Gorvins Solicitors

Billing & efficiency

Claire Beaumont

Claire is a Partner and Head of the Gorvins’ Commercial Property team and has worked in the sector for over 20 years. She regularly advises on a large number of high-value investment transactions and also regularly works with lending institutions. Claire's specialism is Property Investment and Finance but has broad experience across the sector working with a variety of clients who are active in the market. Claire is a non-executive director of Jigsaw Homes Group and a former Chairman of the Association of Women in Property Northwest Branch and remains part of the committee and also acts as a mentor, assisting the association in encouraging women into the property sector. Claire's areas of expertise include: Asset Management Property Investment Commercial Leases Property Finance and Banking Acquisitions and Disposals Advising family business owners on sale and purchase of premises

Stuart Biddle

Stuart has been working in personal injury since 1996 and qualified in 1999. He has extensive knowledge of this area of law. A member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), he understands the stresses and strains that an injury can cause; physically, emotionally and financially. Stuart prides himself on his compassionate and empathetic approach with particular specialisms in dealing with complex injuries involving debilitating and life changing effects. He works closely with medical professionals, rehabilitation providers and insurers to ensure issues are taken care of. Stuart's areas of expertise include: Complex injuries involving debilitating or life changing effects Chronic pain and significant pain disorders Accidents in the workplace Road traffic accidents & motorcycle collisions Accidents whilst abroad Slips, trips and falls

Gary Boyd

Gary is a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. He has worked exclusively for Claimants in personal injury claims since qualifying as a Solicitor in 1997. Gary is a Partner at Gorvins and Head of Department, specialising in military and serious sports injury and other life-changing injury claims including spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and amputations. Gary prides himself in his holistic approach to his client’s needs and prioritises not only maximising compensation but also securing early and appropriate rehabilitation and financial advice. Gary was the third person in the UK to be awarded the "Military Injury Specialist and Assessor" status by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). Gary's areas of expertise include: Military Personal Injury Claims Serious Sports Injury Claims Catastrophic and Complex Injury Claims Armed Forced Compensation Claims Criminal Injury Claims Rehabilitation

Julie Burgess

Julie qualified in 2004 and joined Gorvins in 2018 as a Senior Associate in the Wills, Trusts and Probate team. She was then promoted to Partner in December 2021. Julie is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE). Julie specialises in high value complex estate administrations involving trusts and offshore assets. Julie also advises clients in relation to Wills, estate and inheritance tax planning and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Sarah Calderwood

Lisa Chambers

Lisa is a Chartered Legal Executive and has been at Gorvins for over 25 years. She has a wealth of experience in dealing with high value and complex personal injury claims arising from serious road traffic accidents, accidents in the workplace and public liability claims. Lisa specialises in dealing with multi-party actions and has a particular interest in dealing with cases involving traumatic brain injury, spinal injury and psychological injury. Lisa's areas of expertise include: High value road traffic accidents Multi party occupiers liability claims Public liability claims Defective product claims Employers Liability Claims Cases involving complex injuries and life changing effects

Danielle Clements

Danielle is a Partner in Gorvins' Commercial Litigation department. Danielle has a superb reputation for providing practical, tailor-made solutions for a diverse range of commercial and private clients. Having qualified in 2006, her specialism lies in contentious probate matters where she advises on complex cases involving high-value estates on behalf of personal representatives and multiple beneficiaries. Danielle is an ACTAPS Member who has experience in a vast range of matters including claims under the Inheritance (PFD) Act 1975, revocation of wills, claims to dispute the validity of a will and claims brought against executors based on breach of duty. Danielle also specialises in commercial/residential landlord and tenant disputes and advises on consumer issues. Danielle's areas of expertise include: Contentious probate matters relating to Will & Estate disputes Commercial Landlord and Tenant disputes Residential Landlord and Tenant disputes Shareholder disputes Contractual disputes Employment related matters in the jurisdiction of the county/high court

Olivia Cooper

Olivia is an Associate Solicitor in the Wills, Trusts and Probate department and joined the firm in April 2025. Olivia qualified as a solicitor in September 2024 following completion of her training contract at a South Cheshire firm. During her training contract, Olivia gained considerable experience in Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Probate matters. In addition to private client knowledge, Olivia has experience in conveyancing which assists in her work. Olivia's areas of expertise include: Wills Lasting Powers of Attorney Estate Administration

Andrew Curwen

Andrew is Head of the Corporate & Commercial practice at Gorvins Solicitors. He has been named as one of the Legal 500's leading lawyers since 2022. Noted as excellent to deal with and a no-nonsense approach which has proved very persuasive in debates with the other side on transactions. Andrew advises clients ranging from institutions to owner-managed businesses. He specialises in corporate transactions; advising on acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, MBOs and MBI's, venture capital and debt finance. Andrew regularly secures some of the departments high profile deals and has an enviable list of long-standing clients. Andrew's areas of expertise include: Advising on acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses Joint Ventures Management Buy-Outs & Management Buy-Ins Venture capital Shareholder agreements and commercial contracts Debt finance

Mark Deverell

Mark is the Firm's Managing Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation. He has been named as one of the Legal 500's leading lawyers since 2015 to the present day. He specialises in commercial litigation, acting on behalf of both businesses and their principal shareholders and directors. Most of his work being contractual, shareholder, and partnership disputes. With an exceptionally strong client base many of whom have been with him for a considerable length of time and excellent knowledge in all aspects of commercial litigation, he is recognised for his practical approach and to see the commerciality of a case very early on. Mark is also a trained mediator and fully believes in the benefit of ADR to get to the real issue of a case, quickly and in a cost-effective way. Mark's areas of expertise include: Providing commercial advice in difficult situations Contractual disputes Shareholders and partnership issues Insolvency both personal and corporate Property litigation Freezing and Search and Seizure Orders

Paul Dowdall

Paul is a Partner in the Commercial Property Team, leading the development division of the practice. After qualifying in 2006, he has developed an expertise advising on large scale residential and commercial development and funding schemes, Paul is regularly sought out by developers, investors and funders alike. Paul has a wealth of expertise acting for a range of clients across all Real Estate sectors, in particular the office, retail, hotel, build to rent and leisure sectors. He combines technical expertise with commercial understanding, delivering pragmatic and sensible legal solutions. He is the client partner for some of the firm’s key commercial property clients, and has worked on a number of high-value transactions for each of them. That work has involved advising in relation to all aspects of the client’s property transactions, including development and funding, sales, acquisitions and management work.

Katie Fletcher

As a dedicated Military Personal Injury Lawyer, Katie is a passionate advocate for the rights of our service members and veterans who have suffered injuries due to negligence, misconduct, or unsafe practices within the military. Katie has worked exclusively in personal injury litigation since 2009 and she qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2018. Katie recognises the emotional and physical toll that injuries can take on serving personnel / veterans and their families, and she approaches each case with compassion and dedication. She prides herself on providing an outstanding service to her client’s not only to obtain compensation but also to secure rehabilitation and treatment at the earliest opportunity. Katie's areas of expertise include: Military Personal Injury Claims Catastrophic and Complex Injury Claims Including: Severe Brain Injuries Chronic Pain Amputations Spinal/Orthopaedic Injuries Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Non-Freezing Cold Injuries Military Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Sexual assaults and harassment

Nicola Fraser

Nicola is a Partner and the Head of Family Law team at Gorvins. Nicola Fraser started working in family law in 1991, qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and has a wealth of experience in all aspects of family law. She has provided lectures, training and assistance to Public sector organisations including the Police, Local Authorities and charities. She is an expert no-nonsense litigator with a wealth of experience and success in all aspects of family law with a particular flair for financial matters . She blends compassion with common sense and keen legal acumen. Equipped with a postgraduate qualification in family law and qualified as a collaborative lawyer, Nicola deals primarily with financial settlements, including those with complex commercial aspects and pensions. She also deals with contentious private law applications in respect of children. Her experiences span 3 decades and include several senior positions in family law departments across the North West. She has headed up our family law department since 2019. Nicola's areas of expertise include: Pre-Nuptial /Post-nuptial & Cohabitation Agreements Separation, Divorce & Civil Partnership dissolution Financial & Property settlements, including commercial assets & Pensions Children matters including emergency applications Trusts of Land cases Domestic Violence

Tracey Guest

Partner and Head of Employment

Helen Herradine

Helen is a Partner in the Employment Department. Undertaking legal advice work since January 2000, she attained a Masters in Employment Law in 2001 and qualified as a solicitor in 2009. Having a wealth of experience advising clients across many different sectors at all levels, including large retailers, SMEs, charities and community interest companies, as well as executives and professionals (including airline pilots and medical professionals). Helen has extensive experience in employment law and HR advice work, working in the public and private sector as a HR Manager and predominantly as an Employment Law Adviser/Solicitor. Her legal career has involved providing advice to employer and employee clients alike; enabling her to provide sound and practical advice to clients that carefully considers theirs and the other party’s potential legal arguments. She is experienced in handling employment matters ranging from providing day to day HR support and assistance, to representing claimants and respondents in employment tribunal claims of varying degrees of complexity. This includes advising on long and short-term absence management, performance and conduct matters, grievance issues, drafting employment contracts and staff handbooks, discrimination claims, settlement agreements, redundancies, TUPE transfers, dismissals and related contractual claims. Helen’s clients describe her as “an excellent lawyer” and comment on her “creativity, professionalism, dedication and tenacity”. Helen's areas of expertise include: Long and short-term absence management Grievance and disciplinary issues Drafting employment contracts and staff handbooks Discrimination Settlement agreements Redundancy advice TUPE transfers Dismissal advice Contract claims

Megan Hutton

Megan qualified as a solicitor in 2020. She advises on a broad range of commercial litigation and insolvency matters. Megan deals with cases in a hands on and robust manner and is very approachable to clients. Megan's areas of expertise include: Bankruptcy Winding up petitions Commercial litigation Contractual disputes Insolvency both personal and corporate Contentious probate matters relating to Will & Estate disputes Shareholders and partnership disputes Construction disputes Property litigation including neighbour and boundary disputes

Mahua Jana

Mahua is an Associate Solicitor in the Private Client team. She qualified in 2013 and then joined Gorvins in July 2022 after spending many years at a large national firm based in their Manchester office. Mahua specialises in Probate and has dealt with high net worth individuals at both national and international levels, complicated intestacies and other complex matters in estate administration. In addition to her Private Client experience, Mahua also has several years of experience in Family Law and Litigation. This experience has allowed Mahua to develop a sound knowledge in various areas of law, which assists her in her work. Mahua's areas of expertise include: National and international Probate administration Complicated Intestacies Complex estate administration

Samantha Kennedy

Samantha qualified in 2018 and is an Associate Solicitor in the Wills, Trust, and Probate team at Gorvins Solicitors. She has extensive experience providing clients with advice on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Administration of Estates, and future planning. Samantha is a member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers. Having practiced in Wills, Trust and Probate since 2013, Samantha has provided advice on a broad spectrum of matters including care home fee planning, asset protection, compensation protection trusts and trusts for parents of disabled children. She regularly acts for business owners and high net worth individuals in relation to their estate planning to provide innovative and tailored solutions. Samantha's areas of expertise include: Will preparation Trusts (including assets protection and planning for families with disabled children) Estate planning for business owners Estate administration Lasting Powers of Attorney Court of Protection applications Inheritance tax planning

Guy Lightowler

Guy is not only a Leading Lawyer for Commercial Litigation but also heads up Property Litigation at Gorvins Solicitors. He has been at Gorvins since 1996. Guy has a great deal of experience and expertise in advising all types of client from owner managed businesses and SMEs to PLCs and multinationals. As well as dealing with a whole range of commercial matters, Guy has a particular expertise in Property Litigation. He likes to become involved in disputes at an early stage so that litigation can be avoided if at all possible. Wherever possible, Guy will not only look at things from a legal perspective but also a commercial one with a view to trying to exploring Alternative Dispute Resolution and the possibility of a resolution through negotiations. Guy's areas of expertise include: Commercial and contractual disputes Real property disputes Landlord and tenant disputes Intellectual property disputes Shareholder Disputes Claims involving injunctive relief including emergency injunctions

Gemma Lingard

Gemma is a Senior Associate in the Corporate & Commercial department. She joined Gorvins in 2006 and qualified in 2008. She has a great deal of experience advising SME clients on a range of corporate and commercial matters. Over this time , she has continued to develop her experience on corporate acquisitions and disposals and often plays a key role in some of the highest value transactions undertaken by the team. Gemma has developed her specialism by advising family business owners and shareholders. Taking the time to get to know and understand her clients and their business and developing close working relationships with clients and colleagues alike is part of the job she loves the most. Her other expertise includes shareholders agreements, company restructuring, terms and conditions of business and negotiating commercial contracts (distribution and supply).

Paul Lupton

Paul is a Partner and Head of the Commercial team at Gorvins Solicitors. Paul has a wealth of experience advising small to medium sized businesses and their owners on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters. This can include advice on acquisitions and disposals, corporate restructuring and insolvency but Paul’s speciality is in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and IT/IP contracts. Paul's areas of expertise include: Commercial supply agreements and terms of business Distribution and agency contracts Software and IT agreements Joint venture and co-operation agreements Data sharing agreements and privacy notices

Christian Mancier

Christian is a Partner in the Corporate & Commercial department. He specialises in leading on corporate transactions of all kinds including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, MBO's, private equity and venture capital across a variety of sectors including manufacturing, recruitment, entertainment and leisure. Christian predominantly acts for owner-managed businesses and family-owned businesses in the SME sector, many of whom are long standing clients. Christian has also developed a niche specialism in advising family businesses and heads up Gorvins' Family Business team. Christian's areas of expertise include: Company law, including constitutional documentation, Companies Act compliance, corporate governance, shareholders' agreements and partnership agreements Acquisitions and disposals of assets and shares in limited companies Commercial law and contracts, including terms of business, supply agreements, licence agreements, agency agreements and distribution agreements Intellectual property and the assignment of rights, software licences and development agreements Healthcare Data protection and compliance

Colin Mellor

Colin is a Consultant Solicitor in the Gorvins Commercial Property team. He has been qualified for over 40 years and has a wealth of experience in commercial property and corporate matters of all types including very high value transactions. His efficient and practical approach twinned with real enthusiasm for the work and client issues makes the experience as smooth and trouble free as possible. Colin has significant experience dealing with very high value software licensing and associated transactions. Colin is also a qualified mediator and has a wealth of mature experience in dealing with all forms of disputes and property and commercial matters. Colin's areas of expertise include: Commercial property sales, lettings, development and security Corporate transactions including sales of shares and assets Residential development site transactions Software transactions including licensing Commercial agreements including sales terms, distribution and franchising Solicitors' negligence claims

Tom Nutter

Tom is a Partner and Co-Head of the Crime and Regulatory Team. Tom qualified in 2007 and has acted for members of the Police Federation since 2004. He specialises in acting for Police officers in criminal and misconduct proceedings, as well as Inquests arising from deaths in custody, fatal pursuits and shootings. Tom has vast experience in high profile and complex cases, including investigations into Police corruption, the Hillsborough stadium disaster and alleged Police failings concerning child sexual exploitation. Tom is known for his expertise in Post Incident Procedures and regularly provides educational inputs locally and nationally on this topic. Tom's areas of expertise include: General Crime Police Misconduct Inquests Professional discipline

Sunita Patel

Sunita has worked in the debt recovery arm of Gorvins dispute resolution team for 10 years. Her work includes issuing claims, dealing with defended work and enforcement, small claims, fast track and multi-track claims and debt collection out of jurisdiction. She has established long standing relationships with clients.

Amanda Porter

Amanda is a Partner in the Commercial Property Team, having joined Gorvins in December 2019. She qualified as a Solicitor in 1997 and has extensive experience in all aspects of landlord and tenant and property management work. Amanda's areas of expertise include: Property Management Commercial Leases Acquisitions and Disposals

Doris Raggatt

Doris qualified in 2012 and joined Gorvins Solicitors as a Partner in the Wills, Trusts and probate team in 2025. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has also recently passed with distinction the STEP Diploma in Advising Business Families. She is also a member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers and is named in the Legal 500 for her work. Doris has a great deal of experience in dealing with HNW clients in drafting their wills and estate planning. She also deals with the full range of private client work including administration of complex and high value estates, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work as well as extensive experience of drafting lifetime trusts and administering trusts on behalf of trustees. Doris's areas of expertise include: Will Drafting Administration of high value and complex estates Preparation of Lasting Powers of Attorney Courts of Protection applications Advising business families on succession planning Trust and estate planning for inheritance tax

Paul Reddy

Paul qualified in 2007 and is now a Partner and Co-Head of the Crime and Regulatory team. Paul is regularly instructed in the full-range of road traffic matters ranging from speeding, drink-drive and totting up cases to the most serious allegations of causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving. He has vast experience of advising on these matters and working with the best-in-class experts and counsel where necessary. Paul has been involved in some of the most high-profile and serious Police Fed cases in recent years including charges of murder, police shootings, sexual assault and serious injury driving cases. He is often instructed at the very outset of a case, whether that is an arrest or Post Incident Procedure and works with Police clients through to the conclusion of their case, whether that is at interview, trial, Gross Misconduct hearing or inquests. Paul's areas of expertise include: Road Traffic Law General Crime Police Misconduct

Patricia Robinson

Partner and Co-Head of Family

Michael Smoult

Michael is a Partner and Head of the Private Client team at Gorvins Solicitors. He advises clients on will preparation and estate administrations as well as inheritance tax planning. He also works on a number of contentious probate and estate disputes building on his previous experience in the dispute resolution team. Mike gives practical, hands on, constructive and realistic advice to business owners in relation to their tax planning, making sure that his advice fits in with the reality of their business. He also handles a number of statutory will applications and acts as deputy and attorney for a wide range of clients. Mike's areas of expertise include: Will Preparation (including asset protection and planning for disabled beneficiaries) Complex Estate Administrations Trusts (lifetime trusts, personal injury trusts, declaration of trust and asset protection trusts) Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection applications Contentious Probate and Estate Disputes Inheritance Tax Planning and Family Business Succession Planning

Rowan Uren

Rowan is a Partner in the Corporate and Commercial team.