commercial property
commercial litigation
company & commercial law
employment law
debt collection
corporate tax services
VAT consultancy
notary public services
agricultural & rural affairs
taxation farms & landed estates
charities
trusts
employment law
rural disputes
partner profiles - private client
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Paul Rhodes - Head of Division He qualified as a solicitor in 1970 and worked his way through the ranks until he was appointed a partner in February 1973. Paul decided to specialise in private client work having done just about everything else in the "old days". He is the deputy coroner for Telford and can probably tell one or two rather interesting stories. Because of his experience with Court of Protection matters, he was appointed as a member of the Court of Protection Receiver’s Panel, which authorises him to be appointed by the Public Guardianship Office to look after the affairs of someone where there is no one available to do so. He is married to Pat who also assists occasionally in the firm. He has two children, one of whom married a couple of years ago. He has recently become a proud grandfather for the first time but does, however, still find time to have occasional walks around the golf course knocking a few balls about. He also likes walking which is probably just as well as he does most of that around the golf course, also gardening and attending the theatre. Like many of the members of the private client division he used to enjoy sporting activities but now, like most, tends just to watch it. Formerly Paul was the president of the Wellington
Rotary Club but now sits back and lets others do the organising.
He is also a trustee of the Shropshire and Telford Community Trust. |
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Alan Neal MA CTA TEP Alan joined mfg Solicitors in 1974 and is now the managing director and finance partner of the firm. He is also office partner of the Halesowen office. He specialises in finance and tax within the private client division. Alan has a wealth of experience both in the law and in taxation and is named in the Legal 500 . He qualified as a solicitor more than 30 years ago and then obtained dual qualification as a chartered tax adviser some four years later. He is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners having previously served on the Birmingham branch of that organisation and on its technical sub-committee. In addition he is clerk to the General Commissioners for Income Tax Purposes for the Kidderminster Division. His professional expertise extends not only to private clients, including high net worth individuals but to owner-managed businesses and the farming and agricultural community. Alan has recently been involved in three high profile inheritance tax cases, namely Antrobus I and Williams, both of which went to the Special Commissioners, and Antrobus II, which went to the Lands Tribunal. All of these cases were groundbreaking in clarifying important issues relating to agricultural property relief for inheritance tax purposes. Alan has built round him a team of tax experts at the Halesowen office. He and his team serve the whole firm in providing high quality advice on taxation issues and are always prepared to travel to whatever location suits the client be it at his home, office, factory or farm. |
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Valerie Robinson Valerie Robinson is a partner at mfg Solicitors, working in the Private client division as the deputy divisional Head. Valerie has specialised in wills and probate and related matters since she qualified as a solicitor in 1994. Her particular areas of expertise are wills, covering areas such as tax planning, providing for disabled beneficiaries and other complex or unusual circumstances, administration of estates, including high net worth cases involving agricultural and business property, deeds of variation and elderly client issues, including community care, asset protection trusts, powers of attorney and court of protection Valerie is a member of the Probate Section of the Law Society and currently acts as the company secretary to Bewdley Festival Ltd. |
partner profiles - residential conveyancing
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Peter Simner - Head of Division Peter Simner is a partner and is also involved in the firm's IT strategy. Peter has been at the firm since 1983. Working in the residential conveyancing division, Peter specialises in sales and purchases, mortgages and residential estate development. His expertise also includes residential estate development with specialist knowledge of acquisition of sites for builder and construction clients, option agreements, conditional contracts and sale of plots following development. With over 20 years' experience in his profession, Peter has developed vast knowledge of his sector. He specialises in dealing with private individual clients and small to medium sized developers. Peter is a member of the Law Society and the Solicitors
Benevolent Association. |
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Chris Bovey Chris Bovey has been with mfg Solicitors since 1981 and is a partner working within the residential conveyancing division. With more than 30 years' experience as a qualified solicitor, Chris boasts a wealth of knowledge offering vast and reputable expertise in property issues. He is able to provide property advice to the full range of mfg clients covering topics such as leases, sale and purchase, commercial development and financial matters. An expert in his field, Chris has played an integral role in the development of mfg over the years and was responsible for establishing the firm’s Property Shop. A telling reflection of his managerial skills, he also acted as a divisional head for 18 years during which time the target of the division more than doubled. Chris is also largely involved in the local community and is a founding board member of the Bromsgrove District Housing Trust and chairman of Bromsgrove Housing Initiative which is building affordable housing for local residents. In addition, he has also carried out extensive work for the Spa Housing Association which currently manages more than 2,500 properties in Droitwich and the surrounding areas. Chris is a member of the Law Society. In his spare time Chris enjoys playing golf, going to the theatre,
travelling and spending time with his family. His two children
haven’t followed their father’s footsteps; both are
with accountancy firms, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Ernst & Young! |
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Peter
Hill Peter Hill has been a partner at mfg Solicitors for over 32 years, having worked at the firm since 1967. Working in the residential conveyancing division, Peter contributes a detailed knowledge and understanding of all types of conveyancing law issues. He is able to provide conveyancing advice to the full range of mfg clients covering topics such as residential acquisitions and disposals, commercial contracts and even agricultural issues. Although he specialises in the residential sector, Peter’s experience extends to include private client and charity work. Peter is a member of the Law Society and the Malvern
Hills District Council (MHDC) Standards Committee. |
partner profiles - family
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Jonathan Tougher- Head of Division Partner at the firm Jonathan Tougher heads up the Family Law division. Based at the Kidderminster office, Jonathan is responsible for overseeing this growing department and acting on behalf of a range of clients. Jonathan sits on the Law Society's Family Panel. Jonathan brings a wealth of management experience from previous careers, and is highly knowledgeable regarding divorce and separation matters. He can offer tailored advice on all the financial aspects of divorce which can include the domestic partnership home, pension rights, distribution of other assets and savings. His is a specialist in cases of multi-property ownership, and where the assets include family-owned businesses. Jonathan advises many high net worth and professional private clients. In his leisure time, Jonathan enjoys running, cycling and mountaineering, particularly in Scotland. |
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Claire Backler Claire has been with mfg Solicitors since commencing her training contract in 1980 and is a partner in the Family Law Division. A specialist in family law knowledge, Claire is a valuable asset to the firm. Boasting a detailed knowledge and understanding of all aspects of family law, Claire is able to provide advice to a full range of mfg clients covering topics such as divorce and separation, civil partnerships, prenuptial agreements, financial negotiation upon separation, domestic violence and children issues. For the last seven years Claire has been a member of the Law Society’s
Family Law Panel. Her particular area of expertise is the resolution
of financial issues arising on separation. |
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Robert Pearce Robert has been with mfg Solicitors since qualifying as a solicitor in 1981 and is a partner in the Family Law Division based at Wellington. Robert heads up the Shropshire offices within the firm’s Family Law Division. Robert has a wealth of specialist experience in areas such as divorce, cohabitation and financial issues. He also deals regularly with cases involving children matters. Robert has also been a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel for over 15 years. In his spare time Robert enjoys running and is
a member of local badminton and running clubs and also enjoys supporting
both of his sons who play for local football teams. |
