Who We Are

Areas of Specialism

Matilda recently graduated from Durham University and has now started her legal career at the firm, working as a paralegal within Dispute Resolution. 

Matilda currently specialises in residential possession claims, managing her own caseload to assist landlords in gaining possession orders and cost awards. Her work also includes issuing Section 8 and Section 21 notices and proceedings under the Housing Act 1988.

Recent Client Matters

• Acting for a landlord to obtain possession of a property that was misused by the tenant for criminal activity and drug use, including various other breaches of the tenancy such as suspected subletting and abandonment.

Qualifications 

• First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography, Durham University
• Was awarded Durham University’s Janet Townsend Award in 2025. This award is given to the student who undertook the most notable decolonial research across the cohort, recognising Matilda’s contributions to decolonial research within her dissertation as ‘outstanding’. 

Samantha has recently qualified as a solicitor in June 2025 within the Dispute Resolution Department. Samantha works closely with Claire Whiteman on Property Litigation, Enfranchisement and General Litigation cases. 

During Samantha's training contract, she undertook the following seats: 

• First seat was in our Personal Injury & Medical Negligence team, assisting Alex Brown, head of the Personal Injury department with claims in relation to severe and life changing injuries resulting in Brain Injury, Birth Injury, Severe Orthopaedic Injuries and Spinal Cord Injury. 

• Second seat was in the Private Client department undertaking a range of work including Wills, Probates and Trust work under the supervision of Julian Potter.

• Third and final seat was in the Dispute Resolution Department working on Property Litigation, Enfranchisement and General Litigation cases.

Samantha previously worked as a Paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team running her own possession claims assisting landlords recover their residential property along with any rent arrears owed and a successful Judgment for their legal costs. 

Samantha worked closely with a well-known local managing agents to help clients achieve the best possible outcome. She also assisted senior members in the team with more general litigation matters. 

Qualifications

• Solicitor
• 1st Class LLB Law (Hons)
• LPC LLM with Distinction in Professional Legal Practice

Samantha can be contacted by email: slb@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249298. 

Areas of Specialism

Christiana joined the firm in January 2025 as a trainee Solicitor and is currently undertaking her first training seat in Personal Injury and Medical Negligence. 

Prior to Christiana joining the firm, she worked in the Residential and Commercial Property department at another local Brighton firm, gaining hands-on experience with drafting TR1 forms, filing SDLT returns, managing client communications, and handling initial case administration. This experience has enhanced Christiana's attention to detail and developed her organisational and client management skills.

Christiana is fluent in both English and Greek, which enables Christiana to communicate effectively with a diverse range of clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree: Graduated with Upper Second-Class Honors from the University of Kent.
• Legal Practice Course (LPC): Achieved a Pass with Commendation from BPP University.

Christiana can be contacted by email: CRC@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032365. 

Areas of Specialism

Ashleigh has worked at Dean Wilson LLP for 8 years and specialises in a range of Private Client matters. 

Having completed her CILEX qualification in 2021, Ashleigh has grown within the department and has experience in dealing with all aspects of Private Client work including Estate Administration, Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney. 

Ashleigh always supports her clients with sensitivity and expertise.

Qualifications

Chartered Legal Executive (FCilex) 2021.

Ashleigh can be contacted by email: AHS@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: (0) 1273 249275. 

Areas Of Specialism

Edward began his legal career with the firm after graduating from the University of Warwick, currently working as a Paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team.

Edward specialises in residential property matters, where he manages his own caseload and supports landlords through the process of obtaining possession orders and recovering costs. His work also includes handling Section 8 and Section 21 claims under the Housing Act 1988.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts in History & Politics: Graduated with Upper Second-Class Honours from the University of Warwick

Contact Details 

Edward can be contacted by email: eja@deanwilson.co.ukor on his direct dial: 01273 249222

Areas of Specialism

David Barling is one of the Partners in the Property Department and has considerable experience in all types of Commercial Property Law.

David acts for a number of property investors and property companies on a wide scale and is used to dealing with very high value transactions.  David also deals with mortgages and in particular, high value loan market association type mortgages.  

David is also experienced in Local Government work having been a member of a number of Councils over the years latterly West Sussex County Council.

Areas of Specialism

Sinead is an associate solicitor with over 5 years of experience in the Real Estate team. Sinead has experience in all aspects of commercial property with a focus on land development and the strategic land sector.

Sinead acts for both regional developers and landowners on a wide range of transactions including major land acquisition, land promotion, residential new build estate set ups and plot sales. Sinead’s wide scope of work has given her the experience and expertise to provide a comprehensive service and advise longstanding clients on multiple transactions to assist their ongoing business needs.

Sinead is proactive in her approach and works closely with her clients to achieve their goals in a timely manner.

Sinead works closely with the team which comprises David Hodge (Partner), Amy Edwards (Solicitor), Isabelle Svendsen (Paralegal), and Beverley McLoughlin (Assistant).  The team always look for solutions and take a flexible and pragmatic approach – the team are proactive, not reactive and the culture is “how” can we make this deal happen when obstacles are presented. The team are experienced in acquiring land (often site assembling) and taking the development through to the sale of individual units and we deal with developments comprising single units to in excess of 150 units. The team are also experienced in land trades and are not fazed in dealing with sites with a GDV in excess of £100m .

Recent Client Matters

• Dealt with the estate set up for a residential development of 93 new dwellings;
• Acting on a site acquisition for £7m;
• Involved in an ongoing refinance of a commercial portfolio worth over £32m.

Qualifications, Membership 

• Solicitor
• LLB Hons
   

Sinead can be contacted by email: sjd@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249270.

David’s email is dh@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249 249.

Amy’s email is ae@deanwilson.co.uk and her direct dial is  01273 249 268.

Isabelle’s email is ixs@deanwilson.co.uk and her direct dial is 01273 249259.

Bev’s email is bm@deanwilson.co.uk and her direct dial is 01273 249 242.

Melissa has over 10 years of experience helping clients complete matters efficiently and effectively. 

Melissa acts on a wide range of commercial transactions including;

• Acquisitions and disposals of commercial property (both freehold and leasehold and whether registered or unregistered);
• Commercial landlord and tenant work (acting for both landlords and tenants);
• Secured lending (acting for both lenders and borrowers); and
• Asset sales and purchases.

Melissa works with a range of clients and is known for her proactive approach to transactions.  Clients value her straight-talking advice, responsiveness and focus on commercial outcomes.

Qualifications

• Solicitor (LLB Hons)

Melissa can be contacted by email: mrr@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 032375

Areas of Specialism

Megan is a paralegal within our Residential Conveyancing team. She assists in all aspects of conveyancing transactions, specialising in sales, purchases, remortgages and transfers of equity. 

Megan graduated from the University of Sussex in 2024, achieving first-class honours in her Law degree. Whilst at university, Megan was a part of the Performing Arts Legal Clinic and provided legal advice and guidance to a variety of charities in the arts industry.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) from the University of Sussex

Megan hopes to complete SQE 1 & 2 in the near future to fulfil her aspiration of becoming a solicitor. 

In her spare time, Megan enjoys playing piano and going to pilates classes.

Megan can be contacted by email: MBB@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: 01273 032324. 

Areas of Specialism

Ethan is a recent law graduate and a paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team: He specialises in Landlord and Tenant Possession claims, including but not limited to Section 8 & Section 21 proceedings of the Housing Act 1988. Ethan is currently managing his own caseload of Possession Claims. 

Qualification

• Second Class Honours LLB Degree from the University of Sussex

Ethan can be contacted by email: EJB@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249245

Areas of Specialism

Scott is a highly experienced solicitor and heads up the firm’s Commercial Real Estate team.  With over 20 years of experience in the legal sector, Scott has established a reputation for providing excellent service, achieving positive outcomes for his clients and prides himself on taking a detailed yet commercial and pragmatic approach to his work.

Scott specialises in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions and the bulk of his day-to-day work involves working with property investors and landlords with considerable portfolios and dealing with the ongoing legal work that this typically involves.  

Scott specialises in licensing too.  Scott used to teach the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) at City College in Brighton and the Award for Licensing Practitioners (ALP) to Sussex Police and Sussex based Licensing Authorities.  This experience allows Scott to act for a number of clients with licensed premises, advising them on not only the commercial property aspects, but also the licensing elements too.  This places him in a unique position within the industry, specialising in both disciplines.

Scott is known for his dedication to his clients and his ability to provide clear and practical advice.  He takes the time to understand his clients’ needs and works closely with them to achieve their goals.

Recent Client Matters

• Involved in a large corporate acquisition which included over 55 commercial properties;
• Multiple eight figure portfolio refinances;
• Acquisition of a retail portfolio for over £10m;
• Refinance of commercial and residential portfolio worth over £5m

Qualifications, Membership 

• Solicitor
• LLB Hons
• PTLLS

Scott can be contacted by email: sg@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249265. 

Aibhlinn is an Solicitor Apprentice within our Personal Injury & Medical Negligence. 

Having previous experience as a paralegal within our Corporate Commercial team, working on various aspects of corporate transactions, including company restructuring, share and asset acquisitions and disposals, and shareholders’ agreements. Some of Aibhlinn’s responsibilities include drafting legal ancillary documents, legal due diligence reports and carrying out research.

Aibhlinn graduated from the University of Oxford in 2024 with a BA in Jurisprudence. 

Recent Client Matters

• Regularly assists one of the largest property agents in the UK to acquire letting and block management agents across the country.
• Assists in the sale and purchase of estate agency businesses.  
• Assists sellers and buyers of hospitality businesses. 

Qualifications, Membership 

• BA (Hons) in Jurisprudence

Aibhlinn can be contacted by email: ALC@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 032335

Areas of Specialism

Melissa is a dedicated HR Officer with a passion for fostering a positive and supportive work environment. Melissa has a strong background in Law, having joined the firm as a Paralegal in Dispute Resolution before transitioning into human resources. 

Melissa oversees the general day-to-day employee relations, arranges training for the firm and manages the recruitment and onboarding process while ensuring a seamless employee experience. 

Melissa brings Percy, her adorable Golden Retriever pup, into the office. One of the firm's benefits is having a dog-friendly office. 

Qualifications

Melissa has completed her Level 3 CIPD and is currently undergoing Level 5. 

Melissa can be contacted by email mjf@deanwilson.co.uk, or on her direct dial, 01273 032329.

Areas of Specialism

Lily is a Solicitor in the firm’s Dispute Resolution department, specialising in Landlord and Tenant matters. She assists with leasehold disputes, lease extensions (both statutory and informal), freehold acquisitions (both collective enfranchisement and first right of refusal claims), right to manage claims, licences for alterations and deeds of variation. 

Qualifications, Membership & Directory Rankings

• Law Degree, LLB Hons
• Legal Practice Course, LPC
• Law, Business and Management, MSc

Memberships

Dean Wilson is a member of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (“ALEP”). ALEP promotes best practice by vetting organisations to ensure a consistently high level of service so that leaseholders and freeholders can contact ALEP members with confidence.

Lily can be contacted by email: LSH@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 032326 

Lily is assisted by Molly Hamilton, Senior Paralegal within the Dispute Resolution department. Molly's contact details are - email: MOH@deanwilson.co.uk and direct dial: 01273 249264.

Areas of Specialism

Georgia is a Senior Paralegal in the Court of Protection team. Georgia has been overseeing the administration in the team for four years and provides caring, comprehensive support to clients including:

• The management of client’s property and assets
• Liaison with the Court of Protection
• Liaison with Cost Draftsman and SCCO
• Administrative support to whole team

Recent Client Matters

• Georgia has facilitated the support of a client with complex substance abuse issues. Georgia has provided consistent, reassuring support to the client and has overseen the input of a new multi-disciplinary team purpose built to support the client in their recovery.
• Georgia works alongside the deputy for an elderly gentleman with Dementia. Georgia has arranged for his property to be maintained, equipment to be installed, and for social activities to be re-introduced into his life.
• Georgia has provided thorough support for a vulnerable adult who is transitioning from a Care facility into private accommodation. Georgia has worked with the professionals involved to ensure that the private accommodation is prepared and suitable for the move. 

Qualifications, Membership 

• Member of the Professional Deputyship Forum
• Dementia Friend

Georgia can be contacted by email: gk@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032316. 

Areas of Specialism

Julian has over 20 years’ experience as a solicitor dealing with all aspects of Private Client work including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Administration of Estates and Estate Planning.

Julian can advise on a variety of Wills to suit differing circumstances including advising on various types of trusts for efficient tax planning and asset protection.

Julian deals with a variety of estates of all values including intestacies and estates with business interests and can provide a service tailored to your needs whether it be obtaining the Grant of Probate or dealing with the administration of the entirety of the estate.

Julian can advise on Estate Planning matters including Inheritance Tax saving, the Inheritance Tax Nil Rate Band, the Residence Nil Rate Band and preservation of the same as well as providing Capital Gains Tax advice.

Julian always aims to forge a close relationship with his clients in trying to provide the best service and advice for them.

Julian can be contacted by email: JP@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249219.