FBC Manby Bowdler

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Brian Aikman

Brian Aikman

A Partner at the Firm, Brian specialises in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution, insolvency, shareholder disputes, and property litigation. He has also gained a particular reputation in the field of contentious corporate recovery work. Brian occupies the prominent role of a Deputy District Judge.
Sarah Baugh

Sarah Baugh

A Partner at the Firm, Sarah heads up the Agricultural & Rural Services Team in Shropshire and specialises in all aspects of property based agricultural and landed estate work. She provides clients with a detailed knowledge and understanding of matters arising in the acquisition and disposal of freehold land as well as agricultural, residential or business leasehold matters with particular emphasis on Agricultural Holding Act Tenancies, estate management, refinancing, subsidy advice and agri-environmental schemes. She has built her reputation in acting as legal advisor to some of the largest landed estates across the Midlands and into Wales as well as multi-generational family farmers in recognising their farming business structures and partnerships.Sarah is former President of the Staffordshire Committee of The Country Landowner and Business Association (CLA) and has also recently served on the CLA’s National Legal, Parliamentary and Property Rights Sub Committee.
Guy Birkett

Guy Birkett

Lead Partner of the Litigation Department specialising in commercial litigation since qualification in 1995. Undertaking a broad practice dealing with commercial contractual disputes, contentious insolvency work and company and chancery disputes. Guy deals with a full and varied caseload involving general commercial litigation, Companies Act litigation and shareholder/partnership disputes, intellectual property litigation, insolvency related litigation and construction and building dispute work. Guy acts for a variety of clients from individuals and small owner managed businesses through to FTSE 200 listed companies.Key clients include the Prime Oak group of companies, Andrew Sykes Group plc, the LXA group of companies and the Newell Palmer group. Guy acts frequently in board room/partnership disputes. Guy has run a number of cases to the Court of Appeal and is comfortable dealing with complex high-value litigation.
Niall Blackie

Niall Blackie

Niall specialises in all aspects of the town and country planning regime including site promotion option and conditional contract work, development plans, planning applications and appeals particularly inquiries and hearings but also written appeals, High Court challenges and judicial reviews, planning and related agreements (eg ‘s106’, ‘s278’, ‘s38’ and ‘s104’), enforcement appeals, lawful development certificate applications and appeals, compulsory purchase and compensation and footpath and other highway cases.Over the years he has regularly taken cases with intricate points of law, including Millington (definition of agriculture in relation to wine making); Murrell (GPDO part 6 rights in relation to agriculture); Matthews (use of without prejudice material in Lands Tribunal evidence); Owen (ecclesiastical); Bickford (‘established use’ in enforcement). He has also worked on significant development projects, including many housing developments, substantial rural projects such as a large scale dairy unit, and development agreements on a variety of different types of proposal. He has worked on several large scale compensation claims, including Lands Tribunal references such as Eron Park (equivalent reinstatement within green belt); and KTB (multi layered compensation). Also undertakes High Court work including Judicial Review and statutory challenges to appeal decisions.
Stephen Burke

Stephen Burke

A Partner at the Firm, Stephen specialises in dealing with sales, purchases, refinancing and leases for a wide variety of properties including shops, offices, warehouses, factories, restaurants and care homes as well as dealing with the sale and purchase of land for development. Stephen has specialist knowledge of the property aspects of franchising, regularly representing franchises including restaurants, opticians and mobile phone shops.
Elizabeth Cleverley

Elizabeth Cleverley

Elizabeth has over 30 years’ experience in family related matters and is able to provide advice in respect of all types of Family Law including divorce, financial matters and children cases. She has particular expertise in complex and high value divorce cases, family trusts, cohabitation agreements and nuptial agreements. A member of the Firm’s Agricultural & Rural Services Team, she also has particular specialist knowledge in farming cases.
Charlotte Clode

Charlotte Clode

A Partner at the Firm, Charlotte specialises in commercial and contractual disputes and contentious intellectual property, technology and media law disputes. Charlotte handles the Firm's Intellectual Property, Technology & Media Law Group's IP litigation at Partner level and also manages a portfolio of IT, software and development companies, most of whom have a national presence. She deals with the Group’s contentious defamation and media law work and is fast developing a specialist niche in that area. Charlotte is also a key member of the Group advising on trademark infringements which have a criminal aspect. In addition Charlotte is one of the Firm’s lead advisors in respect of regulatory, business crime and motoring offences. She represents clients facing investigation or prosecution by regulatory bodies such as Councils, Fire Authorities, the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and others, and represents clients before the Magistrates Court.
Steven Corfield

Steven Corfield

Steven specialises in commercial property and taxation matters, and the development of the firm’s existing agriculture property and rural portfolio. Specialist in agricultural law and undertakes a wide range of legal work for substantial numbers of landed estates and large number of the working farmers.
Philip Cowell

Philip Cowell

A Partner at the Firm, Phil specialises in divorce and other family matters and has particular expertise in dealing with the financial aspect of the breakdown of relationships, including high value financial settlements involving complex business assets and farming cases. Phil is a member of Resolution and a Collaborative Family Lawyer and encourages his clients to resolve their disputes in a non-confrontational way, to reduce the stress of a difficult situation.
Tom Devey

Tom Devey

A Partner at the Firm, Tom specialises in all issues relating to agricultural property and businesses including land sales and acquisitions, partnership matters, farming contracts, renewables, minerals, telecoms and agricultural tenancies. Tom also provides advice relating to subsidy and regulation under the Common Agricultural Policy and the law relating to country field sports. Tom is currently a member of the Shropshire branch of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, a member of the Agricultural Law Association, having qualified as a Fellow in 2012, and a member of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation.
Julia Fitzsimmons

Julia Fitzsimmons

Julia is a Partner in our Employment Team. Based in our Telford office, Julia works with a range of agricultural, manufacturing and SME clients across Shropshire and the West Midlands.
Jane Hughes

Jane Hughes

Jane specialises in all areas of private client work including wills, probate & lifetime planning, tax planning and trusts. As a key member of the Firm’s Agricultural & Rural Services Team and from a rural background herself, Jane is experienced in being able to provide private client advice to farming and estate clients, often including matters that involve complex farming and business arrangements.
Kimberly Mears

Kimberly Mears

An Associate at the Firm, Kimberly is a member of the Firm’s Disputed Probate Team and advises both individuals and charities on all aspects of contentious trusts and probate disputes. Kimberly is able to assist with applications seeking the removal of an executor / trustee, or alternatively seeking directions from the Court that an executor / trustee acts in a certain way. She is also experienced in advising upon both probate claims seeking to challenge / defend the validity of a will and upon bringing / defending claims pursuant to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.  Kimberly is confident in both advising her clients through the Court process and in engaging in alternative dispute resolution in an effort to bring disputes to an efficient and effective conclusion.  
Sarah Millington

Sarah Millington

A Senior Associate at the Firm, Sarah specialises with all legal issues arising from relationship breakdowns, but focuses specifically on financial issues, following separation or divorce, and pre nuptial agreements, with a particular interest in farming cases, having come from a farming family.
Jonathon Moss

Jonathon Moss

A Solicitor at the Firm, Jonathan is based in Redditch and is a key member of the Firm's dedicated Insolvency Team, assisting on a range of insolvency matters for commercial clients across the West Midlands and Shropshire.
Charlotte Nutting

Charlotte Nutting

An Associate at the Firm, Charlotte specialises in all aspects of commercial property including freehold acquisitions and disposals, asset sales and purchases of businesses including assignment of leases or sale/purchase of freehold property, leases acting for both landlords and tenants, acquisitions of property by SIPP’s, development site set-ups, acting for lenders on secured property lending and assisting in relation to property elements of corporate transactions for her corporate colleagues. Charlotte’s client base ranges from individuals embarking upon their first business venture to established corporate clients, property developers of all sizes, banks and finance providers. In addition, Charlotte champions the Firm's Leisure & Hospitality sector specialism and heads up the team. 
David Preece

David Preece

A Partner at the Firm, David advises on all aspects of company and commercial law, from corporate transactions including the purchase, sale and reorganisation of companies to non-transactional matters, particularly drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements. David specialises in transactions within the manufacturing and professional services sectors, with particular expertise in the sale and purchase of veterinary practices.In addition David has a growing construction law practice, dealing with both standard and bespoke construction contracts and he is also an established member of the Intellectual Property (IP), Technology & Media Law Group, advising clients on a range of non-contentious intellectual property matters, with a particular emphasis on protection of IP through the registration of trademarks as well as through copyright and design rights. David is responsible for the firm’s participation within the international Eurojuris network of lawyers, meaning that he acts for clients from various other jurisdictions and can assist English clients looking for advice abroad.
Stuart Rea

Stuart Rea

A Partner at the Firm, Stuart heads up the Corporate Team in Shropshire and provides corporate and commercial services for large and small businesses in the Shropshire area. Stuart covers a broad range of commercial matters and is able to advise on acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses, group reconstructing and shareholder and joint venture agreements.In addition Stuart heads up the Firm’s Charities and Not-For-Profit Team dealing with conversions of unincorporated charities to limited company status, setting up new charities, advising on trading and setting up trading subsidiaries, trustees’ duties and a whole range of charity issues.
Craig Ridge

Craig Ridge

A Partner at the Firm, Craig specialises in all aspects of Commercial Dispute Resolution with emphasis on matters of a chancery nature and has extensive expert knowledge in matters involving disputed wills and probate. Craig’s particular areas of practice include providing advice in relation to Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, disputes in relation to the validity of wills, disputes regarding the construction of wills, actions for breach of trust and/or breach of duty in the administration of trusts/estate and professional negligence in relation to wills, trusts and/or estates.In 2015 Craig was appointed a member of the Firm’s Strategic Management Board, responsible for spearheading the Firm’s future development.
Margaret Rowe

Margaret Rowe

A Partner at the Firm, Margaret advises on all aspects of wills and probate work and elderly client matters. As a key member of the Firm's Disputed Probate Team she also advises on the administration of estates and trusts, advice in connection with breach of trust or breach of duty, application of the intestacy rule and obtaining grants of probate and letters of administration. A well known local private client lawyer, Margaret is a regular contributor to local press articles and public speaker on all aspects of wills, probate and lifetime planning.
James Sage

James Sage

Lead Partner of the Corporate Department, James specialises in company and commercial matters, sales and purchases of companies and businesses and shareholder and joint venture agreements.  He has considerable experience in advising owner managed businesses in the manufacturing sector and also acts for banks and other lending institutions.
Anne Thomson

Anne Thomson

Lead Partner of the Firm's Family Department, Anne deals with all aspects of the breakdown of relationships which has included acting for citizens of the European community and resident of the UK. Deals with matters involving jointly owned assets and often complex commercial issues involving family companies, farming cases and disposal of pensions. Anne is recognised as the leading matrimonial solicitor in the area. Anne acted for Mrs Briers in Briers v Briers 2017.
Suzanne Tucker

Suzanne Tucker

Suzanne is Head of the Planning Team, and an Associate at the Firm, and has been specialising in Planning work since 2008. Suzanne works with landowners and developers with all aspects of planning, ultimately with a view to seeking to maximise land value, whether that is through securing planning permission (through land promotion, planning applications, appeals against refusal of planning permission, statutory challenges to appeal decisions and Judicial Review), or through securing certificates of lawfulness and defending enforcement action. Suzanne handles all the complexities that arise through the planning process, which incorporates a diverse range of issues encompassing ecology, landscape, heritage, highways, trees, drainage and visual impact and amenity and more. Suzanne is experienced at dealing with Option and Promotions Agreements, and complex development agreements (e.g. 's106' planning obligations, 's38' / 's278' Agreements for the adoption of highways, and 's104' Agreements for the adoption of drainage).