I qualified as a Solicitor in the Midlands in 1989 and over the last 35 years have worked my way down the country to the south-coast where I now live. On my travels I have held positions as Head of Conveyancing with a number of high-profile firms including 5 years with a Legal 200 firm in Reading, a Legal 500 firm in Oxford where I worked for nearly ten years and the last 6 years as Head of Property Services for a well-respected law firm with 9 offices across the south-east.
Although I have had experience in other aspects of law – notably divorce, litigation, wills and probate – I have for the last 25 years specialised in property work, and specifically residential property. I also have a slightly unusual academic background in that my degree is in Applied Linguistics rather than law. I think this sometimes helps to give me a much broader view of certain situations which has certainly come in useful during my career.
I act for all sorts of clients including first-time buyers, families on the move, property investors, small developers and even charities. I deal with a wide range of properties from one-bedroomed flats through to executive family homes and country estates.
As well as excellent technical knowledge, I am known for my patience, kindness, sense of humour and meticulous attention to detail. Most of the work I do comes from clients I have acted for before or as a result of recommendations by those clients. In some cases I still act now for clients I acted for 30 years ago which I consider to be a privilege and a testament to their confidence both in me, and the work I do on their behalf.
I am happy to take on almost any type of transaction which involves residential property. Some examples of the sort of work I deal with are set out below:
- Sale and/or purchase of houses or flats
- Re-mortgages (including private mortgages and loans between family members)
- Lease extensions (whether by agreement or under a Section 42 Notice)
- Changes of Ownership (either by agreement or under a Court Order)
- Home Equity Loans
- Declarations of Trust
- New Leases and variations to existing Leases
- Shared Ownership sales or purchases
- Repayment of Help-to-Buy loans
- Advising on Restrictive Covenants and/or Easements
- Adverse Possession Claims
- Applications for First Registration of title at HM Land Registry
- Property Auctions, whether buying or selling
- Sale and/or purchases by mortgagees in possession, liquidators or Trustees in Bankruptcy
- Tenancy Agreements
I work very hard to make sure my clients feel special and are properly looked after. It is my job to ensure that my clients fully understand what is happening at every step of the way, and with that in mind always use plain English rather than legal jargon. Also, if there is a problem the chances are I will have seen it before and know how to resolve it. I adopt a unique approach to seemingly impossible situations and am exceptionally good at problem solving. But don’t just take my word for it. Here are some comments from recent clients which I think speak for themselves.
“Efficient and helpful. Have used before and will use again.”
“Super-efficient from start to finish.”
“Simon’s Team have represented us for years. The reason we keep using them is their personal approach, attention to detail, realism, their unfailing explanation of jargon without patronising us and - is this odd to say of a solicitor - their humanity.”
“First class!”
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