Firm Profile > Ansons > Lichfield, England
Ansons Offices
5-7 BREADMARKET STREET
LICHFIELD
STAFFORDSHIRE
WS13 6LQ
England
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Ansons > The Legal 500 Rankings
Commercial litigation: elsewhere in the West Midlands Tier 3
At Ansons, senior associate Jacob Rickett joined from Wright Hassall LLP in 2019. Rickett handles regulatory matters connected with areas such as environmental law and health and safety, and is also experienced in professional misconduct investigations. The dispute resolution department is led by Martin de Ridder, who has been instrumental in its growth. Another name to note is senior associate Adam Pike, whose experience includes shareholder disputes, contractual disputes and matters involving breaches of fiduciary duties by directors.
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Key clients
Walter Tippers (building suppliers)
Seconique Limited
St Philips Care Limited
Wirquin Limited
Walton Homes Limited
Commercial property: elsewhere in the West Midlands Tier 3
Ansons expanded its regional presence with the opening of a full-service office in Sutton Coldfield in mid-2019. Richard Saum, who divides his time across the Lichfield, Cannock and Sutton Coldfield offices, acts for occupiers of commercial property and handles landlord and tenant matters; he also advises on the acquisition and disposal of land for development. Associates Neil Faunch and Laura Pyatt are also of note for property developments and secured lending work, respectively.
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Testimonials
‘Ansons is a niche firm with a very high profile in Staffordshire. The property team has a wealth of experience and very good clients.’
‘Very personable and easy access to partners and associates.’
‘The overall ethic adopted by Ansons is one of understanding, and making you feel that they are an extension of your business. All the team demonstrate a thorough grasp of their core areas, and that you are their number one client, and they will support you whatever. ‘
‘Richard Saum has been fantastic in the support of our business, and its continued growth, showing a real understanding for what we do, and the risks we may face on contract negotiations.’
Key clients
Boningale Homes
Portal Construction NW Limited / Andrews Property
LPR La Pallet Rouge
Sandyford Properties
Corporate and commercial: elsewhere in the West Midlands Tier 3
In 2019, Ansons opened an office in Sutton Coldfield as part of a strategy to expand its footprint in the West Midlands. The firm provides the full scope of corporate and commercial advice to clients, including M&A, private equity transactions, reorganisations, shareholder agreements and partnership matters. It has a particularly strong track-record acting for clients in the healthcare sector, including dentists and pharmacy owners. Hilary D’Cruz, who led the expansion into Sutton Coldfield, co-heads the practice with Cannock-based Neil Jones.Practice head(s):
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Testimonials
‘I appreciate the strength of their corporate team and also appreciate that they have good depth across other specialisms, which really is key when looking to get transactions completed.‘
‘Hilary D’Cruz stands out as an exceptional corporate lawyer. Hilary is a strong lawyer bringing a wealth of experience, depth of knowledge coupled with a high level of commercial awareness. This combination of skills is rare and therefore Hilary stands out against peers.‘
‘Very responsive to phone calls and emails.‘
‘I have used the firm for advice and legal help with the sale and purchase of companies. Over the past ten years, they have always been extremely helpful and practical in all dealings.‘
‘Every member of staff have always been helpful and above all knowledgeable. They always deliver as they promise. I cannot speak too highly of them.‘
‘Practical and down to earth with the aim to achieve an outcome quickly and safely.‘
‘The individuals will assess the risks, make recommendations, and look to get the deal done as opposed to just putting obstacles in the way. in this respect Hilary D’Cruz stands out.‘
Key clients
Shareholders of Protech Computer Systems Limited
ISM Pharma Limited
Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 4
Ansons is well-regarded for its work on agricultural estates and complex probate matters for farmers. The team has considerable experience in the full array of private client matters such as estate administration, inheritance tax mitigation and will drafting. Adam Penn is a key contact who regularly deals with deputyship applications for those lacking capacity to conduct their own personal affairs, including contested deputyship applications.
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Planning Tier 5
David Anderton leads Ansons' regulatory and environmental department and is 'a master of strategy' in the areas of planning, environmental law and waste issues. Key areas of work include enforcement proceedings, planning law disputes and claims relating to HS2 infrastructure. Senior associate and regulatory lawyer Jacob Rickett joined in late 2019 from Wright Hassall LLP.
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Testimonials
‘David Anderton – he is very bright and also very prompt service and turnaround of documents and actions – a master of strategy.’
‘Very attentive and responsive, offering lateral thinking and focused on solutions and the needs of the client at all times.’
Employment Tier 6
Ansons operates across four offices in Cannock, Lichfield, Halesowen and Sutton Coldfield. Key areas of focus include preparing employment documentation and advising on disciplinary matters and grievances, as well as providing redundancy and TUPE advice. On the contentious side the team is well-regarded for its work in defending claims before the employment tribunal as well as protecting clients’ business interests in claims before the courts by way of injunctive relief applications and damages. With Jason Alcock and Martin de Ridder at the helm, the team frequently works with its corporate and commercial department to advise a diverse range of clients such as housebuilders, property developers and healthcare providers.
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Testimonials
‘Always a professional team on hand with a great wealth of experience and knowledge. We have relied upon them to ensure that we are always up to date with current procedures‘.
Key clients
Seconique Ltd
Walton Homes Ltd
Ansons > Firm Profile
Ansons is a leading firm of solicitors primarily based in Staffordshire with offices in Cannock, Lichfield, Halesowen and Sutton Coldfield. It provides a complete range of legal services to business owners and their families.
The firm: The core of Ansons’ practice is its strong business law teams, most notably its corporate and commercial property teams. Ansons is also particularly well known for its work in the agriculture, pharmacy and charities sectors.
On the personal side, Ansons’ family law, conveyancing and wills and estates teams have a reputation for outstanding service with a focus on the needs of the individual.
Ansons is perceived as a strong firm, with excellent people – a reputation that has been gained by consistently providing insightful legal advice across all legal disciplines, in a friendly and approachable way. It has a local and national client base including some well-known and household names, and it is the first choice law firm for people North of Birmingham and in South Staffordshire.
Types of work undertaken
Corporate: Ansons’ business clients are predominantly owner-managed businesses and subsidiaries of national and multinational groups. The team has developed a leading reputation for dealing with mergers and acquisitions, and corporate and commercial projects. The team regularly advises on the buying and selling of companies and businesses; investment, joint venture and shareholder agreements; group re-organisations, mergers, demergers and reconstructions; company law and company secretarial matters; banking and security documentation; commercial agreements (from simple to substantial); competition law; corporate insolvency issues; and partnership (including LLP) and sole trader matters.
Commercial property: Ansons’ highly experienced team is recognised for its prompt and efficient service and good relationships with commercial property agents. It advises on purchase of a commercial property, retail, industrial, office or residential sites; financing and re-financing; landlord or tenant lease negotiations; property disputes; planning law; sale of commercial property; agricultural tenancies, sales and purchases; options pre-emptions and overage agreements; compulsory purchase orders for HS2; and access agreements.
Commercial litigation: Ansons’ litigation and dispute resolution expertise includes contractual disputes; debt collection; construction disputes; insolvency; intellectual property; professional negligence; property and construction disputes; and restraint of trade.
Employment: employment clients at Ansons receive sound, comprehensive legal advice and support from a team with a down-to-earth, dedicated and flexible approach for both employers and employees. The team’s range of services includes bespoke employment training; employment healthcheck – a complete review, including recommendations; employment tribunal representation; and advice on contracts, settlements, discrimination claims and TUPE.
Agriculture, planning and environment: the agricultural team advises farm owners, tenants and managers, and those who are closely linked to farming, including contractors, professional advisers, estate planners and agricultural land agents. It regularly advises on agricultural joint ventures and partnerships; dispute resolution, arbitrations and tribunals; diversification projects; environmental issues; family disputes and much more.
Wills trusts and probate: Ansons’ specialist wills and probate solicitors ease concerns about protecting assets from inheritance tax, family disputes and local authority care costs, and advise clients on the full range of will-related concerns. Clients who make a will with Ansons also benefit from free storage of their will.
Family: Ansons’ family law solicitors provide expert legal advice on divorce, separation, settling finances and arrangements for children. They are experienced at acting in divorces where there are high-value assets, properties, business interests and pensions, and are approachable, proactive, cost-effective and sensitive.
Residential conveyancing: Ansons’ conveyancing team advises clients on buying a freehold or leasehold property; selling a house or apartment; buy-to-let; leasehold matters; remortgages; registered and unregistered land; and transfers of equity. The residential property team is accredited to the Conveyancing Quality Scheme by the Law Society.
Charities: Ansons’ charity specialists provide legal advice, company secretarial and administrative support to charities and their trustees, community organisations and not-for-profit bodies.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing director | Andrew Johnson | ||
| Commercial property | Richard Saum | ||
| Planning and enviroment | David Anderton | ||
| Corporate | Hilary D'Cruz | ||
| Corporate | Neil Jones | ||
| Residential conveyancing | Julie Tomasik | ||
| Dispute resolution | Martin de Ridder | ||
| Family | Mark Buttery | ||
| Wills and probate | Sarah Nash | ||
| Employment | Jason Alcock |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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Simon James | View Profile | |
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Julie Tomasik | View Profile |