Firm Profile > Sills & Betteridge LLP > Lincoln, England
Sills & Betteridge LLP Offices
46 SILVER STREET
LINCOLN
LN2 1ED
England
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Sills & Betteridge LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Corporate and commercial: elsewhere in the East Midlands Tier 3
Sills & Betteridge LLP's growing practice was boosted by the promotion of Euan McLaughlin and James Conduit to the equity in July 2018. Team head Andrew Payne has been a stalwart at the firm since the mid-1970s and is a leading name in the Lincolnshire market. The group also includes Martin Walsh, whose transactional experience includes deals with a nexus to the renewable energy and telecoms sectors, and also matters with cross-border elements. The firm also generates work from clients in industries such as agribusiness, healthcare, gaming machines, energy and retail. It is particularly strong acting for SMEs, as well as national and international businesses with operations in the Midlands. Tax expert Gary Phillips, who has been a partner at the firm since 1991, is another notable practitioner. Ed Capes moved to Fraser Brown in 2018.
Practice head(s):
Andrew Payne
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
G H Sutton Limited
Omex Agriculture Limited
The Burdens Group
Micronclean Limited
EPS Logistics Technology Limited
Hemswell Estates Limited
Lincolnshire Football Association
Ballet Makers Europe Limited
SHD Composite Materials Limited
Turnbull & Co Limited
Fisher Motor Factors Limited
Family Tier 3
Sills & Betteridge LLP offers ‘a rare combination of commitment to the client, excellent knowledge of the law and imagination’. The matrimonial and finance department is active in pre- and post-nuptial agreements, cases involving public service pensions, matters with cross-border elements and private children law proceedings. The firm is also home to an emergency injunction and care team, which works to obtain protective injunctions for domestic abuse victims. The group grew substantially over the past year, most notably with the arrival of new partner Siobhan Thompson from Family Law Group.
Practice head(s):
Helen Derby; Chrystal Theofanous; Mo Hayes; Nicholas Flatt;
Other key lawyers:
Siobhan Thompson; John Mitchell;
Testimonials
‘Sills and Betteridge is one of the top firms in Lincolnshire for dealing with complex financial remedies cases. With offices across Lincolnshire, and now Nottingham, it attracts some of the most complex divorce cases in the area‘.
‘Their particular strength is their strength in depth of good lawyers who can deal with such cases, including an excellent bunch of young lawyers progressing through the ranks‘.
‘The team is always friendly, professional and accommodating. They are organised and have produced excellent documentation‘.
‘John Mitchell clearly has many years of experience. The advice and guidance is always pragmatic and clear‘.
‘Siobhan Thompson is a very hard working person. She cares a great deal about children. In court, she is always very professional and efficient with all the parties‘.
‘A rare combination of commitment to the client, excellent knowledge of the law and imagination‘.
‘John Mitchell is an outstanding strategist. Chrystal Theofanous could not be more enthusiastic and has a great instinct for the good legal point. Mo Hayes is very intelligent and and a very able lawyer. Nick Flatt is extraordinarily dynamic and committed‘.
‘The family team is excellent for the way it deals with clients on a personal basis, and builds empathy with them to understand their situation‘.
Contentious trusts and probate Tier 4
Praised for its ‘strong level of knowledge’ and ‘impressive work rate’, the team at Sills & Betteridge LLP is well-regarded for proprietary estoppel and financial provision claims, will disputes, applications to remove executors and trust-related litigation. The ‘excellent’ David John co-heads the practice alongside Karen Bower-Brown. Also integral to the team is recently promoted partner Robert Pearson, who handles a number of Inheritance Act claims.
Practice head(s):
David John; Karen Bower-Brown;
Other key lawyers:
Robert Pearson; Gary Phillips;
Testimonials
‘They get the best result. Highly recommended and totally trusted‘.
‘Karen Bower-Brown works extremely hard to get me the best results, she is quick to respond, very kind and understanding‘.
‘Really good level of legal knowledge and a friendly practice‘.
‘David John is absolutely excellent in my case; he explains the whole process and makes the client feel at ease. He is very friendly and professional at all times‘.
Sills & Betteridge LLP > Firm Profile
Sills & Betteridge LLP offers a wide range of personal and commercial legal services. Clients include both private and publicly funded individuals, businesses, charities and government bodies.
The firm: The recorded origins of Sills & Betteridge date back to 1759, and the firm now has fifteen offices in fourteen locations with 291 partners and staff across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
Sills & Betteridge has amalgamated with numerous firms over the past decade. The firm has used mergers and acquisitions as a strategy for expansion into new geographic areas and to further strengthen its existing operations. Within the last 12 years the firm has merged with 11 smaller practices, with Bridge Sanderson Munro in Doncaster and three other South Yorkshire locations being the most recent in 2019. It continues to effectively meet and overcome the challenges facing the legal profession.
Throughout almost 260 years of practice, Sills & Betteridge has built up a wealth of experience and knowledge about what its clients want from their solicitors. It believes that by putting the client’s needs at the heart of everything it does it can solve problems, meet goals and provide the best possible advice, in a clear, straightforward manner. The firm’s clients regularly tell it that its staff are professional, efficient and courteous, and operate with skill, integrity and flair.
The firm’s people are its proudest asset, with many at the very top of their field. They include Law Society panel members, Resolution accredited specialists, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers fellows and members, and members of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).
The firm has held the Law Society’s Lexcel practice management standard since 2002. It also holds the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.
Types of work undertaken: For private individuals, the firm can offer advice on personal injury, medical negligence, family law, residential property, wills, trusts and probate, employment law, crime, immigration law, housing, forces and military law, regulatory law, and personal notary services. The firm undertakes publicly funded work in the areas of care proceedings, domestic abuse, forced marriage and honour-based violence, international child abduction, mediation and crime.
For business clients, Sills & Betteridge has extensive experience in corporate sale and purchase, employment law, litigation and dispute resolution, commercial property, renewable energy, regulatory law, agriculture and rural business, commercial contracts, partnerships and LLPs, professional negligence, licensing, banking and finance, debt recovery, commercial notary services, health and safety law, GDPR advice and debt recovery.
Lincolnshire offices: Lincoln, Gainsborough, Skegness, Boston, Sleaford, Scunthorpe, Spilsby and Grimsby.
Offices elsewhere: Nottingham, Doncaster, Northampton, Bawtry, Thorne and Wath upon Dearne.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior partner | Andrew Payne | ||
| Chief Executive | Martyn Hall | ||
| Residential property | Ed Sharpe | ||
| Crime | Dean Bower | ||
| Family | Helen Derry | ||
| Wills, trusts and probate | Richard Bussell | ||
| Corporate and commercial | Andrew Payne | ||
| Personal injury | Alison Hurton | ||
| Commercial Property | Malachy McGill |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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Mr Dean Bower | Partner and higher court advocate. Specialist in all areas of criminal defence… | View Profile |
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Mrs Karen Bower-Brown | Partner specialising in commercial litigation with a particular specialisation in contentious probate… | View Profile |
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Mrs Louise Bush | Partner and Head of Medical Negligence Team and able to assist adults… | View Profile |
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Mr Richard Bussell | Partner and head of department, Richard provides advice on trusts, capital tax… | View Profile |
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Mr James Conduit | Partner dealing with a variety of commercial and corporate contentious and non-contentious… | View Profile |
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Mrs Helen Derry | Helen is a partner specialising in all aspects of family law for… | View Profile |
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Mr Andrew Durkan | Andrew offers specialist advice on all aspects of wills, trusts, probate, tax… | View Profile |
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Mrs Mo Hayes | Partner in the family department with specialism in children’s law. This includes… | View Profile |
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Mrs Alison Hurton | Alison is the Head of the Personal Injury Department and specialises in… | View Profile |
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Mrs Shan Jaehrig | Partner specialising in employment law. Gainsborough Citizen of the Year 2014-15. | View Profile |
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Mr Malachy McGill | Partner in commercial property department. | View Profile |
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Mr Euan McLaughlin | Partner in the Commercial Department. Specialises in commercial and private contracts, distribution/franchising and… | View Profile |
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Mr John Mitchell | Head of the family department. Chair of Lincolnshire Family Justice Board. Financial… | View Profile |
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Mr Andrew Payne | Senior partner and head of corporate and commercial department. Practice areas are… | View Profile |
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Mr Gary Phillips | Gary handles a wide variety of complex non-contentious and contentious matters in… | View Profile |
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Mr Elliot Ruffle | Solicitor specialising in corporate sales and acquisitions | View Profile |
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Mr Edward Sharpe | Partner and Head of the Residential Property Department specialising in property law… | View Profile |
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Mrs Chrystal Theofanous | A partner in the family department at Sills & Betteridge specialising in… | View Profile |
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Mr Martin Walsh | Partner corporate department, advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including… | View Profile |
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Mr Stephen Wilson | Deputy Senior Partner, Stephen specialises in high value and complex claims covering… | View Profile |