Chairman and Head of Corporate Services

Bill leads our corporate services team in a wide range of corporate, contractual, commercial and sports related matters. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions, sales/purchases of businesses, private equity, and corporate finance and structure. He is also the firm’s chairman.

Lesley Bacon has worked with Clifton Ingram LLP for 22 years. Her clients are principally in the business sector, ranging from sole practitioners and family firms, to professional practices and larger companies. She deals with the collection of debts prior to issue, the preparation and lodgement of claims at court, obtaining judgments and issuing enforcement.

She is active in resolving disputes and negotiating settlements, either in house or via the Small Claims Mediation Service. Her aim is to resolve disputes without the necessity of taking the matter to Court but, where necessary, she will represent her clients either with or without Counsel at Court Hearings. Lesley can also advise on the improvement of your credit control procedures.

Partner and Head of Commercial Property

Chris has considerable experience in the full range of commercial property law, including landlord and tenant issues, acquisitions, disposals and development. He acts for many clients with large property portfolios. He joined the firm in 1987 after several years at McKenna & Co (now CMS Cameron McKenna) in the city and became a partner in 1989.

Paralegal

Linda is an executive working closely with Bill Annan. She has over 15 years experience of dealing with commercial property transactions.

Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution

Jonathan has over 30 years’ experience in many areas. He has advised on a wide range of commercial, corporate and individual disputes and has worked exclusively on litigation matters since 1991. Examples of recent cases are commercial contract disputes, copyright claims, construction disputes, partnership claims, employment tribunal claims, procurement software disputes and a breach of fiduciary claim against a company director.

He also has experience in insolvency matters and Town & Country planning disputes. Jonathan is also an accredited mediator with Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Group.

Head of Employment and Partner

James has been a partner since 1982. He specialises in all aspects of employment law including redundancies, wrongful and unfair dismissal claims, sex and race discrimination, and drafting contracts of employment. James is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Consultant

Dennis has been with the firm for 44 years formerly as Senior Partner and now as a working consultant. He has specialised, in recent years, in advising extensively on charity law and has extensive experience handling a wide range of company and commercial activities including commercial and residential development.

Dennis’ knowledge of the local business community and environment is unrivalled.

Associate Solicitor

Alison qualified in 2001 and before joining Clifton Ingram in November 2008 she worked for a niche commercial firm in Surrey.

She specialises in all aspects of employment law including redundancies, wrongful and unfair dismissal claims, the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, employment status, employment in the construction industry and drafting contracts of employment and staff handbooks.

Alison is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Associate Solicitor

David graduated from The University of Reading in 2003 with a 2.1 degree in Law. Having worked in the insurance industry for a number of years, David went on to obtain a distinction at the College of Law.

David works in our Dispute Resolution department and deals with general civil and commercial litigation. He has a particular interest in landlord and tenant disputes.

Managing Partner and Partner, Commercial Property

As well as dealing with a wide range of commercial property matters, Ian is also the managing partner. He has considerable experience in all aspects of commercial property work including the acquisition, letting and disposal of commercial properties for owners, occupiers and investors, advising on the management of investment portfolios and lending secured on properties and is accustomed to dealing with major acquisitions and disposals.

His clients include a variety of residential developers. He also advises charities on property matters and deals with disposals and acquisitions of small businesses involving commercial premises.

Senior Associate Solicitor

Caroline acts for medical practices and other professional partnerships on the drawing up of their Partnership Agreements, as well as retirement and accession deeds and advises on related partnership property issues.

She also has expertise in advising on Shareholders Agreements for private limited companies, including cross-option arrangements on the death of a shareholder and on management structures and shareholder issues generally. Caroline also deals with share sale and asset sale transactions including advising on corporate structure and EMI Share Option Agreements designed to incentivise and motive employees.

Senior Associate Solicitor

Caroline advises farmers, farming partnerships and agri-businesses on the legal aspects of agricultural property, rural land and equestrian businesses. She has expertise in agricultural tenancies including drawing up and advising on farm business tenancies. She has acted on the sale and purchase of freehold farms including farm buildings, farm houses and agricultural land. Caroline has advised on the Single Payment Scheme and on the transfers of Single Payment Entitlements in the context of farm sales and agricultural tenancies.

Caroline also acts for the sellers and purchasers of rural land adjoining residential properties where the home owner is seeking to protect the residential property from adjoining development, or change of use.

Partner and Head of Tax Planning Wills and Probate

An Inland Revenue Officer before qualifying as a solicitor and Partner in charge of our tax planning department, Peter advises on personal capital tax planning issues in corporate transactions including sales of owner managed businesses, shareholder agreements and the structuring of private businesses generally.

Partner

Tris has more than 10 years experience advising on a wide range of commercial matters including joint ventures, distribution and agency, hardware and software supply and maintenance, licensing, terms and conditions of business and franchising.

Tris has particular experience in the technology sector and in the niche fields of pharmaceutical clinical trials and specialist medical transportation. As lead advisor on commercial contracts and rights protection, Tris also heads up Clifton Ingram Sport, the multi-disciplinary team of lawyers dedicated to servicing the needs of the firm’s sports clients. He has advised a number of leading British sports retailers on acquisitions and various sponsorship and trading matters as well as a number of high profile international sportsmen on contractual matters, endorsements and image rights.

Associate Solicitor

Barry advises on a wide range of corporate insolvency issues acting for insolvency practitioners – administrators, receivers, liquidators and supervisors of company voluntary arrangements as well as charge holders, creditors, companies and directors. Barry’s experience ranges from the making of appointments, the legal aspects of the sale and purchase of insolvent companies and their assets, bringing and defending winding up petitions to advising insolvency practitioners on technical issues arising under the Insolvency Act.

His experience includes a wide range of insolvency scenarios such as section 110 demergers, corporate re-structuring and re-financing , as well as retention of title claims and preference/undervalue claims. He also advises on the validity and enforceability of security.

Senior Associate Solicitor

Carl has an academic background that covers both law and science. His first degree was in molecular genetics. After university Carl managed a laboratory for Shell UK and then ran his own successful property management business before seeking a more challenging career and embarking on a second degree in law. Although Carl has experience in just about every area of litigation with seven important cases recorded in the official law reports, he has particular expertise in the fields of property law, insolvency, personal injury, and factoring.

In his Insolvency work Carl deals with all contentious matters and has acted not only for individuals and company directors but also for Trustees in Bankruptcy, Liquidators, Administrators and Asset based lenders making applications in both the County Court and the High Court.

Carl is a member of the RICS Dilapidations Forum and the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers

Partner and Head of Commercial Property

Tim has over 25 years of experience in dealing with all types of commercial property.  He advises on the sale and purchase of a diverse range of freehold and leasehold property including factories, warehousing, offices, farms and farmland, public houses and other leisure facilities as well as land and buildings for residential development. He acts for both landlords and tenants in connection with the grant and renewal of leases and with all management issues arising, such as licences to assign or for alterations and works in conjunction with colleagues on any lease dispute matters.

He has over the years developed work in niche areas including farm and estate management and residential land development sites involving options, conditional contracts and planning agreements.

Consultant

Nick Thorowgood is a specialist general pracitioner. He has extensive experience in many practice areas from inclosures, search warrants, white-collar crime and copyright infringement to disputed wills, trusts, tax and professional negligence.

Associate Solicitor

Following his graduation from Guildford College of Law, Andrew joined the firm as a trainee in March 2007 and qualified as a Solicitor in the Corporate Services Department in March 2009.

Andrew now advises clients on a variety of company and commercial matters

Partner and Head of Family Law

Marilyn’s status as a leading Family law specialist has been recognised in Chambers Directory. Although she covers all aspects of family law, including divorce, separation, children and unmarried couples, Marilyn has developed considerable expertise in dealing with complex financial cases including those involving both private and public companies and has represented a number of high value divorce clients, some of whom are well known in business and sporting circles.

Marilyn is a member of Resolution, the Law Society’s Family Law Panel, Treasurer of the Reading & Berkshire Solicitors’ Association, a committee member of the Berks Bucks & Oxon Law Society and has been joint chair of the Thames Valley Family Lawyers’ Society. She has also been trained in collaborative law.