients with clear, concise, and accurate legal advice, with an appreciation of the nuances between their commercial constraints and desired outcomes. Prior to joining Foot Anstey Rachel previously worked in-house at a large international retailer, so she’s well-placed to understand the difficulties faced internally by some clients. Recently Rachel has advised a number of landowner clients on the effects of the new electronic communications code, dealing with a number of contentious claims with regards to termination, renewal, and modification of new and existing Code agreements. Rachel has also worked on multiple “test” cases under the new electronic communications code being heard at the Lands Chamber of the Upper Tribunal.

Douglas is our Technical Tax and Trust Counsel with over 30 years’ experience in estates, tax and trusts law. He joined Foot Anstey from Thrings in April 2020, having previously been a partner at Blake Morgan for most of his career. Qualifying initially as a barrister and subsequently re-qualifying as a solicitor, Douglas has considerable experience at advising on how to make the most of available tax reliefs and trust structures when dealing with property, business shares and other assets. His clients appreciate his clear and sensible advice on questions around stamp taxes, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and many other aspects of the UK’s taxation regime as they relate to the purchase, sale or gifting of assets. Douglas has administered a number of highly complicated estates, including those with assets in multiple jurisdictions, and is well placed to support families with a deceased relative’s affairs. With a special interest in heritage property, Douglas is also highly knowledgeable of the law in this niche area. Clients regularly seek his counsel on how to manage heritage assets and benefit in particular from his experience of dealing with HMRC’s heritage property team. Douglas also has experience in drafting prepaid funeral plan trusts for funeral directors who wish to establish funeral plan businesses and ensuring that the trust provisions are consistent with the plan agreement and that both documents are so far as possible drafted in the most tax efficient way. Douglas is also able to provide any additional advice that may subsequently be required in connection with the administration of the trust (including an application for membership of the Funeral Planning Authority) . Douglas also provides UK tax advice to clients who are resident and/or domiciled abroad (i.e. individuals, trustees of offshore trusts and person’s responsible for other offshore entities).

Ayah is a member of our Real Estate team specialising in Islamic Finance. She frequently acts on behalf of numerous shariah compliant banks on a range of transaction models and financing structures. Ayah has also acted for leading Islamic banks on the development of their commodity murabaha and diminishing musharakah residential financing products. She works closely with individual overseas investors, often from the Middle East, looking to invest into the UK real estate market using shariah compliant financing. Ayah’s career highlights also include acting on behalf of an overseas corporate investor on a group reorganisation and c. £31m residential portfolio refinance of 38 units involving multiple jurisdictions and advising an Islamic bank on the refinancing of three high value residential units with a combined value of c. £22m.

Danielle Spalding

Danielle’s practice is focused on the agricultural and rural business sector. She works on rural business and agricultural disputes such as partnership disputes, landlord and tenant claims, issues relating to restrictive covenants, proprietary estoppel claims and a range of Agricultural Holdings Act matters. She also advises landowners on the Electronic Communications Code. Danielle acts for a wide range of rural clients including landowners, landed estates and others with an interest in the rural land market such as major banks and property developers. Danielle has a thorough understanding of the rural market that her clients operate in enabling her to offer practical solutions that work. A highlight in her career to date has been using this insight in one of the first test cases to go through the Tribunal after the introduction of the new Electronic Communications Code in 2017.

Hayley is an experienced transactional construction lawyer and leads Foot Anstey’s national Non-Contentious Construction team. Hayley has extensive experience delivering a diverse portfolio of construction and engineering projects across Foot Anstey’s core sectors. She specialises in working with developers and housebuilders, with a particular focus on the later living and retirement sectors, as well as delivering major infrastructure, clean energy, and nuclear projects. She provides expert guidance to a variety of clients with differing stakeholder roles and risk profiles, on projects such as large energy and infrastructure developments, international data centres, commercial and mixed-use schemes, housing, and regeneration projects. Hayley is well-versed in both bespoke and standard form construction contracts, including the JCT, NEC and FIDIC forms. Hayley also has considerable co-counsel experience, providing specialist construction support to external legal teams on a number of high value, high profile, complex asset-based transactions. Hayley trained, qualified and spent over a decade at a leading international firm, based within the City of London, working on a breadth of domestic and international projects. Hayley then spent several years at a national UK firm, where, prior to joining Foot Anstey, she led the “responsive, pragmatic, and efficient” non-contentious construction team.

Matt is head of our Corporate practice, a key part of which is our nationally recognised Private Equity team, which Matt founded and also leads. Our private equity group proudly represents a number of leading UK Private Equity houses and their portfolio companies and recently named winner of the Regional Legal Advisor of the Year 2020 at the Real Deals Private Equity Awards. Private Equity forms a key part of our go-to-market strategy, so is also recognised as a core lead sector for Foot Anstey, as we seek to build deep relationships with Private Equity backed management teams and portfolio companies. Matt also leads our market leading “GRIP” product, which is a tech-enabled solution to streamline and satisfy the core legal and compliance obligations of PE portfolio companies. Matt trained and qualified into the Private Equity department of the leading City firm Travers Smith and prior to joining Foot Anstey, spent several years at Kinmont, a corporate finance boutique in London acknowledged as a leader in advising management teams. Management advisory remains a core part of Matt’s practice. Our Private Equity team is recognised as a specialist in advising PE backed portfolio companies. We have built a significant specialism in undertaking bolt-on and buy-and-build M&A as part of PE backed investment propositions, often with an international element to it.

Claire Stoneman

Claire Stoneman is a consultant at the firm's Taunton office and was previously a partner with the firm. She specialises in birth injury claims leading to either cerebral palsy, stillbirth or neonatal death. She has been a member and supporter of the Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society (Sands) and their local Groups along with several birth injury and baby loss charities for many years. She has developed a specialised practice and team which are particularly focused on acting for and supporting brain injured children and adults and bereaved parents following obstetric, neonatal and paediatric care (having commenced her career representing families at the Bristol Royal Infirmary Public Inquiry into paediatric cardiac surgery). Claire set up the firm's Corporate Partnership with Group B Streptococcus Support and Cerebra which focus on maternity/obstetric care and child brain injury respectively. She also works closely with the charities Aching Arms, Daddy's with Angels and Headway Somerset. Claire is a member of the Law Society's Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel. She is also a Trustee and Vice Chair of Headway Somerset. Claire Stoneman - Partner | Enable Law

Ian is head of our projects, infrastructure and construction team. He specialises in transactional legal aspects of major national and international projects, their procurement, construction, delivery and operation, as well as their funding, sale and refinancing, supporting you at all stages of the lifecycle of a constructed asset. Prior to joining Foot Anstey, Ian was a partner at an international law firm and based in the City of London, where he headed up a team working on some of the UK’s largest construction, infrastructure and energy projects. With his extensive experience/expertise, Ian can provide you with strategic, commercially-astute advice on your contracting structures, finance and procurement methodology and can also support you on contract drafting and in negotiations, ensuring successful delivery of your projects and giving you the experience of having an expert not just advising you, but being a part of your team. Ian has over 35 years’ industry experience, including senior management and technical experience outside of the legal sector as a quantity surveyor and a contracts manager. Driven by this strong, industry-based operational understanding of contracting and delivery issues and a thorough understanding of the challenges that high-value, technically complex, long-term projects might present you with, Ian can listen to you and understand the issues you face and help you put those issues in the context of your legal and contractual responsibilities. Because Ian knows that the first step towards managing your risk is for you to understand it. Ian is proud to have been part of the team that was a finalist in the categories of Leadership and Pioneer at the 2018 British Renewable Energy Awards. He is also an externally recognised expert in his subject area, having spoken at conferences held by the European Construction Institute and by the Engineering & Construction Risk Institute, as well as at events organised by other industry professional bodies, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Richard is a consultant and works advising developers, investors and tenants on commercial property transactions. He enjoys building relationships with clients and familiarising himself with their business and objectives. Richard has advised on a number of high profile multi-million pound projects. His personal favourite was advising on the acquisition and development of the former Berkeley Nuclear Laboratory site at Berkeley Green in Gloucestershire, by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

Duncan is a Partner in the corporate team advising on M&A, investments, JVs and delivering exit and/or succession plans including by way of management buy-out. Duncan has particular experience of deals in the Energy and Developer sectors. He regularly acts on transactions with an international element, in particular with European, US and Canadian counter-parties. Duncan is driven by building long term relationships with clients to help them achieve their ultimate aspirations, frequently working with other advisers to create the client’s desired transaction. His collaborative approach ensures the best deal for the client is delivered in a cost effective way within the appropriate timescale.

Ceri-Ann Taylor

Ceri-Ann Taylor is a Legal Director in the Bristol Clinical Negligence Enable Law team. She has 17 years post qualification experience and is a member of the Law Society's Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme. Ceri's main specialism lies in delay in diagnosis of cancer cases, acting for patients who are facing a difficult diagnosis, or acting for bereaved families. Ceri also has a growing reputation for acting for patients who have experienced negligent over-prescribing of Tramadol, a dangerous and highly addictive opiate when not prescribed/consumed sensibly. Ceri also specialises in a wide range of other cases particularly spinal injury, and gynaecological cases. She is previously a Trustee of Compass Disability and continues to work closely with various charities who support her clients. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/ceri-ann-taylor/

Kate is a member of our commercial real estate team and acts for both owners and occupiers across all aspects of acquisition, disposal and management of retail, office and industrial space. She has considerable experience in acting for investor landlords with large property portfolios in the retail and leisure sector. Always looking for ways to provide innovate solutions for clients, Kate has recently worked with a major retail client to improve and streamline our workflow with them. By having a full understanding of the particular need of the client, she was able to think creatively to deliver a legal solution that works for them.

Sue Upton is a very experienced Solicitor in our team supporting clients who have suffered serious injuries, particularly brain injuries. She has over 25 years of experience of dealing with these complex, high value claims on behalf of both adults and children. She regularly deals with multi million pound claims and has extensive experience of obtaining substantial interim payments for her clients to fund the rehabilitation, treatment and support they require. In her practice she often supports clients and their families who lack capacity as a result of their injuries where the court of protection are involved. Sue Upton - Enable Law

Edward leads the firm’s farms, estates and rural land practice. He has extensive experience in a wide range of litigation including commercial litigation, professional negligence claims, property and regulatory-related disputes. He has acted for public bodies, institutional clients, companies, charities, landed estates, partnerships and private individuals. With the aim of giving high quality commercial advice, he carefully listens to the client’s aims and concerns at the outset and then develops a clear strategy to resolve the dispute they are dealing with.

Gary Walker is a Partner leading the Enable Law Abuse team that sits within the wider personal injury team. He has over 15 years of experience acting for seriously injured clients who have suffered abuse and neglect in the workplace, a healthcare setting or when in care. He has both children and adult clients and is a panel member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (one of only 15 in the country and the only panel member in the South-West). He regularly receives direct referrals from professionals in childcare, other personal injury lawyers and the Official Solicitor. Some of Gary's cases that have been on the public eye include representing clients in the Fuller Inquiry, clients that were inpatients at Edenfield, resident clients of Fullerton House as well as the now infamous Winterbourne View setting. Gary also advises clients on the developing law in data breach concentrating on acting for adoptive families. https://www.enablelaw.com/team/gary-walker/

Carol is a Senior Associate in our Private Client team who can advise individuals and families on strategic tax and succession planning through the generations. Carol has worked with estate owners, farmers and high net-worth clients throughout her career as a solicitor and has a keen understanding of their legal needs and how to help them achieve their goals. Carol regularly drafts Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney for her clients and advises them on the creation of trusts, both during their lifetime and under their Wills. Carol’s knowledge of landed estate matters means she can help clients manage estates whether they are privately owned or in a trust. She can offer clients her experience of dealing with applications under the Variation of Trusts Act 1958 and the creation of a Heritage Maintenance Fund as part of long-term tax planning. Clients also seek Carol’s advice on all aspects of administering an estate, especially when dealing with complex issues and highly valuable or sentimentally important assets.

Lee is a Managing Associate in our Projects, Construction and Infrastructure team and specialises in dispute avoidance and dispute resolution. He acts for a range of clients including developers, employers, local authorities, contractors, consultants, and sub-contractors. Lee is particularly experienced in leading adjudication proceedings having conducted high value adjudication proceedings across a multitude of issues acting for both the Referring and Responding Party. Lee’s work involves advising on claims for delay, extensions of time, and loss and expense, regularly dealing with issues such as workmanship and design defects, repudiatory breach of contract and termination. Lee also frequently advises on the validity of applications for payment, payment notices and final account disputes. Lee’s expertise includes conducting high value court proceedings in the TCC (including pre-action negotiations), arbitration proceedings and mediation.

Marina acts for housebuilders (both national and regional) and Registered Providers on all matters relating to the acquisition and promotion of sites for residential development. The work she is involved with ranges from straightforward subject to planning deals, options and promotion agreements to complex joint ventures and collaboration agreements and all related matters. With a keen interest in housing, she aims to establish great working relationships with her clients by understanding their business needs and helping them achieve the outcomes they want by delivering an excellent and efficient service.

Frances Wright joined the firm in April 2023 and has over 25 years' experience acting for people who have suffered from medical negligence. She has been an AvMA panel solicitor for over 25 years and also holds Law Society accreditation. She deals with a range of cases, particularly those involving complex medical issues resulting from surgical errors and cancer diagnoses. She also has a well-established record of success in maximum severity claims, including those resulting from birth injury and sepsis. Frances is a Trustee (and former Chair of Trustees) for CP Plus, the Greater Bristol CP support charity. Frances Wright - Enable Law

Aliki is a Managing Associate in our Energy, Projects, Infrastructure & Construction team. She is a dual-qualified lawyer (Greece, England and Wales). Aliki spent three years as the General Counsel of WElink Energy Europe, focussing on the development, construction, financing and refinancing of large scale, unsubsidized solar pv projects in Europe. She has significant experience in advising clients on the acquisition, development and disposal of renewable energy assets, including onshore wind turbines and has produced a number of articles on a variety of environmental law matters.