Judge & Priestley LLP > Beckenham, England > Firm Profile

Judge & Priestley LLP
108-110 Beckenham High Street
Beckenham
Middlesex
BR3 1EB
England

Dispute resolution > Debt recovery Tier 2

Judge & Priestley LLP‘s practice is subdivided between commercial and local authority litigation and asset recoveries, and subrogated insurance claims. Rachel Addai takes the lead on local authority debt recovery, with Mark Oakley also assisting in local authority debt and leaseholder disputes. Uday Patel heads the finance and utility debt recovery. Mark Younger and Robert Davis oversee the recovery operations and processes for insurance clients.

Practice head(s):

Mark Oakley; Rachel Addai; Robert Davis; Mark Younger; Uday Patel

Testimonials

‘Good knowledge on debt litigation.’

‘Over many years the firm has demonstrated great professionalism, knowledge, and experience in debt recovery. The firm is proactive in collaboration and engaging with our organisation, and support us in the recovery of different types of debts. J&P Solicitors’ great expertise in adult social care debt has given us the opportunities to improve our collection.’

‘Rachel Addai, a partner at the law firm, provides invaluable counsel. Rachel has led the challenges of some of our high-profile cases, convening debt conferences to help senior officers grasp the issues at stake. These have resulted in desirable and successful outcomes.’

‘They understand the industry very well and provide us with expert advice when needed. Their success rate is very high.’

‘Their attention to detail and service to clients is fantastic.’

‘Rachel Addai is a true leader – always available, extremely knowledgeable, and always willing to help us.’

Key clients

London Borough of Southwark

Crown Commercial

Edge Recovery Limited

Work highlights

  • Acting for Regent Gas Limited in a multi-million claim for back-billed gas supply to a major dairy manufacturer in a claim issued in the High Court. The dispute centres around niche regulatory and statutory provision relating to a utility supplier’s ability to back-bill and a defence of estoppel.
  • Taking action against a director of a company in liquidation seeking contribution to the company accounts from the director under section 212 of the Insolvency Act.
  • Advising London Borough of Lambeth in a court of appeal judicial review matter relating to the exercise of power in imposing a multi-million pound Community Infrastructure Levy on a property developer.

Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate: Kent, Surrey, Sussex Tier 2

The ‘outstanding’ private client practice at Judge & Priestley LLP offers ‘first-class service and specialists in the field’ and has gone ‘from strength to strength in recent years’ with the acquisition in November 2022 of Woolsey Morris & Kennedy, resulting in a new office in Sidcup and three new private client partners; Tim Goodwin, Isabel Elliott and Chris Elliott. Co-heading the team is the ‘passionate’ David Chandra, who has significant experience in acting for high-net-worth individuals, charitable bodies and financial institutions on high-value estates and succession planning issues, and the ‘technically superb’ fully qualified STEP member Brian Tan, who specialises in probate and inheritance tax matters.

Practice head(s):

David Chandra; Brian Tan

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘The whole team are always attentive and helpful in every situation. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. I mainly deal with David Chandra and I must say it’s so refreshing dealing with someone who’s so passionate in delivering the very top service to the people that he cares for all whilst loving what he does.’

‘The team’s expertise and technical knowledge in relation to cross-border estates is unparalleled. Brian Tan is technically superb in tax matters and offshore estates. He is approachable and engaging.’

‘The solicitors in this team are very professional, efficient, and friendly. I worked with Brian Tan and Peter Taylor. They offer a very good service and of all the practices I have tried, I think this one is the best.’ 

‘The team is highly supportive and empathetic. The solicitors are truly capable and hold a high standard with your best interest at heart. A first-class service and specialists in the field. Brian Tan is an excellent solicitor, highly empathetic, knowledgeable and pragmatic.’

‘An outstanding strong private client team which has gone from strength to strength in recent years.’

‘Brian Tan has worked for us over the years and we have always found him to be friendly, professional and always at the end of the telephone or email to answer any immediate questions. We have nothing but praise for Brian.’

‘The team has many strengths with a wide range of expertise. A solid and capable team which provides all-round private client advice.’

‘Peter Taylor always went above and beyond. He was personable, shared his own anecdotes, and always made me feel like he cared as much about my situation as much as I did. I never felt like I was bothering him, he always made me feel welcome and understood.’

Real estate > Social housing Tier 2

Operating out of Bromley, the ‘strong team of lawyers’ at Judge & Priestley LLP specialises in handling complex disrepair and EPA claims, along with possession and anti-social behaviour cases. Nitika Singh heads up the group, and is noted for her specialism in acting for landlords on all housing management issues. Mark Oakley has expertise in leasehold and property litigation. Associate Suki Dhoopher focuses on service charge arrears, and Elaine Bathers represents leaseholders and freeholders. James de Vere Moss is also highly regarded.

Practice head(s):

Nitika Singh

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘J&P are a strong team of lawyers who make sure that they have the right information to deal with litigation. The team is well balanced in terms of experience and they ensure a good quality of new people joining the team. Their case management is robust and thorough and intelligent. Diversity in the team is strong. Compared with other firms they go the extra mile for their clients.’

‘They make sure that they explain the progress of a case and provide essential documents in an accessible format, which makes the task of consideration, assessment for advice or preparation for trial focused and productive. In this respect the team are very professional and efficient. The team also show a good understanding of their client and of the other party, which informs their work at each stage of the litigation.’

‘The whole team is dedicated to making sure that the service that it provides is over and above and they all give 100% and are a total credit to the company.’

‘The whole of Nitika Singh’s team needs to be recognised for all of their hard work.’

‘They reply quickly to all calls and emails.’

‘All staff members have a good understanding of the case.’

Key clients

CHIC (Central Housing Investment Consortium Ltd)

London Borough Southwark

Barnet Homes (London Borough of Barnet)

London Borough of Havering

London Borough of Lambeth

London Borough of Camden

Wandle Homes

Birmingham City Council

Open Door Homes

Devon Mansions TMO

Browning E.M.A. TMO

D’eynsford TMO

Phoenix Community Housing

Southern Housing Group

HALA consortium

Work highlights

  • Successfully defended a local authority client against an EPA claim brought by the tenant.
  • Represented a local authority client in a possession claim.
  • Successfully defended a housing condition claim pursued by a leaseholder.

Dispute resolution > Debt recovery Tier 1

‘Valued for its expertise and professionalism’, Judge & Priestley LLP ‘s credit solutions division in Bromley utilises its dedicated teams for subrogated insurance claims and for commercial and local authority litigation to offer a wide range of services, spanning high-volume debt recovery issues, pre-action recoveries and judgement enforcement actions. The team is overseen by Rachel Addai, who specialises in local authority revenue matters. Addai is assisted by, Robert Davis, Mark Younger, and Uday Patel, who heads up the credit solutions team’s litigation department and is especially active in the utilities sector. Mark Oakley is a key contact for leaseholder disputes and property claims.

Practice head(s):

Rachel Addai; Mark Oakley; Robert Davis; Mark Younger; Uday Patel

Other key lawyers:

Leonie-Robyn Murtagh

Testimonials

‘They offer a professional and prompt service in debt recovery. Their solicitors are always helpful and informed for litigation matters.’

‘We value them for their expertise and professionalism, in dealing with both individual and commercial debts recovery and litigation. We have an assigned account manager who ensures things run smoothly.’

‘They sit on our monthly debt forum meetings to provide expert advice on complex matters. This arrangement supports matters to be resolved efficiently and effectively.’

‘Leonie-Robyn Murtagh helps us to navigate complex and difficult matters related to adults and social care debtors. Takes onboard our instruction on matters and offers advice which we very much appreciate.’

‘Rachel Addai has provided us with her expertise on a wide range of complex debt recovery matters.’

‘They give me an excellent service. Clear and prompt communications, problems resolved quickly, and generally an excellent professional service.’

Key clients

London Borough of Southwark

Crown Commercial

Edge Recovery Limited

Work highlights

  • Advising and acting for Regent Gas Limited in a multi-million claim for back-billed gas supply to a major dairy manufacturer in a claim issued in the High Court.
  • Acting against a director of a company in liquidation seeking contribution to the company accounts from the director under section 212 of the Insolvency Act.
  • Advising London Borough of Lambeth on and representing the council in a Court of Appeal judicial review matter relating to the exercise of power in imposing a multi-million-pound Community Infrastructure Levy on a property developer.

Private client > Family: Kent, Surrey, Sussex Tier 3

Offering a variety of family services to high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs and professionals, the ‘strong family team’ at Judge & Priestley LLP is described as having a ‘real strength in international cases’. Kelly Sharman routinely handles divorce and finance related work, while ‘stand out’ dual qualified (Spain and England) lawyer Maria Conesa Gonzalez heads up the team and has expertise in complex private children matters and disputes involving child abduction issues, the registration and enforcement of foreign orders, and applications for leave to remove. Expert in cohabitation and TOLATA matters Angela Amponsah is also noted.

Practice head(s):

Kelly Sharman; Maria Conesa Gonzalez

Other key lawyers:

Angela Amponsah; Yanoulla Kakoulli

Testimonials

‘Angela Amponsah is incredibly friendly. Maria Conesa Gonzalez is an expert at complex children case particularly those with an international element. Kelly Sharman heads up the team with her strong legal expertise and practical attitude to the negotiation process.’

‘Maria Conesa Gonzalez is the stand out of the firm. She is incredible in her practice and very down to earth, making her approachable and a stand out in her field. She has an eye for detail.’

‘Angela Amponsah is a sensitive, diligent and fearless solicitor who always does the absolute best for her clients.’

‘Judge & Priestly has an excellent standard of client care and committed lawyers who always work to do the very best for every client.’

‘Kelly Sharman has done an amazing job building the team, more or less from scratch, whilst managing her own busy practice. A fierce and tenacious solicitor, no-one fights their clients corner as staunchly as Kelly. Maria Conesa Gonzalez is a legal powerhouse! What she doesn’t know about International Relocation isn’t worth knowing! Angela Amponsah and Yanoulla Kakoulli are fantastic recruits and will only enhance the teams already fantastic offering.’

‘‘Boutique firm which offers great diversity, a real strength in working in teams and excellent client care.’

‘They have fantastic strength in depth and can cover all areas of Family Law to the highest degree.’

‘J&P has a strong family team covering a wide variety of family law issues. The team has a real strength in international cases, and cases where there is the need for expertise in other areas of family law such as divorce and finances alongside the children proceedings.’

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Kent, Surrey and Sussex Tier 4

The commercial litigation team at Judge & Priestley LLP in Bromley acts for high-net-worth individuals and corporations in disputes relating to high-value contracts, the supply of gas and electricity, and consumer credit issues. Leading the credit solutions litigation team is Uday Patel, who often acts in utility supply disputes relating to fraudulent supply agreements, and insolvency matters.

Practice head(s):

Uday Patel

Other key lawyers:

Leonie-Robyn Murtagh

Key clients

London Borough of Southwark

Crown Commercial Service

Edge Recovery Limited

Work highlights

  • Acting for the utility supplier, Regent Gas Limited, in a multi-million claim in the High Court for back-billed gas supply to a major dairy manufacturer.
  • Acting on behalf of a liquidator in taking action against a director of a company in liquidation and seeking contribution to the company accounts from the director under section 212 of the Insolvency Act.
  • Representing the London Borough of Lambeth in a Court of Appeal judicial review matter relating to the exercise of power in imposing a multi-million pound Community Infrastructure Levy on a property developer.

With offices in Bromley, Beckenham, Blackheath and Sidcup, Judge & Priestley is one of the leading providers of legal services in the South East London / Kent and Surrey borders. Supported by ongoing investment in the latest technologies and its skilled workforce, it is developing an increasingly national presence in areas of key competency and specialism. The practice has long-standing commercial clients of all sizes across many business areas and in the public sector, and a thriving practice delivering support and legal advice to private individuals.

Founded in 1889, this practice has always looked to move with the times, while not forgetting that expert service and value for money never go out of fashion. It prides itself on providing high-quality, value-for-money legal services for businesses, local authorities, housing associations and individuals alike, who value trusted independent and expert advice.

The firm’s commitment to quality and high levels of service has been recognised by several independent external bodies. The practice has been awarded the Law Society’s rigorous Practice Management Standard Lexcel. It also holds the ‘Investors in People’ award, which confirms the commitment to staff training and development. The firm takes security of client data very seriously, holding the ISO27001 IT data security standard and the government accredited Cyber Essentials Plus award.

Principal areas of work: The property litigation and housing management teams have long been recognized in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for their expertise in social housing matters and advise on a range of contentious property issues. The housing management team has been acting, predominantly for landlords, for over 20 years. Clients include leading London local authorities and housing associations such as LB Southwark, LB Havering, Barnet Homes and Wandle Housing Association etc. along with developers and private landlords. The team advise on all aspects of leasehold management and a variety of other litigious matters including disrepair claims, possession proceedings, squatters, unauthorised occupiers, adverse possession claims, and nuisance-related matters etc.

J&P Credit Solutions, the specialist debt recovery and commercial litigation department of the practice is ranked in Tier 1 of the Legal 500 and has grown significantly in recent years. The department has an excellent reputation in the industry in key specialist areas including local authority debt recovery, utilities collections and subrogated insurance losses arising from road traffic claims for example. The team has over 20 years’ experience in acting for local authorities and represents an ever growing number of London boroughs and Midlands authorities, assisting and supporting a variety of debt recovery strategies including adult social care charges, residential charges, home care charges, service charges, deceased debtor, CIL and sundry debts. The team also has a growing reputation in the fields of insolvency, and other complex commercial and contract litigation. The insurance team has also been recovering debts for insurance clients for over 20 years, and clients include several leading national insurers. The department has considerably expanded its bulk pre-legal capabilities as it looks to enhance its growing reputation in general commercial and consumer debt collections. It already works for many national and international businesses in the utilities, finance and other business sectors, providing efficient value-for-money solutions and working closely to align debt recovery processes with clients’ internal systems and workflows.

Judge & Priestley has one of the largest residential conveyancing teams in the SE London area, with experienced partners for both professional property investors and private clients, and a separate team providing specialist advice on lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement.

The private client team has also been recognised in the Legal 500 currently ranked in Tier 2.  The department focuses on wills, trusts and probate with a particular emphasis on contested probate, inheritance tax planning, elderly client services and trusts involving foreign jurisdictions.

Led by three highly experienced private litigation experts, our Private Wealth Disputes team provide sensitive and expert advice in all areas of inheritance and wills and trust disputes. The team has an in-depth understanding of the laws relating to the distribution of assets and have an enviable track-record of resolving private wealth disputes in a timely manner, whilst being considerate of the high emotions such disputes can often elicit.

The family team, currently ranked tier 3  in The Legal 500, offers a full range of services covering family, children and divorce law and the private dispute resolution team assists individuals and businesses with all manner of disputes including employment law, contract disputes, insolvency and bankruptcy and professional negligence for example.

The commercial property team covers a range of work for businesses, including site acquisition, development, purchasing and selling or leasing commercial property. The company commercial team provides a broad spectrum of advice including business start-ups and structure, employment, sale and purchase of companies, partnership and shareholder agreements, management buy-outs and formation of limited liability partnerships.

Department Name Email Telephone
Managing partner and Commercial/Property Development Steven Taylor staylor@judge-priestley.co.uk
Company commercial Neil Cuffe ncuffe@judge-priestley.co.uk
Social housing management Nitika Singh nsingh@judge-priestley.co.uk
Social housing management Pamela Bachu pbachu@judge-priestley.co.uk
Debt recovery Robert Davis rdavis@judge-priestley.co.uk
Debt recovery Mark Younger myounger@judge-priestley.co.uk
Insolvency and bankruptcy Rachel Addai raddai@judge-priestley.co.uk
Debt Recovery Uday Patel upatel@judge-priestley.co.uk
Dispute resolution and Private Wealth Disputes Mark Oakley moakley@judge-priestley.co.uk
Family Kelly Sharman ksharman@judge-priestley.co.uk
Family Maria Conesa Gonzalez mconesa@judge-priestley.co.uk
Private client and Private Wealth Disputes David Chandra dchandra@judge-priestley.co.uk
Private Client Brian Tan btan@judge-priestley.co.uk
Private Wealth Disputes Christopher Elliott celliott@judge-priestley.co.uk
Employment and dispute resolution Paul Stevens pstevens@judge-priestley.co.uk
Residential conveyancing Madelaine Henwood mhenwood@judge-priestley.co.uk
Residential Conveyancing Kavitha Rajah krajah@judge-priestley.co.uk
Residential Conveyancing Louise Hyland lyhland@judge-priestley.co.uk
Number of UK partners : 23
Number of other UK fee-earners : 102
Number of consultants : 2
Total number of staff : 217
Spanish
Hindi