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Get to know us

Dean Wilson LLP’s reputation has been built upon our ability to deliver and exceed our clients’ expectations. For over 100 years our success has been founded upon our client focused approach, backed by the knowledge and expertise of our lawyers.

We make it our business to know yours

Having your needs and goals in mind

We aim to deliver outcomes and resolutions efficiently and cost effectively. So whether you need assistance with a business or personal matter we can provide a responsive service delivered to you with expertise and clarity.

sophie auckland dean wilson

Sophie Auckland

Associate, Deputy, Professional Trustee & Head of Department, Court of Protection

sophie auckland dean wilson

Sophie Auckland

Associate, Deputy, Professional Trustee & Head of Department, Court of Protection

Areas of Specialism

Sophie is the Head of the Court of Protection team specialises in professional deputyships for acquired brain injury and elderly clients, with over 10 years’ experience handling complex Court of Protection cases. Sophie is also a Professional Trustee. Sophie regular advises on:

  • Professional Deputy for elderly and vulnerable clients. 
  • Lay Deputyships for Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare matters. 
  • The management of client’s property and assets 
  • Lasting Power of Attorneys

Recent Client Matters

  • Sophie has been appointed as a Professional Deputy for an elderly gentleman with dementia following a referral from Social Services. Sophie’s appointment has protected the gentleman’s assets from fraud, to which he was previously a victim of, and has ensured security for his future. Sophie has aided an increase to his care, equipment and allowed access to funds for social activities, greatly improving his quality of life. 
  • Sophie has offered expert guidance to parents who wished to be lay deputies for their child. Sophie drafted complex applications for both Health & Welfare and Property & Financial Affairs and secured the required Court Orders to allow the parents to best support their child. 
  • Sophie was appointed as a Professional Deputy for a young man as his previous Deputy was retiring. Sophie has utilised her warm and compassionate nature to build a strong trusting relationship with the young man to provide assurance that his finances will continue to be managed in his best interests.

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Ranked in Chambers since 2020
  • Dementia Friend
  • QEF Legal Clinic Advisor
  • Member of the Professional Deputyship Forum

Sophie can be contacted by email: SVA@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249210. 

Auckland, Sophie

William Spratt

William Spratt

Paralegal, Dispute Resolution

William Spratt

William Spratt

Paralegal, Dispute Resolution

Areas of Specialism

Willam is a paralegal in our Dispute Resolution Department specialising in possession claims. William has experience in dealing with landlord and tenant disputes. William acts as the firsthand communication point for the team for any queries from clients or tenants.

Recent Client Matters

Assisting in claims for possession of residential property based on no-fault eviction, and breach of tenancy including:

  • Animals in the property
  • Damage to the property
  • Arrears

Qualifications, Membership & Directory Rankings

  • Bachelor of Law with Criminology (LLB Hons) from Oxford Brookes University

William can be contacted by email: wgs@deanwilson.co.uk or on direct dial: 01273 032354

katiee griffiths dean wilson

Katiee Griffiths

Paralegal, Dispute Resolution

katiee griffiths dean wilson

Katiee Griffiths

Paralegal, Dispute Resolution

Areas of Specialism

Katiee is a paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team assisting on a variety of major and routine legal matters within the department. Katiee manages her own cases and prides herself on getting the best outcome for our clients. Katiee is experienced in rent mediation and section 21 and section 8 claims. 

Katiee also leads the Welsh matters within the team giving her experience in both English and Welsh claims.

Recent Client Matters

  • Supporting landlords who have not received rent payments from tenants for an extensive period of time. Drafting notices and proceedings to obtain rent arrears, possession orders and costs in the case.
  • Advocating for a client who wishes to obtain their property back from a tenant who refuses to move out after the fixed term has ended.
  • Working closely with a wide range of letting agents to assist landlords and tenants with property disputes.
  • Drafting letters before action and filing claim forms to help clients get the best outcomes.

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons)
  • LLM Master of Law Degree
  • Currently undergoing her LPC (Legal Practice Course)

Katiee can be contacted by email: KEG@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032310. 

Khushi Kanodia Dean Wilson

Khushi Kanodia

Trainee Solicitor

Khushi Kanodia Dean Wilson

Khushi Kanodia

Trainee Solicitor

Areas of Specialism

Khushi is a dedicated trainee solicitor who is passionate about assisting clients in effectively navigating legal challenges.

She has gained valuable experience in our Personal & Medical Injury and Commercial Property teams as a paralegal where she contributed to various complex legal matters. As a trainee, Khushi currently in the Dispute Resolution team and is committed to continuously developing her skills.

In addition to English, being fluent in Hindi allows Khushi to communicate effectively with a diverse range of clients.

Qualifications

  • SQE
  • LLB Hons

Khushi can be contacted by email: KK@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032334. 

jennie apsey dean wilson

Jennie Apsey

Solicitor, Family Department

jennie apsey dean wilson

Jennie Apsey

Solicitor, Family Department

Areas of Specialism

Jennie is a Solicitor in the Family team, who advises in relation to Children Act litigation (private law), Financial Remedies on divorce, cohabitation agreements and disputes, and protection from domestic abuse/injunctive relief. 

  • Child arrangements orders
  • Children – specific issue and prohibited steps orders - temporary or permanent removal from the jurisdiction, enforcement
  • Financial remedies on divorce / dissolution of civil partnership - pension sharing, litigation and financial conduct
  • Pre and Post-nuptial agreements
  • Separation and cohabitation agreements 
  • Domestic violence injunctions

Recent Client Matters

  • Jennie regularly represents parents in private children law proceedings where mental health issues, substance misuse, and allegations of domestic abuse are a feature.
  • Jennie has recently successfully defended a Specific Issue application by a mother to remove a child from the jurisdiction and secured a Port Alert Order. She has also acted for the Applicant in a Specific Issue application to permanently remove children from the jurisdiction.
  • Jennie has experience of acting for parents in Children Act proceedings that include Fact-Finding hearings.
  • Jennie has experience of acting for clients in both long and short marriages and recently acted for the Applicant Husband in Financial Remedy proceedings following a very short marriage of 7 months’ duration where all the assets were in the wife’s name including the Family Home. A very successful outcome was secured for the client which enabled him to rehouse and settle significant liabilities.
  • Jennie is often instructed to prepare Financial Consent Orders following agreements reached between parties directly, in mediation, or as a result of solicitor-led negotiation.

Notable Cases

  • X v D [2023] EWFC 332 (B)

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Solicitor (PGDL)

Qualifications, Membership 

Legal 500 “Star in the making”

Jennie can be contacted by email: JA@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249299. 

lauren gilman

Lauren Gillman

Paralegal, Employment Department

lauren gilman

Lauren Gillman

Paralegal, Employment Department

Areas of Specialism

Lauren has recently moved over to our Employment law department, assisting Clare Waller on all employment law matters. 

Lauren is an experienced Paralegal previously working for Partner, Karl Willmott-Post in the Property Department. She assistsed on all aspects of conveyancing transactions, specialising in; sales, purchases, remortgages and transfers of equity. Before changing careers, Lauren was a Project Manager in the Financial Investment industry, which gave her transferable skills to bring to her role at Dean Wilson.

Lauren is currently close to completing her legal studies with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to progress in her career to become a Chartered Legal Executive.

Qualifications

  • CILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice
  • CILEX Level 6 Student
  • Mental Health First Aider

Lauren can be contacted by email: lg@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 032321. 

sarah phillips dean wilson

Sarah Phillips

Partner, Family Department

sarah phillips dean wilson

Sarah Phillips

Partner, Family Department

Areas of Specialism

Sarah is a Partner in the Family team, who specialises in complex Children Act litigation (private law), Financial Remedies on divorce, cohabitation agreements and disputes, and protection from domestic abuse.  

  • Child arrangements orders – living and spending time arrangements
  • Children – specific issue and prohibited steps orders -  vaccination, education, name change, temporary and permanent removal from the jurisdiction, enforcement, parental alienation
  • Children – contact to grandparents
  • Financial remedies on divorce / dissolution of civil partnership -  business and trust assets, pension sharing, litigation and financial conduct
  • Pre and Post-nuptial agreements
  • Separation and cohabitation agreements 
  • Domestic violence injunctions

Recent Client Matters

  • Sarah regularly represents parents in private law proceedings where mental health issues, substance misuse, and allegations of coercive control, narcissism and parental alienation are a central feature.
  • Sarah negotiated a financial settlement in which the client received an 80% share of the equity in the family home, and maintenance for five years to provide the client with time to attain financial independence without undue hardship. 
  • Sarah recently represented a father at a Fact Finding hearing in which findings were made against him, but following engagement in a DVPP, parenting courses and therapy, the father was able to secure an order for shared care of the parties’ two children. 
  • Sarah regularly settles financial remedy cases by way of advice during mediation, voluntary disclosure and solicitor-led negotiations, avoiding the cost and stress of contested proceedings for her clients. 

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Solicitor (PGDL) City University 
  • Resolution Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer – Complex Financial Remedies
  • Resolution Accredited Specialist Family Lawyer – Children Law Private 
  • Resolution qualified Collaborative Lawyer
  • Member of Resolution 
  • Chambers - Legal 500

Sarah can be contacted by email: SCP@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249295. 

Phillips, Sarah

Clare Waller Dean Wilson

Clare Waller

Partner, Employment Law

Clare Waller Dean Wilson

Clare Waller

Partner, Employment Law

Experience

Clare works with employers of all sizes and across all industries as well as senior executives and other individuals, advising on both contentious and non contentious aspects of employment law. This ranges from the provision of ongoing advice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, performance management processes and statutory rights to drafting contracts of employment, service agreements and staff handbooks to representing clients before the Employment Tribunal or civil courts in cases of unfair dismissal, breach of contract, claims to enforce post termination restrictive covenants and breaches of confidentiality. Clare has experience of representing clients in complex discrimination claims at first instance and in the appeal courts.

Clare designs and delivers client training on any aspect of employment law as well as undertaking regular public speaking engagements.

Recent Notable Cases

Clare recently acted for an employer and two individual Respondents in a multi million pound discrimination claim. She also successfully defended a client against a claim of race discrimination arising of out allegedly discriminatory Photoshopped images being circulated within the workplace.

She is currently advising on the design and implementation of redundancy consultation processes, including where collective consultation obligations have been engaged. 

Clare also works closely with the Dean Wilson Company and Commercial team providing employment law support to its successful mergers and acquisitions function. 

Background

Clare read Law at the University of Reading and achieved distinction in the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Guildford. She trained at HRJ Law in Hitchin and qualified in 1999. She obtained a Masters degree in Employment Law from the University of East Anglia in 2006. She became a Partner at HRJ in 2002, joined Hewitsons in Cambridge and Northampton in 2010 and then joined Dean Wilson to head up its employment law team in October 2019.

Areas of Specialism

Unfair dismissal, discrimination, breach of contract, post termination restrictions, contracts of employment, company handbooks, disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Clare can be contacted by email: CRW@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: (0) 1273 249277. 

Alex Brown

Alex Brown

Partner & Head of Department, Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

Alex Brown

Alex Brown

Partner & Head of Department, Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

Areas of Specialism

Alex is the head of the Personal Injury and Medical Negligence team specialises in severe and life changing injuries to Claimants who have suffered Personal Injuries, Criminal Injuries & Medical Negligence resulting in:

  • Brain Injury
  • Spinal Cord injury
  • Birth Injury
  • Amputations
  • Severe Orthopaedic Injuries

Alex specialises in a rehabilitation focused approach for client's to maximise the best recovery possible from devastating injuries and works with a number of leading rehabilitation providers around the UK from brain injury case managers to the high tech prosthetic specialists and everything in between.

Recent Client Matters

Qualifications, Membership & Directory Rankings

  • Solicitor - Admitted 2011 (LLB Hons)
  • Member of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
  • Headway Panel Solicitor
  • Major Trauma Signposting Partnership (Brighton)
  • Queen Elizabeth Foundation Neurorehabilitation Legal Partner 
  • Chambers & Partner (Band 2 Partner, Personal Injury and Band 3 Partner, Medical Negligence) 
  • Legal 500 (Next Generation Partner, Medical Negligence)

Alex can be contacted by email: AMB@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: (0) 1273 249286. 

Brown, Alex

dean wilson placeholder staff profile

Laily Taibzadah

Paralegal, Residential Conveyancing 

 

 

 

dean wilson placeholder staff profile

Laily Taibzadah

Paralegal, Residential Conveyancing 

 

 

 

Laily graduated from Sussex University in 2024 after completing her Law with a business and management degree. While at university, Laily took part in the legal clinic providing legal advice and guidance to clients on immigration matters. 

In Laily's role as a paralegal in Residential Conveyancing, she assists fee-earners and Solicitors with all aspects of a sale, purchase, re-mortgage, transfer of equity and general administrative duties.

Laily's future plans are to take the SQE 1 & 2 LLM to become a solicitor. In Laily's spare time, she enjoys travelling and taking long walks. 

Qualifications

  • Law with business and management LLB (Hons) at Sussex University 2024.

Laily can be contacted by email: LT@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 032364

david hodge dean wilson

David Hodge

Partner & Head of Real Estate Commercial Development 

david hodge dean wilson

David Hodge

Partner & Head of Real Estate Commercial Development 

Areas of Specialism

David has a wealth of experience and heads up the firm’s Commercial Development Team.  David has 40 years of experience in the property sector acting largely for developers, investors, dealer’s and high net worth individuals along with their family offices.

David specialises in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions and heads up a team specialising in Options, Promotion Agreements, Conditional Contracts, Infrastructure Agreements, Planning Agreements and Investments Properties as well as looking after some substantial and diverse property and land portfolio’s which his clients have built up over the years – many of Davids clients have been with him for 25 years or more.  

David works closely with the team which comprises Sinead Dye (Associate Solicitor), Amy Edwards (Solicitor), Isabelle Svendsen (Paralegal), Beth Allen (Paralegal) and Beverely 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  

David can be contacted by email: dh@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249 249

Claire Whiteman Dean Wilson

Claire Whiteman

Partner, Dispute Resolution

Claire Whiteman Dean Wilson

Claire Whiteman

Partner, Dispute Resolution

Areas of Specialism

Claire’s expertise is in property related disputes, landlord and tenant matters, and enfranchisement matters.

Claire’s clients include commercial and private landlords, property agents, tenants’ associations, trusts and other commercial entities in the leisure and retail sector nationwide. Her work is derived almost entirely from recommendations.

She is recommended in Chambers & Partner.  Claire has a good eye for those all-important details, undertakes advocacy and has a practical working relationship with other professionals. Her strong belief in looking after her clients' best interests is her motivating force.

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Solicitor
  • Member of the Property Litigation Association
  • Member of ALEP
  • Chambers & Partner recommended solicitor 2024 (ranked for 9 years) 

Claire can be contacted by email: CLW@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: (0) 1273 249229. 

Whiteman, Claire

Lyubov

Lyubov Nikolchova

Solicitor, Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

Lyubov

Lyubov Nikolchova

Solicitor, Personal Injury & Medical Negligence

Areas of Specialism

Lyubov is a Solicitor in the Personal Injury and Medical Negligence team. She qualified as a Solicitor in May 2024, having previously spent nearly 3 years working on complex injury cases, including spinal cord injury, brain injury, and birth injury. 

Recent Client Matters

Lyubov is working with Alex Brown on a number of birth injury cases where the mothers suffer from PTSD due to a negligent medical care during delivery. She also runs a mixed caseload of claims as a result of road traffic accidents, accidents-at-work, and medical negligence. 

Qualifications, Membership

  • Solicitor 
  • BA (Hons)
  • Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction)
  • Legal Practice Course (Distinction)
  • Major Trauma Signposting Partnership (Brighton)

Lyubov can be contacted by email: LSN@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249257. 

Rado

Radosveta Stoeva

Solicitor, Corporate Department

Rado

Radosveta Stoeva

Solicitor, Corporate Department

Areas of Specialism

Radosveta works in the Commercial & Corporate team at Dean Wilson. She qualified as a solicitor in June 2024, having experience in various complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, setting up joint ventures, and corporate reorganisations. 

Radosveta also has considerable experience working with startups, assisting with structuring investment rounds (including advising on SEIS and EIS), and advising on and implementing investment agreements and shareholders' agreements. She has expertise in lending and financing transactions, advising both lenders and borrowers. 

Radosveta takes a commercial perspective on matters, ensuring that legal solutions are not only compliant but also beneficial for clients' business goals. Radosveta's expertise and meticulous approach ensure that clients receive comprehensive legal support, tailored to their unique business needs.

Recent Transactions

  • Overseeing a corporate reorganisation for a group of companies looking to demerge their operations.
  • Implementing bespoke articles of association for a company looking to become a B Corporation.
  • Acting for buyers and sellers in various company and asset acquisitions.

Qualifications

  • Solicitor 
  • LLB Hons

Radosveta can be contacted by email at rts@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: (0) 1273 249237

joshua baxendale dean wilson

Joshua Baxendale

Associate Solicitor, Corporate Department

joshua baxendale dean wilson

Joshua Baxendale

Associate Solicitor, Corporate Department

Areas of Specialism

Joshua works in the Commercial & Corporate team at Dean Wilson. He works in mergers & acquisitions and acts on both sides of the transactions. Many of these transactions are in the estate agency sector. He has a wide range of commercial experience, having worked for many recruitment companies in litigation matters. 

Joshua focusses on his client’s intentions and makes those work to ensure that transactions are a client led and not lawyer led process. 

Joshua has acted in cases involving cross-border jurisdictional issues involving many companies in the EU and further afield.

Joshua grew up in Brighton and Hove, and then studied at UEA and the College of Law in Guildford.

Joshua enjoys riding his bike slowly up hills, a dry riesling, and small cups of strong coffee and speaking conversational French.

Qualifications

  • Solicitor 
  • LLB Hons

Recent Transactions

  • Large regional estate agent selling to a nationwide corporate acquirer;
  • Acting for the Buyer of a hospitality business in Brighton;
  • Acting for acquirers moving into new geographic areas and
  • Acting for an estate agent in taking over a local competitor on their retirement.

Joshua can be contacted by email: jjb@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: (0) 1273 032337. 

Joshua is assisted by Natalia Revesz, Senior Paralegal within the Corporate & Commercial Team. Natalia’s contact details are: Email: nxr@deanwilson.co.uk Direct Dial: 01273 032334.

Beth Luckett Dean Wilson

Beth Luckett

Senior Paralegal, Court of Protection

Beth Luckett Dean Wilson

Beth Luckett

Senior Paralegal, Court of Protection

Areas of Specialism

Beth is a Paralegal in the Court of Protection team. Beth has built upon her background in Mental Health Law with a further five years’ experience in Court of Protection matters. Beth applies her meticulous and empathetic approach to:

  • Lay Deputyships for Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare matters 
  • The management of client’s property and assets 
  • Complex Budgets
  • Collaborative support to Litigation Solicitors

Recent Client Matters

  • Beth provided collaborative support and information sharing to litigation solicitors to evidence the expenditure and losses experienced by a young client for his multi-million pound settlement. 
  • Beth has offered expert guidance to parents who wished to be lay deputies for their child. Beth drafted complex applications for both Health & Welfare and Property & Financial Affairs and secured the required Court Orders to allow the parents to best support their child
  • Beth works alongside the Trustees for a young woman following a multi-million-pound settlement. Beth has aided the purchase of a ‘forever home’ through the Personal Injury Trust and is facilitating the adaption alongside specialist architects. 

Qualifications, Membership 

  • Member of the Professional Deputyship Forum
  • Dementia Friend

Beth can be contacted by email: BL@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: (0) 1273 249235. 

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