Who We Are

AREAS OF SPECIALISM

Summer Woodman joined the Personal Injury & Medical Negligence team in September 2023, first starting as a Legal Assistant before moving into her current role as Paralegal in June 2025. 

Summer assists Ben Davey, Jessica Edwards, and Lyubov Nickollchova on a broad range of personal injury and medical negligence claims including: 

• Catastrophic Injury (including amputation and spinal cord injury)
• Traumatic Brain Injury 
• Fatal Accident Claims including Inquests 
• Road Traffic Accidents 
• Accidents at Work 

In her role, Summer assists the solicitors in her team throughout a claim, providing a compassionate and empathetic approach, to ensure their clients are kept informed, updated and supported throughout the process of their legal claim. 

RECENT CLIENT MATTERS

Summer has assisted the team in successfully settling claims for client’s, including some of the following personal injury, inquest and medical negligence cases: 

Substantial Six-Figure Settlement Following Road Traffic Accident | Dean Wilson LLP

£5.6 million brain & spinal injury settled

Dean Wilson Secures Settlement for Spinal Injury Following Aircraft Crash

Failure by NHS Trust Played Part in Mother’s Suicide | Dean Wilson LLP

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust agrees compensation protocol for families of David Fuller’s mortuary victims | Dean Wilson LLP

QUALIFICATIONS

Law LLB 

Legal Practice LLM (LPC) 

FEEDBACK 

May 2026 

‘I cannot thank Ben, Jessica, Dean Wilson Solicitors and Summer their paralegal enough for everything they have done for me throughout my accident and injuries claim case over the past three and a half years.

From the very beginning, they have been incredibly professional, compassionate, and genuinely supportive during what has been a very long and emotional journey.

Communication has always been timely and clear, and they consistently checked up on me to make sure I was doing okay. What stood out most was how much they truly had my best interests at heart at every stage of the case. They were also very flexible and understanding whenever challenges arose, which made such a difference during difficult times.

My family, friends, and colleagues who interacted with Ben, Jessica, and Summer also appreciated their kindness, patience, and professionalism. Every interaction was handled with care and respect, and it was clear that they genuinely cared about both me and the people supporting me.

After three and a half years, they successfully brought the case to a close with a very good settlement, and I will always be grateful for their dedication, hard work, and unwavering support throughout the process.

There is a lot more I would love to say but this is already lengthy.

I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for solicitors who are not only highly skilled and professional, but also kind, patient, and truly compassionate people.’

CONTACT DETAILS 

Summer can be contacted by email: szw@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249297. 

Areas of Specialism

Duncan advises clients on a range of contentious issues relating to property including:

• Lease renewals
• Dilapidations
• Restrictive covenants
• Easements
• Boundary disputes
• Forfeiture
• Debt recovery
• Adverse possession
• Break rights
• Breaches of contract/lease terms
• Possession claims (both commercial and residential)
• Disputed mortgages and secured loans
• Trusts in land
• Tenants in administration/liquidation

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. 

Recent Client Matters

• Acting for a landlord in a successful application to the Land Tribunal for a declaration of breach of lease owing to the tenant (a housing authority) placing residents in their properties who abused drugs.
• Acting for a property owner who acquired a large commercial premises subject to an unregistered 999-year lease; brought a successful claim under s.29(1) of the Land Registration Act 2002 for a declaration that the client purchased free of the lease and thereafter recovered possession.  
• Bringing a successful action for forfeiture of a long residential lease owing to the tenant making unauthorised structural alterations.
• Defending a client against a high-street mortgage provider taking sale and possession proceedings; no possession was ordered and the claim was settled.
• Acting for the liquidator of a well-known company bringing a successful claim against a director for breach of fiduciary duties.
• Acting for a defendant company in its successful defence against a multi-million pound claim relating to unpaid commission for investment introductions.
• Bringing possession proceedings (and successfully defending an appeal) against a tenant who used the client’s property for holiday lettings.

Feedback

“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.

Areas of Specialism

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:

• road traffic accidents (including those involving cars, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists), 
• accidents at work, 
• accidents on public property and highways, 
• and medical negligence.

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 

• Significant settlement for a passenger who sustained a brain injury in a road traffic accident - https://deanwilson.co.uk/news/ps400k-settlement-client-who-suffered-brain-injury-result-road-traffic-accident
• Six‑figure settlement for a motorcyclist - https://deanwilson.co.uk/news/six-figure-settlement-motorcyclist-injured-west-sussex
• Spinal Injury - A substantial settlement for a client left paralysed and wheelchair‑dependent following a spinal cord injury sustained as a passenger in a light aircraft - https://deanwilson.co.uk/news/dean-wilson-llp-secures-substantial-settlement-spinal-cord-injury-
• Compensation and early rehabilitation funding secured for seriously injured client despite liability being denied - Successful Personal Injury Claim Following Failure to Inspect and Repair | Dean Wilson LLP 

Medical Negligence 

• Complex Clinical Negligence claim involving amputation - Amputation clinical negligence claim settled despite liability denial | Dean Wilson LLP
• Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust agrees compensation protocol for families of David Fuller’s mortuary victims | Dean Wilson LLP

Inquests 

• Compassionate representation of a bereaved family at inquest, examining serious concerns surrounding care home failings - Family Represented in Inquest Following Fatal Care Home Incident | Dean Wilson LLP
• Missed opportunities by authorities to intervene and safeguard a vulnerable teenager prior to their death - Missed opportunities to intervene before 16 year old takes own life | Dean Wilson LLP

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

• Member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)
• Member of the Major Trauma Signposting Partnership (Brighton)

Contact

Jessica can be contacted by email at JVE@deanwilson.co.uk or by telephone on 01273 249292.

Areas of Specialism

Amy joined the Commercial Development team in 2023, after successfully completing her training contract with Dean Wilson LLP. Amy studied the LPC after completing the GDL with the University of Law part-time whilst working at Dean Wilson LLP as a paralegal.

Amy has experience in dealing with a variety of commercial and residential property transactions, including acquisitions and sales of freehold and leasehold land for both Landlords and Tenants, refinances and re-mortgages for commercial and residential properties and dealing with development site set-up requirements. 

Amy works closely with the team which comprises David Hodge (Partner) Sinead Dye (Associate Solicitor), Isabelle Svendsen (Paralegal), Samanda Mazreku (Legal Assistant) 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

• Involved in the ongoing plot sales at a large residential development site;
• Completion of a simultaneous headlease surrender and the grant of five sub-leases in a large commercial unit; and
• Involved in an ongoing refinance of a commercial portfolio worth over £32m.

Qualifications, Membership 

• Solicitor
• BA
• MA

Amy can be contacted by email: ae@deanwilson.co.uk and her direct dial is  01273 249 268.

Areas of Specialism

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. 

Recent Client Matters

• Acting for an overseas company with a portfolio of UK properties in several dilapidation claims, including claims against the Secretary of State and Lloyds Bank PLC
• Acting for a group of flat owners in an action against its freeholder for remedial works to address fire safety defects at the building
• Acting for developer in an application under Section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to discharge restrictive covenants on land that preventing the construction of new houses 

Qualifications, Membership & Directory Rankings

• Solicitor LLB Hons
• Advanced Diploma in Litigation
• Member of Property Litigation Association 

Recognition 

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.

Areas of Specialism

Christiana joined the firm in January 2025 as a Trainee Solicitor and is currently in her final training seat within our Corporate team.

Throughout her training contract, Christiana has completed seats in Personal and Medical Injury, Dispute Resolution, and Commercial Property, gaining valuable experience across a diverse range of legal matters. This broad exposure has enabled her to develop a well-rounded understanding of both contentious and non-contentious work as she approaches qualification.

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

Rebecca is a Solicitor in the General Litigation team and specialises in dispute resolution, breach of contract, construction disputes, property litigation - including possession claims and debt recovery and enforcement. 

Recent Client Matters

• Rebecca successfully obtained a freezing injunction in the high court for her client to prevent the Defendant dissipating their assets ahead of high court action.
• Rebecca settled a complex high court case reported in the media in respect of a construction dispute – Rebecca achieved a three-figure settlement figure for her client.
• Rebecca settled a breach of contract dispute concerning bonus payments – this was settled ahead of a multi-track trial and achieved a very favourable financial result for the client.
• Rebecca has been instructed by and defended high profile clients in the music industry where Rebecca had the claim against them dismissed.

Qualifications, Membership 

• Solicitor (LLB Hons)

Rebecca can be contacted by email: RR@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 249212. 

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. 

Areas of Specialism

Tom is a Senior Paralegal in the Personal Injury and Medical Negligence department. He currently assists Ben Davey and Jessica Edwards and assists on a variety of cases ranging from moderate to high-value catastrophic injury cases involving brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Recent Client Matters

• Tom recently closely assisted in securing a successful seven-figure settlement for a Claimant who had suffered life-changing and permanent injuries arising out of a road traffic accident. Part of the claim included obtaining the cost of single-level accommodation and future care until the Claimant’s end of life.
• He has also assisted in several and various five and six-figure settlement sums for injuries arising out of road traffic accidents, clinical negligence cases, accidents at work, and secondary victim claims for psychiatric injury.
• Tom assists Ben Davey with pro bono work assisting families of the deceased to obtain legal representation at inquests, primarily for cases arising out of the failure of mental health services.
• This includes the 5-day inquest into the death of Archie Jesty, an 18-year-old who sadly took their own life after failings by mental health services.
• He also assisted with the inquest into the death of Issy Phipps, a 17-year-old who took her own life. During the inquest, the Coroner ruled that failures by mental health services and NHS trusts had contributed to Issy’s death.
• Tom is assisting in the ongoing Article 3 (torture & degrading treatment) & Article 8 (private & family life) group action claim for more than 160 family members of David Fuller’s mortuary victims.

Tom can be contacted by email: TSG@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: (0) 1273 032346. 

Areas of Specialism

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. 

Qualifications

• University of Leeds (LLB Hons)

Areas of Specialism

Karl is the Head of Department of the Residential Property Department and manages the fee earners within the team as well as the paralegals/support staff. 

Karl has worked for Dean Wilson LLP for over 13 years and specialises in all aspects of Residential property transactions. 

Karl has an excellent reputation with estate agents, mortgage brokers, surveyors and the like and is sought after by property developers and local estate agents.  

Karl’s specialist areas are newbuild sales and purchases with or without help to buy involvement, although Karl does deal with residential and buy to let sales, purchases and re-mortgages on a day to day basis and has a wealth of knowledge in this respect. 

Qualifications, Membership 

• LLB Hons

Karl can be contacted by email: ksp@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial: 01273 249248. 

Areas of Specialism

Eimer is an experienced Paralegal in Dispute Resolution, specialising in property-related matters. Eimer primarily deals with landlord and tenant disputes and assists landlords in recovering possession of their property and any rental arrears that have accrued. Eimer also has experience dealing with broader Property Litigation matters including adverse possession, rights of way disputes and nuisance claims alongside general Civil Litigation. 

Eimer previously worked as a Paralegal in Conveyancing and later as a Paralegal in Property Litigation, while assisting interdepartmentally.

Recent Client Matters 

• Eimer assisted residential landlords recover possession of their property (and rental arrears) by way of both section 21 and section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.
• Eimer successfully settled a neighbour dispute arising from an alleged breach of easement early in proceedings.
• Eimer assisted in settling a high-value insurance dispute concerning alleged misrepresentation. 

Eimer’s Approach

Client satisfaction is at the heart of Eimer’s work as she understands the legal process is daunting, so maintains communication and breaks the process down to be better understood. Eimer aims to empower clients by using plain English and avoiding using legal jargon to give clients clear advice upon all of their options. Eimer is also a strong advocate for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) from the University of Sussex
• ILSPA Legal Diploma
• Member of Aspiring Solicitors 

James is a Paralegal in the Commercial Property team. He joined the firm in August as a Legal Assistant and was promoted to Paralegal in February. Prior to joining the firm, James worked as a project manager for over a year following his graduation from the University of Bristol.

RECENT CLIENT MATTERS

James is currently managing a number of matters under supervision, including leases, sales and other commercial property transactions.

In one recent matter, James was involved in the grant of leases for three commercial units which were required to complete before the end of the financial year. He opened and completed all three matters within a 10‑day timeframe in order to meet the deadline.

James also assists the fee earners within the department with drafting documents, managing completions, Land Registry applications and preparing Stamp Duty Land Tax returns. 

QUALIFICATIONS

LLB (Hons) 2:1, University of Bristol

CONTACT DETAILS 

James can be contacted by email at JMM@deanwilson.co.uk or on his direct dial +44 (0)1273 249210.

AREAS OF SPECIALISM

Molly is a Senior Paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team, and specialise in Landlord and Tenant matters. Molly assists with lease extensions (both statutory and informal), freehold acquisitions, deeds of variations and a variety of Landlord and Tenant issues. 

Molly has over 5 years’ experience working in the legal industry, having previously worked in a local firm, which included working in Residential Property.

QUALIFICATIONS

History BA (Hons) 2:2 

Postgraduate LLM Merit 

CONTACT DETAILS 

Molly can be contacted by email: moh@deanwilson.co.uk or on her direct dial: 01273 249264

Rachel is an Associate Solicitor in the Personal Injury & Medical Negligence team assisting Alex Brown, as well as running her own caseload. Rachel qualified as a solicitor in April 2016 and joined Dean Wilson LLP in January 2026 having previously worked at a highly reputable firm in Berkshire. 

Rachel is skilled at building good working relationships with clients. She can explain complex legal issues in straightforward language, ensuring that her advice is comprehensive and clear. She is passionate about providing a high-quality service and achieving positive outcomes for clients and was recognised in the Legal 500 (2025) for going the “extra mile” for her client.

 Expertise

• Birth injury claims
• Obstetric injury claims
• Amputation claims
• Cauda Equina claims
• Sepsis claims
• Cancer claims
• Fatal Accidents Act

Qualifications, Membership & Directory Rankings

• Solicitor - Admitted 2016 (LLB Hons)
• Member of Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
• Recognised in the Legal 500 (2025) for exceptional client care

Rachel can be contacted by email: RAM@deanwilson.co.uk or on their direct dial: 01273 249290

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