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 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.
Paralegal, Court of Protection
Katie is a Paralegal in our Court of Protection Team with a focus on supporting clients with acquired brain injury to manage their finances. Assisting client's with anything from paying a dog-walker to buying a house, arranging insurance to applying for benefits. Since joining the team in 2023, Katie has become a reassuring and trusted presence for clients and their wider team, offering consistent support and confidence in all matters.
Katie has experience with the following:
Chartered Legal Executive, Private Client
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.
Chartered Legal Executive (FCilex) 2021.
Ashleigh can be contacted by email: AHS@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: (0) 1273 249275.
Partner & Head of Dispute Resolution
Duncan advises clients on a range of contentious issues relating to property including:
Duncan’s other main area of practice is litigation arising out corporate insolvency and bankruptcy and in particular, transactions at undervalue, preferences, director conduct and trustee possession claims.
Duncan has extensive experience of broader commercial issues including contractual disputes, debt recovery and professional negligence.
“Duncan Wilks goes the extra mile. He takes the pressure from your shoulders and happily puts it on his. He is excellent in his field.”
Legal 500, 2024
“Duncan took over a difficult and complex dispute for me. He cut through the background noise, identified the real issues and formed a strategy. He took control and found a solution which resulted in a favourable outcome.”
Duncan can be contacted by email: drw@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249236.
Partner, Dispute Resolution
Gabrielle is a solicitor in the firm’s Dispute Resolution team with over 20 years of experience in property litigation.
Gabrielle’s commercial landlord and tenant practice makes up a core part of her workload. She acts for both landlords and tenants on various issues, including breach of covenant, dilapidation claims, contentious lease renewals and forfeiture.
Gabrielle has a strong interest in real property disputes, especially arising from development of land. She acts in many cases concerning restrictive covenants, boundary disputes, easements and adverse possession.
Gabrielle is the firm’s specialist on fire safety following the implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022 and associated legislation. She regularly delivers seminars to Managing Agents to keep them abreast of the changes in the law affecting all aspects of residential block management.
Gabrielle also overseas the team’s insurance funded work where we act for Landlords in recovering possession of their properties let on shorthold tenancies.
Gabrielle’s practice area is UK-wide and she conducts cases in various courts and Tribunals to include the Technology and Construction Court.
Gabrielle is ranked as a leading lawyer and next generation partner for property litigation by both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.
‘Dedicated and excellent in addressing the issues and working to resolve the dispute. Good communication and tailored service. Highly recommend.’
‘We are being advised by Gabrielle Moffatt. She has been supportive and extremely helpful in dealing with the complex and continuing problems we are facing, in a situation which involves dealing with some extremely aggressive and difficult people. We have received excellent advice and Gabrielle Moffatt’s thoroughness, helpfulness, professional and personable approach has been very supportive and beneficial during that time we have been seeking advice from her.’
"I have been extremely impressed and reassured by Gabrielle's attention to detail and professionalism. She has made an extremely stressful process vastly more bearable."
Gabrielle can be contacted by email: grm@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249253.
Gabrielle’s secretary Vanisha Parekh’s can be contacted by email: vxp@deanwilson.co.uk or her direct dial 01273 032355.
Paralegal, Private Client
Linh is a paralegal in our Private Client team, supporting the partner and solicitors in the team. Prior to joining the Private Client team, Linh worked in our Dispute Resolution team, specialising in Landlord and Tenant possession claims, dealing with matters arising under Sections 8 and 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
LLB Law (Hons) from University of Sussex
Linh can be contacted by email: LGP@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249244.
Partner & Head of Commercial Real Estate
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.
Scott can be contacted by email: sg@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249265.
Executive, Court of Protection
Georgia is a Legal Executive in the Court of Protection Team. Since joining the team in 2018, Georgia is an emerging talent, rapidly establishing herself as a highly capable practitioner in high‑value and complex deputyship work. Her strong analytical skills, proactive approach, and natural ability to connect with clients and professionals alike have already made her an invaluable member of the department.
Georgia has experience with the following:
Georgia can be contacted by email: gk@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032316.
Solicitor Apprentice, Corporate Department
Fatima is a Solicitor Apprentice in the Corporate Department having commenced her first 6 months in the Dispute Resolution department, while undergoing her SQE to qualify as a Solicitor.
Prior to Fatima commencing her Solicitor Apprenticeship, was previously a paralegal within the Residential Conveyancing Department assisting Siobhan Cox on Residential Conveyancing and Commercial Property matters.
Before joining Dean Wilson Fatima worked for HMCTS. Her primary role was as Clerk to the Circuit and District Judges.
Fatima has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Sussex and hopes to be completing a Master’s degree in the near future. Away from work and studies, Fatima enjoys traveling and badminton.
Fatima can be contacted by email: FYH@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249209
Head of HR
Sarah is a highly experienced HR generalist with a full and comprehensive knowledge of all HR practices and employment law. With over 30 years of experience in the field of HR, Sarah has established a reputation for providing excellent service, with strong commercial awareness and a pragmatic approach to outcomes.
Sarah specialises in coaching and mentoring, assisting others to reach their full potential, whether that be through training, career development, performance or people management practice.
Sarah has a passion for fostering a professional, engaging and supportive culture, through working practices, recruitment, retention, succession planning, well-being and learning and development.
Sarah is known for her practical, resourceful approach, always seeking the most efficient and productive outcomes and solutions for all.
Sarah can be contacted by email, sjs@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial, 01273 032318.
Paralegal, Dispute Resolution
Clayton is a Paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team, specialising in residential property repossession under Section 8 and Section 21. Clayton helps landlords navigate the legal process with clear advice and practical support, making complex procedures feel more manageable.
Apprentice Solicitor, Commercial Property
Will is an Apprentice Solicitor in our Commercial Property department, having previously been a Paralegal within the department. Will is assisting with all manner of property transactions including acquisitions, disposals, lettings, assignments, refinancing and development work.
Previously, Will spent over a year in our Dispute Resolution Department specialising in Landlord possession claims. Will was managing up to 60 claims at one time and had a 100% success rate. Will brings this experience, attention to detail and commercial awareness to the Commercial Real Estate team.
Will enjoys learning new skills, understanding different areas of the law and working within a collaborative team which is highly focused on delivering a top-class service and aiding their client’s to reaching their goal.
William can be contacted by email: wgs@deanwilson.co.uk or on direct dial: 01273 032354
Associate Solicitor, Personal Injury & Medical Negligence
Areas of Specialism
Jessica Edwards is a Solicitor specialising in personal injury and medical negligence claims. She qualified as a Solicitor in March 2022, having previously spent four years working closely with the team on high‑value catastrophic injury matters, including complex brain and spinal cord injury claims.
Jessica regularly assists Ben Davey on catastrophic injury case. Alongside this, she manages her own caseload across a broad range of personal injury and medical negligence claims.
Acting exclusively for injured people, Jessica has experience supporting clients who have sustained serious, life‑changing injuries following:
She understands that, following an accident, a client’s day‑to‑day life can be profoundly affected. Her role is not only to pursue compensation, but to provide practical support at an early stage, including securing interim payments to relieve immediate financial pressure and to fund private treatment, rehabilitation and care where needed. At the same time, Jessica keeps a clear focus on the long‑term position, working to recover damages for loss of earnings and future earning capacity, and to ensure clients have the resources required to support their recovery and long‑term independence wherever possible.
Jessica is committed to providing clear, practical advice and ensuring that clients feel supported, informed and confident throughout the claims process.
Recent Client Matters
Jessica has successfully settled claims for clients who have suffered a wide range of serious injuries, including multiple fractures and musculoskeletal injuries, spinal injuries, amputations and traumatic brain injuries.
Personal Injury
Medical Negligence
Inquests
Feedback
‘Thank you for allowing us to represent our father and mother and showing us how it can be done with respect and dignity even when we know what was happening behind the scenes was quite different.
You have all given dad the best chance to figure out what his future looks like and how to enjoy it without fear.’
‘The service we received from both Ben Davey and Jessica Edwards was exemplary. We cannot fault their professionalism and they kept us fully informed throughout the entire process in their dealing with what was an extremely complicated and lengthy case. Ben and Jessica constantly protected us from the stress and intimidation by the defendants over the course of the proceedings to ensure we felt safe and informed and their expertise, efficiency and attention to detail led to a positive outcome, one better than we could have ever hoped for.’
Memberships
Contact
Jessica can be contacted by email at JVE@deanwilson.co.uk or by telephone on 01273 249292.
Paralegal, Dispute Resolution
Lucas is a Paralegal in the Dispute Resolution Department, supporting the team on a wide range of property litigation matters. His work primarily centres on Service Charge disputes, including advising on and assisting with Lease forfeiture claims brought under Sections 146 and 147 of the Law of Property Act 1925.
1st class LLB from the University of Sussex
Lucas can be contacted by email: LWA@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249273.
Senior Associate Solicitor, Commercial Property & Real Estate Department
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 .
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.
Partner & Head of Corporate Department
Neel has diverse transactional experience advising clients on share and asset acquisitions and disposals, secured and unsecured lending, joint ventures, shareholders’ agreements and company restructuring. He also advises on a wide range of commercial contracts for the supply of goods and services for well-established local and national clients covering music, arts and culture, close protection security, education and training, recruitment, travel and so forth.
Neel has a strong focus on client care and a commercially focused approach, which has led to him establishing a reputation for always completing matters on time and within budget. Neel dedicates himself to providing clients a personal service and creating long-standing relationships to help businesses continue to succeed during their life cycles.
Solicitor
LLB Hons
Neel can be contacted by email: nku@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249 224.
Senior Associate Solicitor, Personal Injury & Practice Lead in Abuse Claims
Senior Associate Solicitor, Personal Injury & Practice Lead in Abuse Claims
Areas of specialism:
Claire is a Senior Associate in the Personal Injury & Medical Negligence team. She specialises in complex and high value serious injury claims, including claims for sexual assault perpetrated by high-profile individuals.
Claire only ever acts for claimants, and her clients have suffered severe, sometimes fatal, injuries, including brain, spinal, orthopaedic, and psychiatric injuries, and injuries leading to amputation. She is passionate about using the litigation process to get practical help, support, and treatment in place for her clients as quickly as possible. She seeks early financial assistance from defendant insurers, in particular, funded rehabilitation programmes and interim payments of damages. This support helps clients financially while they cannot work and allows them access to specialist medical treatment while their claim is ongoing.
Claire has dealt with a number of high-profile matters which have been reported in the national media and has been interviewed by TV, radio and press regarding her work.
Claire’s clients live in Sussex, London and across the UK, she also works with overseas clients who have sustained injury in the UK.
Sexual assault claims against high profile individuals
Claire has particular expertise representing clients who are claiming compensation for psychiatric injuries and other substantial losses arising out of sexual assault perpetrated by high-profile individuals.
Claire is currently acting on behalf of claimants who have made allegations of sexual assault against Mohammed Al-Fayed and the financier Crispin Odey. She has previously successfully represented female and male victims of sexual assault against other perpetrators who are well-known in the world of film, TV, sport and business. Claire works on these cases with sensitivity and compassion and has a strong desire to use the law to achieve recognition of the human damage caused by the abuse of power and position.
In 2006, she was part of the legal team that took a personal injury claim for rape to trial, one of only a handful of such cases to be litigated in the civil courts and won at trial.
Road traffic collisions, accidents at work and E.coli O157 claims
Many of Claire’s clients have been injured in road traffic accidents, as drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. In some cases, the driver causing injury is not identified or insured, and she assists her clients with claims to the Motor Insurer's Bureau, gathering as much police, video, witness and other documentary evidence as possible to establish liability on the part of the defendant driver, and this includes instructing accident reconstruction experts when needed.
Claire also acts for those injured in accidents at work or premises outside the home, including those who have sustained serious injury as a result of negligent exposure to the bacteria E.coli O157. Claire has acted for a number of children who have sustained Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome as a result of an E.coli O157 infection, and has claimed for the ongoing health complications that that condition can cause
Victims of serious violent assault and acts of terrorism
Claire has represented seriously injured victims of violent assault and acts of terrorism, making applications on their behalf to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. She has claimed compensation for UK victims of overseas terrorism, both from overseas governments and from the UK Victims of Terrorism Overseas Compensation Scheme.
Having worked in the field of serious injury for many years, Claire understands the impact that accidents and assaults have on her clients and their families. In each case, she works hard to gather all relevant evidence to ensure that she can show the full extent of her clients' injuries. She works with experienced barristers and instructs well-respected medical witnesses to prepare expert reports. She also works with forensic accountants and others to value other complex financial losses. She aims to maximise her clients' damages while supporting them through the litigation process.
Feedback:
‘Claire is assertive, provides clear direction and firm advice, and is a collaborative communicator.’ Chambers & Partners 2026
‘Claire is very good: she works very hard, has good medical knowledge and is very practical.’ Chambers & Partners 2026
‘Claire and her team have been phenomenal during my time with them. They have been thorough and meticulous, responsive, empathetic and understanding, proactive, and did a brilliant job with my case from beginning to end. I have been thoroughly impressed with how they handled my case and grateful to have been recommended them. I could not have wished for a better team and better care.’ – Client, polytrauma
‘Claire’s client was seriously injured in an RTA and showed incredible stoicism, determination, and an inspirational attitude towards rehab and recovery. The rehab funding was provided without any quibble, and her client was supported by a great case worker. Claire was brilliant in her approach, and I am pleased that her client now has the means to continue their life post-accident. I have no doubt her client will succeed in everything they choose to pursue.’ – Defendant insurer
‘Whilst no amount of money will ever bring Ben* back, the outcome of the settlements will allow us to move forward, albeit slowly, with our lives without having the immediate financial pressures to endure as well as everything else. I cannot understate the importance of this outcome to us as we face the array of huge challenges in living the rest of our live without Ben*. The support from Claire has been outstanding in guiding us through this hugely challenging and intrusive process. We cannot thank you enough. The very tragic circumstances make this a highly emotive process - you and your team have been keenly attuned to this and have been very sensitive. This has made it far more tolerable for us that’s for sure.’ Client, fatal accident
‘When Claire … took on my case with the integrity and intelligence that they/she did. I felt supported, clearer and no longer alone in my battle. Claire and the entire team helped me get to the other side. Her compassion, patience and knowledge grounded me, heard me and I knew that my very best outcome, well-being and sense of justice was what they were striving to attain at all points of the now closed case.’ Client, high profile sexual assault claim
‘Claire is an advocate for true justice, a voice for the vulnerable and above all hope. She and her team truly supported me in my case. They helped find professionals to diagnose my current condition and future needs, highlighted my difficulties and even, unbeknown to me, covered all the costs until settlement because I could not afford them. Against constant denial, pushback and lack of clarity in CICA rules, they fought for me. I felt valued when all things became dire, I was even told I was to blame for my own injuries. Claire continued and helped me clear my name. I deeply cannot express how wonderful she is, when I felt all was lost and a fair outcome would never be reached.’ Client, amputation, CICA
‘When dealing with a difficult emotional subject as mine, I felt empathy, understanding and care … Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so kind and gracious.’ Client, high profile sexual assault claim
Key recent settlements:
Voluntary positions
Claire is a trustee for Headway Sussex, a charity that provides advice and support for those living in Sussex with acquired brain injury.
Claire is a member of the Sussex Acquired Brain Injury Forum (SABIF) steering committee
Claire is also a trustee for Core Arts, a charity based in Hackney which promotes positive mental health and wellbeing through a college-like environment of creative learning.
Qualifications, membership and directory rankings
Claire can be contacted by email on: ceg@deanwilson.co.uk or by direct dial on (0)1273 032345
There are no news articles about this topic yet.