Partners

 I am a partner in the firm of Vizards Tweedie.  The firm specialises in property (residential and commercial), corporate and private client work.  We also have a litigation department and expertise in employment and matrimonial law.

 The current firm is a result of a merger between Vizards Oldham Brooke Blain and Tweedie and Prideaux.  Both firms have long histories but have been brought together in new offices in Fetter Lane, close to Chancery Lane tube and we service a wide range of clients. 

 My particular areas of expertise in the private client department are tax, trusts, probate (both non contentious and contentious) and estate planning.  The firm is unusual for a central London firm, in having a large private client department dealing with a wide range of specialist services.

 I hold diploma membership of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners which means that I am recognised as a specialist in the field of estate planning and trust law.  I am also a member of the Solicitors for the Elderly, dealing with the particular problems affecting elderly people and I advise on matters of mental capacity and lasting powers of attorney, making applications to the court of protection where necessary.

 I am a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists and my work covers the difficult area of disputed wills and estates.  I handle applications under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 where provision is sought from the estate of a deceased person on behalf of claimants and defendants.  I regularly give presentations to clients and others on the work of the department and I write articles on tax and other matters for the press.

 I enjoy private client work because I find the contact with my clients rewarding and I believe that I can help them.  Whether it is in a dispute, in the preparation of a will, the administration of an estate or an application to the Court of Protection, I see my role as a protector and advisor to my clients and this is stimulating and challenging. The solutions may be the same in many cases but the personalities involved are always different.  The elderly, bereaved or dying are vulnerable and sound legal advice for these groups is crucial.  It is this which I believe I can provide.

 I came to the law through a circuitous route, graduating in English literature from York University in 1981 and working in a number of areas, including publishing and the charitable sector.  I worked for some years at the General Medical Council where I was responsible for the registration of UK doctors before I gave up to train as a lawyer. I qualified in 1994 having spent two years studying and two years as a trainee.

Beyond the law, my interests are in the visual arts: theatre (particularly Elizabethan and Jacobean drama) opera (particularly Mozart) and ballet. I also enjoy tennis, riding, skiing (and shopping with my daughter!). 

Admitted | 1994

Partner | 2004

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