Our People

Sharon Lawrence

Managing Partner

Experience

Sharon qualified as a solicitor in 1989 at Keelys having joined the firm two years earlier as a trainee. Sharon specialised in Property matters and has over 30 years experience primarily dealing with with Commercial Property but also Residential Conveyancing.

Practice Area

Sharon’s particular expertise was investment portfolio work including acquisitions and disposals as well as dealing with the ongoing management issues. Over the years she has also dealt with large development sites both industrial and retails as well as large housing projects.

Sharon has had a full time management role for over 10 years initially as Finance Partner and more recently as Managing Partner. In addition she deals with compliance and operational requirements.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

When not at work Sharon loves walking her dog, fishing, the theatre, music concerts and weekends away. She is also a very keen runner and part of the Keelys running club and is often seen sporting a Keelys vest at local running events.

Daniel Keane

Corporate and Commercial | Head of Department | Senior Partner

Experience

Daniel is now Senior Partner having been Managing Partner from 2001 to 2022 and during that time had great satisfaction from playing a significant role in the firms success. Daniel joined Keelys in 1988 shortly after qualification and has been advising buyers and sellers of companies and businesses and regularly acts for management buy-out/buy-in teams for over 25 years. He also has significant expertise in complex commercial contracts in a wide range of sectors, including IT, distribution and engineering.

Practice Area

In addition to undertaking a full range of Corporate transactions Daniel has extensive expertise in commercial contracts, partnership agreements and shareholder agreements. He is known for his pragmatic and constructive approach to contract negotiations.

Qualifications

Solicitor

 

Darren Walkeden

Director of IT

Experience

Darren has over 18 years’ experience working in the IT industry, joining Keelys in 2007. He has experience in many aspects of IT including desktop/infrastructure support, training, web design and development, data analysis and management information reporting, solution design/management and implementation, and cyber security.

Practice Area

Darren is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of the Firms’ IT systems. He works very closely with Sharon Lawrence and the Heads of Departments to implement technology that will help drive the Firm forward.

Reporting To

Managing Partner: Sharon Lawrence

Interests

Outside of work Darren is an avid gym-goer, keen fisherman and enjoys reading, playing golf, walking and baking.

Daniel Keane

Corporate and Commercial | Head of Department | Senior Partner

Experience

Daniel is now Senior Partner having been Managing Partner from 2001 to 2022 and during that time had great satisfaction from playing a significant role in the firms success. Daniel joined Keelys in 1988 shortly after qualification and has been advising buyers and sellers of companies and businesses and regularly acts for management buy-out/buy-in teams for over 25 years. He also has significant expertise in complex commercial contracts in a wide range of sectors, including IT, distribution and engineering.

Practice Area

In addition to undertaking a full range of Corporate transactions Daniel has extensive expertise in commercial contracts, partnership agreements and shareholder agreements. He is known for his pragmatic and constructive approach to contract negotiations.

Qualifications

Solicitor

 

Hitesh Punjani

Corporate and Commercial | Consultant

Experience

Hitesh qualified as a solicitor with the firm in 2003 and became Partner in 2014. He has over 18 years experience of Corporate and Commercial law both for SME’s and large and multi nationals and PLC’s.

Practice Area

Hitesh’s work includes private equity transactions, acquisitions and disposals, corporate re-organisations, share option schemes, finance, banking and succession planning. He also undertakes Commercial work including supply agreements, distribution agreements, terms and conditions, and outsourcing agreements.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Siân Peverill

Corporate and Commercial | Solicitor

Experience

Having started her legal career in Local Government specialising in contracts, Siân then went into private practice to train and qualify as a Solicitor. Upon qualification in 2018 Siân specialised in Corporate and Commercial work and joined Keelys.

Practice Area

Siân undertakes corporate support work, advises on shareholder agreements, group re-organisations, business share sales and purchases and general commercial work including terms and conditions.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Corporate and Commercial department: Hitesh Punjani

Interests

In her free time Siân enjoys yoga, baking and photography.

Paul Roberts

Employment Services | Head of Department | Partner

Experience 

Paul joined the firm in 2006 as Head of the Employment department. He has over 20 years’ experience of employment law, originally at city law firms. 

Practice Area

Paul specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees. For employers, he advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies and employment tribunal claims. He acts for a range of clients, including businesses, churches and charities.  For employees, Paul advises on unfair dismissal and discrimination, settlement agreements and TUPE claims.

Highlights

• Successfully defending claims from four employees following a TUPE transfer, including success at the Employment Appeal Tribunal
• Recovering the maximum compensatory award following the unfair dismissal of a Managing Director
• Successfully defending a claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination against a local school
  

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

Paul enjoys cycling, drumming and snowboarding, though not at the same time.

Tom Parkes

Employment Services | Partner

Experience

Tom joined Keelys as a trainee solicitor in 2005 and joined the Employment Team soon after qualification in 2007.  He was promoted to Associate Partner in 2012 and in 2016, promoted to Partner.

Practice Area

Tom specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees. For employers, he advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies and employment tribunal claims. He acts for a range of clients, from small owner managed businesses to plcs. For employees, Tom advises on unfair dismissal and discrimination, settlement agreements and TUPE claims.

Highlights

• Achieved a substantial settlement for an individual in a claim against a Premier League Football Club
• Advised a Claimant in a complex whistleblowing claim against an international restaurant chain, securing a settlement in excess of a year’s remuneration.
• Advised on a large scale collective redundancy consultation following the closure of high profile employer

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Father to two daughters, lifelong Evertonian, keen follower of the England cricket team, occasional runner and avid collector of vinyl.

Ravinder Sandhu

Employment Services | Partner

Experience

Ravinder joined Keelys as a trainee solicitor in 2001 and qualified into the Employment Team in 2003. She was promoted to Associate Partner in 2008 and in 2011, promoted to Partner.

Practice Area

Ravinder specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees all over the UK. For employers, she advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies, restructuring, employment tribunal claims and drafting of employment documentation including contracts of employment and policies and procedures. She acts for a range of employer clients, of all sizes, on a retainer basis across the UK and offers employment law training. For employees, Ravinder advises on all employment claims including unfair dismissal, discrimination, settlement agreements and Tribunal claims.

Highlights

• Successfully advised a Claimant in a claim for unfair dismissal and its appeal in the Court of Appeal.
• Achieved a substantial settlement in excess of a year’s remuneration for a Claimant involving a large and well recognised employer.
• Advising a number of employers with an international presence.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Mother of one daughter, spending time with family and friends, travelling and exploring the world near and far, shopping and photography.

Ian Pettifer

Employment Services | Associate Partner

Experience

Ian joined Keelys in 2020.  He has been a qualified solicitor for over 25 years, and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD.

Practice Area

Ian specialises in employment law and advises employers in many different sectors and industries, from start-ups to multinational businesses, as well as public sector and not for profit organisations.  He also advises employees, directors, groups of workers and their representatives. 

Ian advises and supports employers and employees through disciplinary action, grievances, performance issues, sickness absence, equal opportunities and discrimination, redundancies and restructuring, TUPE, data protection and regulatory law, and with settlement agreements.  He often presents cases in Employment Tribunal hearings.  Ian has also defended Nurses in professional conduct proceedings before the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Highlights

• Successfully defending a care business from claims including unfair dismissal which placed their good standing with the Care Quality Commission at risk.
• Advising several hundred employees of a large employer on settlement agreements during a series of factory closures.
• Presenting a test case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, on the calculation of holiday entitlement for workers on variable hours.
• Coordinating a multinational redundancy programme for an IT company, to comply with the laws of several countries.
• Winning an injunction restraining former employees and directors of an insurance broker from taking and using confidential information to set up a rival business.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services Department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Ian has been a committee member of local branches of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for the last decade.  He is a devoted husband and father of three sons, and enjoys camping, swimming, and watching rugby (but not playing, as he can’t catch the ball).

Jas Dubb

Employment Services | Associate Partner

Experience

Jas has over 15 years of experience specialising solely in employment law, most of which he has spent working for large city firms. In his previous roles he has worked closely with retained business clients.

Practice Area

Jas is adept at advising both individual employees and business organisations alike in all areas of employment law.

For individuals his work includes advising on bring claims for unfair dismissal, whistleblowing and discrimination.  He has assisted clients with grievances and been involved in numerous high-profile exit negotiations. Jas regularly advises on settlement agreements.

For businesses he provides advice on the full spectrum of employment issues. Jas is comfortable advising no matter the size of the business or the type of industry/sector. His work includes advising on handling disciplinaries, grievances, sickness absence, performance management and TUPE. Jas has a special interest in restructuring and redundancy advice. He drafts contracts, policies and procedures and regularly advises on their implementation.

Highlights

Qualification

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services Department: Paul Roberts

Joanne Davies

Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation | Head of Department | Partner

Experience

Joanne is a Partner and Head of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. Joanne is a solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in litigation matters. Having trained and qualified in 1994 at Wragge & Co, she also spent several years at Martineau Johnson, as well as having experience of working as in-house Counsel in the finance leasing industry.

Practice Area

Joanne has been with Keelys LLP since January 2018, leaving her previous head of department role for the opportunity to join Keelys.   She took over head of department duties in January 2020 since when the department has gone from strength to strength.  Joanne prides herself on taking a hands-on approach to cases and will always take into consideration the commercial issues that arise in any dispute.  That ethos continues into the rest of her team.

Joanne has extensive experience that spans over 25 years of resolving all nature of commercial and contractual disputes.  Whilst overseeing the department, she specialises in commercial property disputes, including commercial leases renewals and dilapidations, contested employment disputes, usually involving the enforcement of post termination restrictive covenants, minority shareholders’ disputes and cases involving the Commercial Agents Regulations.  She also deals with any intellectual property cases, often taking on very well-known brands, fighting the corner of the smaller business.

Highlights

Joanne has acted in a substantial number of cases over the years, both large and small ranging from plc companies to limited companies, partnerships, sole traders and the private individual.  Edited highlights from those many cases include:

• Represented an employee whose former employee sought an injunction against him preventing him from working for his new employer who was said to be a competitor and therefore it was argued that he was acting in breach of his post termination restrictive covenant obligations.  The injunction was refused at first instance and that decision was appealed before the Court of Appeal when the employer’s appeal was dismissed [reported as Planon Ltd-v- Gilligan].
• Acted for a commercial agent who was dismissed from his role and for whom an order for substantial compensation under the Commercial Agents Regulations 1993 was obtained.  The quantum of that compensation was, however, deferred pending the appeal by the principal on the question of liability in the first place.  A (favourable) settlement of the entire case was achieved just days before the principal’s appeal was due to be heard before the Court of Appeal [unreported case but references in various legal articles have been made to that case namely Whitehead v Jenks & Cattell Engineering Ltd].
• Successfully settled a longstanding and difficult family dispute involving complex land ownership, and partnership and company issues at mediation;
• Advised on a protracted dispute involving numerous partnership and company transactions that also successfully settled at mediation.
• Achieved a favourable settlement via a court led Financial Dispute Resolution process for a corporate client that had bought a business but found after purchase irregularities in the accounting and record keeping.  The client buyer refused to pay the final instalment of the purchase price to the seller and so the seller sued for the instalment.  On behalf of the buyer, we defended and counterclaim based on a breach of indemnities in the sale agreement by the seller.
• Acted for a former director of a company who was served with injunctive proceedings for springboarding, whilst facing numerous accusations including being in breach of his fiduciary duty.
• Acted for a brother who was a minority shareholder in a family luxury brand company dispute following the death of the father who founded the company.  The settlement was achieved after an all day mediation at somewhere around 3am the following day; still my longest ever mediation. 
• Successfully acted for a district council in relation to refuse collection vehicles that repeatedly broke down and caused rubbish collections to be missed. 
• Successfully obtained an injunction against a company that had presented a statutory demand against a corporate client for a debt that was in dispute.
• Acted for the alleged guarantor of a loan with a high street bank who maintained that the bank had agreed to release him from his liabilities but who did not have the evidence, and the bank refused to accept that evidence.  The evidence was however, finally obtained from the bank after 6 rounds of disclosure, whereupon the claim against the “guarantor” was dropped and costs paid.
• Acted for private clients who had bought a property whose title included a large paddock and in relation to which the seller claimed mistake, as they had not intended to include it.  The case involved complex legal issues of mistake (mutual/unilateral) and negligence and eventually was favourably resolved in my clients’ favour.
• Acted for an individual who had bought a piece of land to develop but whose architect and solicitors had both failed to spot that the planning permission with which the land was sold had lapsed by the time of purchase.  At mediation, the advisers agreed substantial compensation for the buyer.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

When not in the office, Joanne enjoys going to the gym and playing tennis (both time permitting), as well as walking, reading, history (especially all things medieval), theatre and travel (and if most of them can be combined then so much the better).

Patrick Farrington

Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation | Partner

Experience

Patrick is a Partner with over 30 years’ experience in a broad range of matters, but particularly focusing on dispute resolution and company and commercial work. He has spent all of his career in Staffordshire qualifying as a solicitor in 1990. Patrick became an authorized High Court Enforcement Officer in 2004 and has particular knowledge in the enforcement industry, making him one of only a handful of people in England and Wales to be both a practicing solicitor and HCEO. He was the Managing Partner at his previous firm in Stafford before joining Keelys.

Practice Area

Patrick undertakes a broad range of dispute resolution work with a particular focus on contested trust and probate claims, ( having successfully obtained the specialist ACTAPS qualification) dealing with a range of complex issues involving both small and very large estates and debt collection, given his experience in the debt collection industry as an Enforcement Officer in the High Court. He deals with Landlord and Tenant matters (residential and commercial) and a range of contractual disputes.

Highlights

Contentious Trust and Probate cases

Patrick has acted in many cases, both large and small and too many to mention, taking a pro active and sensitive approach to cases often at times of great stress to those involved and taking pride in giving commercial advice on settlements where appropriate but pursuing cases vigorously on behalf of clients too. Examples include:

• Acted for the executors of an estate worth upwards of £8M in relation to various claims brought against the estate including 1975 Act claims by a partner and former spouse (where the divorce had not been finalised) and conflicting claims by family beneficiaries concerning company shareholdings and other assets including land, property and foreign property. This was also made extremely complex by issues involving abatement of company share legacies and disputes about liability for tax. All claims were ultimately settled after litigation.
• Successfully acted for an executor/beneficiary where at trial the Court ruled in our favour as to the interpretation of two clauses in the will, the meaning of which was disputed and obtained payment of costs from the indemnity insurers of the original firm of solicitors who prepared the will.
• Represented a widow who despite a long marriage (over 45 years) did not receive a beneficial interest in the property by the will of her deceased husband. Applying the principles in White v White and Ilott v Mitson in particular, obtained a settlement based on the letter of claim without recourse to mediation or proceedings.
• Successfully defended a claim to remove my client as an executor following extremely contentious and difficult contrasting claims between executors, resulting in an agreement to appoint a professional executor instead of all existing appointees and resolve various disputes as to the division of the estate assets.
• Successfully challenged a charity beneficiary who stood to receive a seven-figure sum from the deceased’s will but bringing a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 on behalf of the daughter of the deceased, resulting in a negotiated settlement.
• Settled a claim by my client against two attorneys who had breached their fiduciary duties and misappropriated monies and on behalf of one of the sons of the deceased, successfully tracing money back into the estate and recovering a six-figure sum, plus a property and costs.
• Acting for an executor beneficiary facing claims against the estate based on allegations of undue influence/ fraudulent calumny and an assertion that the testatrix mother lacked capacity but rejecting those claims and reaching a settlement significantly below the opponent’s expectations.
• Acted for a daughter of the deceased following a claim by two half-brothers (whose existence was unknown to her prior to her father’s death) and successfully recovered all of the assets including the property in dispute for her benefit under The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975;
• Acted on applications for and opposing claims made for an order for sale under s. 14 of TOLATA;
• Successfully applied to the court for an order under Section 116 of the Senior Courts Act for an order appointing a professional administrator in place of a relative of the deceased who had refused to take steps to obtain a grant of representation;
• Entered and removed numerous caveats, entered appearances and “warned off” a number of unmeritorious claimants.

Some examples of other Litigation Work and Debt Recovery

• Acted for a former director of a company who faced injunction proceedings for springboarding, facing accusations of setting up a competing company and being in breach of his fiduciary duty to his previous company and reaching a settlement after proceedings had been commenced.
• Acted for two guarantors of a loan with a high street bank and successfully defending a claim against them;
• Successfully defending a claim for over £250,000 brought by a factoring company against the directors pursuant to their personal guarantees and achieving a result in which the directors paid nothing owing to a defective guarantee agreement;
• Obtained judgment against an airline for a sum approaching six figures and successfully persuaded the control tower at the airport to prevent an aircraft from taking off, impounding the aircraft under High Court enforcement procedures until the debt was paid;
• Previous success in enforcing judgments out of the jurisdiction including Scotland and mainland Europe;
• Acted for many international blue chip “household names” in successfully recovering outstanding debt on bulk instructions received.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation department: Joanne Davies

Interests  

Patrick relaxes by watching and playing most sports, particularly football, cricket and golf and has travelled extensively, once working as a lifeguard in California. He enjoys reading, coin collecting and gardening and was a Councillor for Stafford Borough for twenty years, sixteen of which on the Cabinet and eight and a half years as Leader of the Authority. He has been honoured by being awarded the title of Honorary Alderman for his services to the Borough of Stafford, recognising his huge contribution to the local area.

Liam Owen

Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation | Partner

Experience

Liam trained at a specialist litigation firm and has been a litigator for more than 14 years now, working at partner level in three different firms.

Liam’s reputation is excellent, and he has been recommended by the legal directories on many occasions. The Legal 500 for many years ranked Liam as a “Next Generation Partner” for commercial litigation, quoting a source as saying that Liam “is impressive. He is smart and very thorough. A fighter with a relaxed demeanour, which belies his steel-like approach”.

Chambers has previously quoted a source as saying that “Liam is totally dedicated to knowing his client’s case, its strengths and weaknesses and the optimum way to pursue it. He is a dedicated strategist.” The Legal 500 also uses a comment that “Liam Owen is meticulous and extremely thorough. That way he is in the best position to know the strengths and weaknesses of a client’s case at an early stage. He leaves no stone unturned’. Comments in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2024, which ranks Liam as “Up and Coming” include: “Liam Owen is an outstanding example of how all solicitors should conduct themselves. He is unfailingly courteous, knowledgeable and kind when dealing with difficult family matters” and “Liam is excellent and is a fantastic lawyer. He is easy to work with, a safe pair of hands and highly recommended.”

Practice Area

Liam conducts high value commercial litigation, with particular specialisms in contentious wills, probate and trusts work, and construction litigation, although he is well-versed in almost all kinds of commercial and corporate litigation.

Highlights

Examples of Contentious Probate and Related Work

• Acted for two beneficiaries of a deceased in relation to a high seven figure trust regarding some potential issues between them and the trustees.
• Acts on behalf of the executors and principal beneficiaries of a seven figure estate in relation to a claim intimated by relatives of the deceased;
• Represented the estate on the Defence of an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim in the High Court, brought by the deceased’s girlfriend at the time of death. This was a complicated dispute which also required the interests of the minor children of one of the beneficiaries (who passed away shortly after the testator) to be taken into account. The matter resolved on confidential terms at mediation, and the settlement was approved by the court.
• Acted for three of the children of two deceased parents and, after issuing proceedings in the Chancery Division of the High Court, obtained a court order for the rectification of the mother’s codicil.
• Acted for a beneficiary of an estate in circumstances where an unreasonable delay by solicitors in carrying out the deceased’s instructions and drafting a will had meant that the deceased passed away before executing their will. As a result, the proposed beneficiary had missed out on the inheritance the deceased had wanted to give them under the will.

Examples of Commercial Litigation Work

• Acted for the Claimant in a dispute over the equitable shareholdings each of four brothers held in a company, with the dispute culminating in a four day Chancery Division trial in Birmingham in August 2024. Judgment was reserved.
• Acted for a company in respect of a claim against two former senior employees and another company in respect of alleged: breach of contract; breach of fiduciary duty; breach of confidence; inducement and unlawful means conspiracy and diversion of business. Liam’s client issued proceedings in the King’s Bench Division of the High Court for injunctive relief and damages. The Defendants agreed to provide affidavits. The matter settled on confidential terms at mediation shortly after proceedings were issued.
• Represented the Claimant, a “partworks” publisher, on a complex claim regarding an alleged breach by the Defendant of a joint venture agreement relating to a Reader’s Digest publication. The Claimant pleaded unilateral mistake and rectification, breach of fiduciary duty, and misrepresentation. Morse v Eaglemoss Publications Limited [2013] EWHC 1507.
• Represented a minority shareholder in an engineering company who had been ejected from the company and removed as a director. His case was that the company’s affairs had been conducted in a way which was unfairly prejudicial to his interests. The matter settled on confidential terms, after Liam acted as his client’s advocate at mediation.
• Acted for the Respondents in defending two linked winding up petitions, arising from a dispute based on the management of two dental practices in the West Midlands. The petitions were heard together at a one-day hearing in the Rolls Building. Liam later pursued a breach of contract claim on behalf of a director of the Respondents on the basis that he had a beneficial interest in the dental practices. That claim settled on mutually acceptable terms at mediation.
• Represented the Claimant on a breach of trust claim relating to shares held in several Thai restaurants and pubs from which the Claimant recovered substantial damages following a fully contested 3 day trial. The court accepted that shares in a company were held on trust for the Claimant and that the Defendants had breached that trust.

Construction

Liam also has significant experience of high value construction disputes, including adjudications under the Scheme and the subsequent enforcement in the Technology and Construction Court of the decisions his clients obtained in those adjudications.

Examples of Contentious Construction Work

• Successfully acted on a final account adjudication brought by a developer against a construction client, resulting in the developer being ordered to pay an additional sum of £1.4m plus interest to Liam’s client above what it had already paid.
• Successfully defended a £1.1m claim brought through adjudication in relation to purported operational losses and the purported remedying of defects in relation to a luxury hotel. The Referring Party was awarded nothing.
• Defended a multi-million pound construction claim by a local authority arising out of purported breaches of a Framework Agreement. The dispute settled at mediation.
• Successfully applied for summary judgment in relation to a final account adjudication decision, defeating arguments alleging a breach of natural justice on the part of the adjudicator. RGB P&C Limited v Victory House General Partner Limited [2019] EWHC 1188 (TCC).
• Acted successfully on the strike out of a Part 7 claim brought by the developer in the Technology and Construction Court for declarations that an £800,000 sum awarded to Liam’s client by an adjudicator should be returned following the final account. The final account was determined in favour of Liam’s client. The opposing developer discontinued its claim shortly before the strike out application was due to be heard.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation department: Joanne Davies

Interests  

Liam is, along with his son (and his wife when she can be persuaded), a fan of travelling to professional wrestling events, and sporting events generally! He also enjoys fitness training, reading (all sorts of things from biographies to quality fiction to self-improvement, science and history) and travel.

Ellysse Bassan

Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation | Trainee Solicitor

Experience

Elly studied Law at Liverpool University from 2017 to 2020 and graduated with a First Class Degree with Honours. She is currently working towards qualification as a solicitor.

Elly began her legal career after graduation working at another law firm where she assisted other fee earners. Elly currently deals with debt recovery matters and possession proceedings in relation to residential and commercial property matters. Elly also acts on behalf of a national organisation in relation to liaising with foreign jurisdictions including, but not limited to, Poland, Turkey and Romania. Elly is currently assisting Joanne Davies and Patrick Farrington in the Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Department.

Reporting to

Head of Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation Department: Joanne Davies

Interests

Outside of the office you will find Elly shopping, at the theatre, at spin class or discovering new eateries with family and friends.

Julie Slater-Williams

Family Law | Head of Department | Partner

Experience

Julie qualified as a Solicitor in 2005. She has specialised in Family Law all through her career, throughout Staffordshire and Cheshire. In 2015, she joined Keelys LLP. Julie is a Partner and Head of Department.

Practice Area

Julie has practiced family law throughout her career, qualifying in 2005. 

Julie has extensive experience of all areas of family law including divorce, dissolution of civil partnerships, private law children matters, special guardianship orders, pre nuptial and post nuptial agreements and financial matters on divorce / dissolution. 

Julie has experience with high net worth cases including multi million pound assets, high value pensions and high value businesses.  She regularly liaises with top tier counsel in cases involving unusual elements and arguments relating to conduct and intractable contact disputes and implacable hostility in children cases. 

Julie is also a qualified collaborative solicitor.  She is trained to assist clients in settlement focused manner where this is deemed appropriate.  She has strong links with other collaborative solicitors. Julie’s ethos is to get to the heart of cases in as cost effective and stress reduced way as possible.  Where this is not possible, Julie will advise and litigate to contested hearings to ensure that the matters that need to be dealt with are done so as swiftly and thoroughly as possible to ensure the needs of the client are met.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

Julie is a keen reader, traveller and enjoys spending time with her children doing fun things.

Marie Bell

Family Law | Family Lawyer

Experience

Marie joined Keelys’ in December 2013.  She has over 18 years experience of working within a family law department.  Marie became an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (now known as CILEX Member – Paralegal) on the 1^st September 2009 and she obtained her certificate in family law in August 2011.  Marie is currently working towards her Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law to become an Advanced Paralegal, with a view to completing the full qualification in due course.

Practice Area

Marie specialises in divorce and the resolution of financial matters.  Marie also undertakes work in relation to separation agreements where unmarried couples were engaged and children proceedings.

Qualification

ACILEX

Reporting to

Head of Family Law department: Julie Slater-Williams

Interests

Out of work Marie enjoys the outdoors by volunteering on a Local Nature Reserve, walking and cruising the inland waterways on a narrowboat.  She also enjoys wildlife photography.

Julie Cox

Family Law | Family Lawyer

Experience

Julie has over 10 years’ experience representing clients in family law cases in addition to Court advocacy representation. 

Practice Area

Julie specialises in all private family matters, including divorce, judicial separation, dissolution of Civil Partnerships, cohabitation agreements and disputes, financial negotiations and settlements, pre and post-nuptial agreements, child arrangements and Injunctions.

Julie is known to have a pragmatic but empathetic approach and has a number of outstanding recommendations and reviews from previous clients. 

Highlights

• International child relocation
• Return of a child in a child abduction case
• Successful defenses to Injunctions
• Prevention of dissipation of international assets in financial remedy case

Qualifications

CILEX

Reporting to

Head of Family Law department: Julie Slater-Williams

Nashmeen Malik

Family Law | Assistant

Experience

Nashmeen became part of Keelys Family team in June 2023 as a Matrimonial Assistant. Nashmeen has many years’ of experience assisting in relation to Family matter, Wills, LPAs, and Probate Law. In April 2023, Nashmeen successfully concluded her Paralegal Training and UK Legal System training at QLS Level 5.

Reporting to

Head of Family Law department: Julie Slater-Williams

Interests

Outside of the legal realm, Nashmeen is passionate about holistic healing, personal development, and spirituality. Graduating as a holistic life coach and Mind Body Practitioner in 2021, she finds delight in delving into literature on spirituality, neuroscience, and positive psychology, while also cherishing moments spent with her loved ones.     

James Chisholm

Real Estate | Head of Department | Partner

Experience

James is a Partner and is head of the Real Estate Department. He has over 20 years experience of Commercial Property work.

Practice Area

James specialises in property development and has been involved in a number of very large and complex industrial and retail development sites as well as substantial residential development land sites. He also undertakes more general commercial property work including pension related transactions, investment transactions and work that is landlord and tenant related.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

Outside of works James enjoys gardening, sailing, caravanning, DIY and is learning to play the guitar. He is also a cub scout leader. His four children keep him very busy.

Kate Palmer

Real Estate | Partner

Experience

Kate is a Partner at Keelys. She qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and has specialised in Commercial Property work since then. Kate joined Keelys in April 2015, coming from international law firm Pinsent Masons where she trained and qualified.  

Practice Area

Kate has extensive experience in investment portfolio acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant work and ongoing management issues and deals with all aspects of commercial property matters.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Real Estate department: James Chisholm

Interests

In her spare time she enjoys keeping fit with Zumba and Pilates classes and enjoys spending time in the garden.

Jasdeep Virk

Real Estate | Partner

Experience

Jas trained and qualified in the Magic Circle law firm, Clifford Chance, before moving to the West Midlands where she continued her career in national firms Harvey Ingram (now part of Shakespeare Martineau) and Freeths. Jas joined Keelys in September 2014.

Practice Area

Jas specialises in all aspects of commercial property work including landlord and tenant, acquisitions and disposals, property finance and corporate support.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Real Estate department: James Chisholm

Emma Faunch

Real Estate | Associate Partner

Experience

Emma joined Keelys as a solicitor in 2021. She has over 10 years of experience in Commercial Property work, having worked for local Staffordshire firms since qualifying.

Practice Area

Emma specialises in all aspects of commercial property transactions including corporate support; sales and acquisitions; and landlord and tenant work.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Real Estate department: James Chisholm

Interests

Outside of work Emma has two young boys who keep her very busy! She enjoys walks on Cannock Chase; visiting historical places; and crafts. Emma is also a Parish Councillor and and a Trustee of the Village Hall, and enjoys organising community events for the village.

Loretta Hales

Residential Conveyancing | Head of Department | Associate Partner

Experience

Loretta is a Conveyancing Executive and has over 25 years experience as a fee earner in Residential Conveyancing. Before joining Keelys in 2013 Loretta ran a dedicated Conveyancing team in Lichfield.

Practice Area

Loretta deals with all aspects of Residential Conveyancing to include both freehold and leasehold properties, remortgages, transfers of equity, right to buys and equity releases both locally and nationally.

Interests

When not at work Loretta enjoys walks with her dog and sunny holidays.

Lisa Bourbonneux

Residential Conveyancing | Associate Partner

Experience

Lisa is a solicitor and has over 15 years experience in Residential Conveyancing. Lisa was a Paralegal for four years before qualifying in 2007. Lisa joined Keelys in January 2014 bringing with her a broad range of experience.

Practice Area

Lisa deals with all aspects of Residential Property work including sales and purchases, freehold or leasehold, right to buy, remortgages and transfers of equity.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Residential Conveyancing department: Loretta Hales

Interests

In her spare time Lisa practices yoga and enjoys travelling.

Molliee-Mae Harding

Residential Conveyancing | Trainee Solicitor

Experience

Molliee began her Career in Conveyancing at one of Wales leading Legal 100 Firm’s where she assisted the Head of Department in both freehold and leasehold sales, purchases and remortgages. Since joining Keelys Molliee has assisted Loretta Hales and has been able to expand her knowledge, assisting in high value sales and purchases, remortgages, bridging loans and transfers of equity.

Practice Area

Molliee deals with residential conveyancing of sales and purchases, both freehold and leasehold and also remortgages.

Reporting to

Head of Residential Conveyancing department: Loretta Hales

Interests

Outside of the office, you will find Molliee dancing at festivals, cooking, or travelling.

Catherine Elliott

Wills, Trusts and Probate | Head of Department | Partner

Experience

Catherine is a Partner and Head of the Wills, Trust and Probate Department. Catherine is an experienced Private Client Lawyer and joined Keelys in November 2017 from Shoosmiths in Birmingham. Catherine is a qualified adviser for elderly and vulnerable clients and a member of STEP.

Practice Area

Her specialties include Wills, Tax Planning, the Administration of the Estates of High Net Worth individuals, Lasting Powers of Attorney, and the creation and administration of trusts. She has also advised on issues relating to domicile and contentious probates. Catherine has also presented at a number of seminars for both advisors and clients.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

When not at work Catherine enjoys yoga, pilates, the cinema and looking after her grandchildren.

Helen Phillips

Wills, Trusts and Probate | Legal Executive

Experience

Helen qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in 1993. Helen joined Keelys in January 2020 having previously worked for a large firm of Solicitors in Walsall for twenty one years and then for ten years at a firm in Cannock. Since 2001 Helen has specialised in all aspects of Private Client law.

Practice Area

Helen deals with the preparation of Wills including basic Wills, Wills for couples to protect assets from long term care fees or remarriage and discretionary trusts Wills. She is also experienced in the administration of estates including complex estates liable to Inheritance Tax and intestate estates, advising on and preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney, the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney, Deputyship applications to the Court of Protection and Trustee applications for incapacitated co-owners of property.

Qualifications

FCILEx

Reporting to

Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate department: Catherine Elliott

Interests

Away from work Helen enjoys cooking, travelling, walking and spending time with her family.

Helen Jolly

Wills, Trusts and Probate | Associate Partner

Experience

Helen is an experienced Private Client Solicitor who joined Keelys in May 2022. She is an accredited member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, and has over 18 years’ experience advising in all areas of Private Client law. 

Practice Area

Her specialties include Wills, both basic and the more complex care home planning and/or Discretionary Trust Wills. She also specialises in Tax Planning, the Administration of the Estates (including for High Net Worth individuals), Intestacies, Lasting Powers of Attorney, the creation and administration of Trusts, and Court of Protection work. She prides herself on being able to explain complex issues to clients in a way that makes it easy for them to understand.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate department: Catherine Elliott

Interests

When not at work Helen enjoys singing, and attending musical events and theatre. She also enjoys swimming, walking, bike riding, and spending time with her family.

Lisa Edge

Wills, Trusts and Probate | Advanced Paralegal

Experience

Lisa’s legal career began in regulatory law and she has worked in house for several regulatory bodies including the General Medical Council.  In 2020, Lisa became qualified to write Wills in 2020 and joined Keelys in 2023 as an Advanced Paralegal.  She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

Practice Area

Lisa specialises in Wills, both basic and those requiring trusts to help plan for potential care costs, remarriage and the modern day family.  She also specialises in Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Qualifications

MCILEX

Reporting to

Head of Wills, Trusts and Probate department: Catherine Elliott

Interests

Outside of work Lisa loves to run.  She has completed the London Marathon three times for Brain Research UK raising over £6,000