Mrs Fiona Ashworth > Thompson Smith and Puxon > Colchester, England > Lawyer Profile

Thompson Smith and Puxon
STABLE 6, STABLE ROAD
COLCHESTER
CO2 7GL
England

Work Department

Wills and Estates

Position

Director, Solicitor

Career

Fiona, who qualified as a solicitor in 1999, joined the TSP Wills and Estates team in August 2014 as Team Leader. Fiona has extensive experience and advises clients on their Wills and succession planning, Powers of Attorney (Lasting Powers and the registration of Enduring Powers), the administration of estates, tax and trust matters and Court of Protection cases. She has developed a particular specialism working with elderly clients and her farming background has helped her to develop an agricultural client base. Since January 2016 Fiona M Ashworth Ltd, a company of which Fiona is a Director, has been a corporate partner in Thompson Smith and Puxon.

Fiona, who was born in Colchester, has long established links with the town. Her Father, David Cannon, is a former Mayor (1998), and she attended Colchester County High School for Girls. She completed both her Law Degree and her Legal Practice Course at Anglia Ruskin University, before going on to train with a Colchester law firm. During her training Fiona worked in Wills and Probate and on “elderly client” matters and decided that this was the area of the law that she wanted to focus on.

Fiona is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), an independent national organisation of lawyers who provide specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers. Fiona is also a qualified member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). STEP is the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related issues. STEP members help families to plan for their long term financial future, providing expert advice on how to comply with the often complex law and tax rules surrounding trusts, estates and inheritance. She is a past Trustee of the Essex Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and is also a council member of the Essex Agricultural Society.

Languages

English

Memberships

Qualified Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Full Accredited Member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE)

Lawyer Rankings

South East > Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate: Essex

(Leading individuals)

Fiona AshworthThompson Smith and Puxon

With offices in Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, Thompson Smith and Puxon’s wills and estate team has significant experience in advising agricultural clients on tax and estate planning work, and is also geared to advise business owners from a range of industries on matters such as succession planning and estate administration issues. Exemplifying this are group head Fiona Ashworth, who provides a ‘stand-out service’, and Robert Ashworth, who advises high-net-worth clients on succession planning work. Staff changes in 2022 include the arrival of two new solicitors including Nicola Healy, the retirement of Aileen Hirst in June 2022, and the departure of Sarah White.

South East > Private client > Agriculture and estates

The ‘formidable agriculture and estate practice‘ at Thompson Smith and Puxon is led by Stephen Firmin, a lawyer who leverages his corporate background to advise clients with business projects, in addition to transactional property matters. Kerry Addison handles site disposals on small rural developments, as well as larger plots, while Fiona Ashworth is knowledgeable of succession planning and wills. All of the individuals that have been mentioned are located in Colchester.