Wilkin Chapman Rollits

Solicitor, Hull dealing with various kinds of commercial dispute resolution work including disputed debt claims, property disputes, breach of contract claims and probate disputes

Partner, Hull specialising in family law dealing with all issues arising on divorce and separation, in particular financial disputes, children arrangements, negotiating Pre Nuptial and Post Nuptial Agreements.

Solicitor, Hull working on corporate matters specifically company formations, mergers and acquisitions and banking matters, partnership matters, share buy-backs and re-organisations.

Partner in Agricultural Department, specialising in agricultural property. Work includes sales, purchases, mortgages, tenancies, partnership deeds and dissolutions, first registrations of complex/large areas, trusts, exploration agreements, development options, and overage agreements. Examples of recent high value work: partition of farm worth over £9m leading to registration of 47 separate parcels of land; and sale of farm with cottages for £4.4m. Also head of Tourism and Leisure Sector at Wilkin Chapman.

Lisa, partner and head of the family department has over 25 years' experience in dealing with all areas of family law specialising in complex financial matters and private children proceedings. She has dealt with a number of divorces involving substantial farming assets and business/trust assets. She has experience in dealing with military divorces for senior members of HM Armed Forces. In February 2012 Lisa was one of the first family law solicitors in England and Wales to train and qualify as an arbitrator and now offers parties a bespoke arbitration service as an alternative to contested court proceedings.

Associate, York specialising in wills, trusts, estate administration and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Tean’s practice as a partner chiefly involves conducting substantial military personal injury claims for service personal. Also have responsibility for the practices clinical negligence department; which holds a legal aid franchise in this discipline, is another area of professional interest. Presently chairman of ‘Forces Law’ a national legal charity committed to bringing best legal advice to service personnel.

Associate, Hull specialising in planning and development matters including advising on planning applications, objections and planning law, buying and selling land for development, drafting infrastructure agreements and development agreements.

Partner, Hull, specialising in commercial dispute resolution, regulatory & business protection, in particular warranty claims, arising from business sales, shareholder and partnership disputes, regulatory law defence work (in particular Trading Standards issues) contract and product liability claims.

Partner, Hull specialising in property based work in the retail, office and industrial sectors deals with acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold premises, .corporate support work in property related matters, and acting for lenders in providing security documentation.

Partner, York specialising in dispute resolution, in particular IP litigation including trade mark, copyright, design right and patent infringement claims, as well as defamation issues, confidentiality disputes, professional negligence matters and disputes over land and tenancies.

Christopher Drinkall

Partner, Hull dealing with dilapidations claims, commercial landlord and tenant disputes, beneficial interest claims, rights of way disputes, Party Wall Act matters, boundary disagreements and adverse possession claims. Chris also specialises in commercial and private insolvency related matters and probate disputes.

Associate, Hull advising on pension matters, particularly in corporate transactions involving due diligence, Pensions Regulator clearance and negotiating pension aspects of corporate transactions (including warranties and indemnities and pensions provisions). He also undertakes work on corporate transactions and reorganisations, shareholder agreements, incorporations, and banking matters, and advises on employee share schemes.

Solicitor, Hull specialising private client work including Wills, Estate Planning and Administration matters, as well as Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Senior Partner, Hull specialising in corporate and banking & Finance matters, including flotations, buy-outs, joint-ventures, banking and corporate recovery.

Partner, Hull specialising in mergers and acquisitions, banking law, advising in corporate recovery situations, and providing clients with company secretarial and governance advice. He also leads on corporate issues such as education sector mergers and acquisitions and conversion and establishment of single and multi-academy trusts.

Managing Partner, Hull specialising in property litigation and corporate recovery & insolvency, in particular retention of title claims, voluntary arrangements and claims by liquidators and receivers, tenancy litigation and possession proceedings.

Caroline Hardcastle

Partner, Hull with extensive dispute resolution experience within the education sector, advising on a range of issues including those involving funding bodies, partner providers and learners. She also works on behalf of employers, developers and contractors in adjudications and claims in the Technology and Construction Courts.

Partner, Hull specialising in employment law with particular expertise in restrictive covenant disputes, complex and sensitive HR issues, TUPE, reorganisation and senior executive terminations and disputes, contractual negotiations and settlement agreements

Partner, Hull specialising in all aspects of commercial property work, including leasehold and freehold, landlord and tenant, sales, purchases, secured lending, corporate support and development work.

Property partner dealing with commercial property, agricultural and residential property

Lisa-Jane Howes

Partner and head of department for the firm’s (six offices throughout Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire) probate tax and trusts teams. The first lawyer in the firm to gain the STEP qualification. The firm now has 10 full STEP members and two qualifying for membership. Lisa-Jane’s team consists of 12 qualified lawyers, which include specialists in agricultural and business property relief, Mental Capacity Act 2005, personal injury trusts, foreign estate probates and trust issues, Care Act 2014 and regulatory advice. Personal specialism is in high value complex trust and estate work, inheritance tax advice involving agricultural and business property relief, matters including non-UK domiciled probates, with foreign trust elements. Top Ranked (Band 1) in Chambers 2018, ‘consistently cheerful and helpful ... communicating with her is always easy’. In The Legal500, ‘sharp and to the point’. Lisa-Jane has grown the firm’s probate tax and trusts teams, over the past fifteen years. In consequence, the department has increased its specialism in all areas of private client work and has a breadth of experience enabling it to cater for the firm’s private client needs. Close relationships and working practices have also been developed with other teams, particularly the agricultural, matrimonial, litigation, property, corporate commercial and employment departments to ensure a whole service is provided to the client and advice and assistance sought when required. The team continues to grow, adapt to continuing external pressures, including other entrants into its area of work, expand and strengthen for the future.

Partner, Hull specialising in employment law, in particular TUPE and the Equality Act, harassment and discrimination. Also experienced in preparing service agreements for senior executives with complex bonus structures, dealing with senior director disputes and employment litigation in the sports sector.

Extensive experience in this area of law and able to advise clients when making their wills, planning their estates and administering the estates of deceased persons. Has dealt with estates containing high-net-worth assets such as business property and private company shares and agricultural property and farms. Able to advise on inheritance tax in respect of lifetime giving and deceased persons estates. I also deal with the creation and administration of trusts for inheritance tax planning. Acts as a Court of Protection appointed Deputy for clients and makes applications on behalf of clients for lasting powers of attorney, Court of Protection orders and statutory wills. Also acts as a notary public for clients who have overseas legal documents to be validated.

Partner, York specialising in personal tax, trust, probate and charity work with a particular emphasis on estate planning landed estates and trusteeships

Solicitor, Hull dealing with a variety of employment issues both contentious and non contentious, including Employment Tribunal work, preparing and advising on settlement agreements and preparing and reviewing contracts of employment and providing corporate support. Nilu also has a particular interest in business immigration and advises on a range of immigration matters including the right to work in the UK and visa applications.

Kathryn Matthews

Associate, York advising on non-contentious commercial and residential property and can help with all aspects of the ownership, estate management, development and financing of property.

Partner, Hull specialising in charity law and advises on all aspects of charity legislation, including creating and registering new charities, re-structuring and re-organising charities, charity incorporations and mergers, governance and regulatory issues and compliance with fundraising regulations .

Associate, York specialising in divorce work, finance (covering high net worth individuals) and child care disputes. Also experienced in dealing with complex family cases often involving private family companies and/or family Trusts. Trained Collaborative Practitioner. Accredited Family Mediator.

Caroline Neadley

Associate, Hull specialising in employment law in particular discrimination, unfair dismissal, TUPE, employment tribunal claims, settlement agreements, contracts of employment and senior executive service agreements.

Partner, York with considerable experience of all aspects of social housing property matters, including site assembly, advising RSL's on planning agreements, drafting management agreements, shared ownership leases, restricted price covenant schemes, licenced premises freehold and leasehold acquisition and disposal, commercial leases, conditional contracts, options, overage agreements and funding agreements.

Senior Solicitor, Hull specialising in commercial property work including secured lending, acquisitions and disposals and has particular experience in landlord and tenant matters and corporate support work.

Partner, Hull specialising in commercial work, including commercial contracts, website terms and conditions and advice in relation to trade marks, copyright and other intellectual property rights. Also data protection issues such as policies and procedures and responding to subject access requests.

Head of personal injury department. Partner in charge of Complaints and Claims. Cases of note Wilkinson v City of York Council, 2011; Lila v First Tier Tribunal and T.A.S, 2014, both Court of Appeal cases.

Jennifer Sewell

Partner, Hull specialising in dispute resolution matters, in particular Regulatory law, Sale of goods and supply of services, Partnership and shareholder disputes and business protection

Michael Squirrell

Commercial litigation of a broad nature, including: – contentious probate and disputed trusts: acting for both claimants and defendants in Inheritance Act, will invalidity, constructive and resulting trust and proprietary estoppel claims, frequently of high value. Removal of executors and trustees applications. Applications for trustee disclosure. Proceedings within the Court of Protection. Contentious Insolvency: claims for wrongful trading, preferences and under personal guarantees and defence of insolvency proceedings in both the County and High Court. Professional negligence: acting against solicitors, agronomists and financial advisers. Regulated investments: claims for recovery of regulated investments from a principal following bankruptcy of a financial agent under the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000. Intellectual property: defence and enforcement of trade marks and UK and community design rights. Commercial litigation including shareholder and partnership disputes, warranty and unfair prejudice claims, enforcement of insurance contracts and contractual disputes of all kinds. Common law: claims for nuisance arising out of odour and flooding and termination of shooting rights. Property and land disputes: claims under TOLATA, rights of way (private and public), adverse possession, boundary disputes, recovering possession of both commercial and residential premises and dilapidation claims. Land Registry and Traffic Commissioner proceedings: including defence of road hauliers in proceedings for revocation of goods vehicles operator’s licence. Consumer: matters including misrepresentation, sale of goods and consumer credit. Complex and high value personal injury: predominantly claims against the Ministry of Defence for non-freezing cold injuries and hand-arm vibration syndrome, and also claims involving complex causation and arguments relating to fraud and chronic pain syndromes. Miscellaneous: actions arising from defamation, breach of data protection and breach of confidence. Enforcement: by way of charging order, order for sale, warrants, third party debt orders etc.

Sarah qualified as a solicitor in 2011 after previously working as a paralegal for another local firm of solicitors. She joined James Legal in 2013 and has helped to grow the family department. Sarah helps to resolve family matters including divorce and financial aspects, dissolution of civil partnerships, cohabitee disputes, separation, children matters, change of name deeds and representing clients at court.

Sophie Wheeldon

Senior Solicitor, Hull specialising in commercial property work, including sales and purchases, landlord and tenant, leasehold and freehold, secured lending and corporate support work.

Associate, Hull specialising in commercial and IP work including advising on terms and conditions, commercial agency agreements, distribution agreements and contract manufacture arrangements, and advising on intellectual property law including copyright, designs, trademarks, patents, know-how and confidential information. Also advising in relation to data protection issues and drafting data protection policies, procedures and agreements

Corporate Director, Hull specialising in corporate finance matters including mergers & acquisitions, brokering deals for vendors and acquisitive corporate clients or working with management teams as a trusted adviser. He uses his extensive knowledge of the food & drink sector.