Susan Heads
Solicitor
Commercial Property
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Residential Conveyancing
020 8295 1989 Email SusanConsultant - Commercial & Residential Property
Susan has over 40 years’ experience working in the legal profession, working initially for a large firm of Solicitors in Fleet Street, studying in her spare time to qualify as a Legal Executive. She qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and ran her own practice for 20 years before merging with Wellers in 2016. She has wide experience in all aspects of residential property law, and general commercial contract and property disputes, she strives to provide a personal service and to build relationships with clients, a lot of whom she has worked with for many years.
In her spare time Susan enjoys cycling, walking and bell ringing, and is a Church of England Licenced Lay Minister.
Secretary to James Baird
Carol Edridge
Support Staff
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Family
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
01372 750 100 Email CarolCarol is Secretary to Craig Batko in the litigation department at our main Surrey office.
Rosalind Webster
Partner
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Employment
Employment Disputes
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
020 8464 4242 Email RosalindRosalind is a Senior Litigation Solicitor who qualified in 1989 and who is based at our Bromley Office.
Rosalind spent the first 10 years of her legal career at the “Magic Circle” City firm Allen & Overy where she was a solicitor in their Litigation Department dealing with large financial and contractual disputes. Following a year at another City firm, Baker & McKenzie, Rosalind decided to move out of the City to a more local firm where she would be advising individuals and small & medium-sized businesses and where her advice would make a real difference.
Rosalind spent the next 18 years at Dodd Lewis (formerly James & Charles Dodd) where she became a Partner and ran the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. She is now an expert in most areas of Litigation and Dispute Resolution, including Employment law and disputes and residential and commercial tenancies, helping clients with all their various problems and prides herself on bringing clients her City experience at a local price.
She will always consider all ways to avoid a dispute where possible but will then be a tough and tenacious litigator for her clients. In 2017, Rosalind joined Wellers and it is confirmation of her rapport with clients that so many of them also decided to follow her to Wellers.
Rosalind has built up an impressive CV in all aspects of Contentious Probate disputes and is a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (“ACTAPS”). She works closely with her colleagues in the Private Client department to bring her clients a seamless service of advice and assistance at what is often a sad and difficult time, whether helping resist challenges to the Will or rules of Intestacy or bringing those same challenges.
Here are just a few typical examples of where Rosalind has been able to help clients in difficult situations:
- Barnes –v- Phillips [2015] EWCA Civ 1056 – Acting for a client in a case pursuant to ToLATA 1996 where the Court of Appeal upheld the lower Judge’s decision that the client’s beneficial interest in the property had been increased from 50% to 85% after Mr Barnes had moved out
- Acting for a client who lost her business and also her home when another firm of solicitors failed to protect her right to a new commercial tenancy and obtaining significant compensation for her.
- Acting for a client whose father had been illiterate and proving that the Will he signed cannot have been valid and ensuring that she was paid her rightful share of his estate.
- Acting for a minor child and his mother who had been effectively left out of his father’s Will and ensuring that at Trial he received a significant share of his late father’s estate.
- Acting for a client whose father had been unduly influenced to “give” his only property to the client’s sister, successfully overturning that “gift” and resolving the division of the father’s estate after his death without the need for a Court trial.
- Acting for a client claiming that his mother had promised to leave him half her estate if he carried out various work and successfully resolving his claim after his mother disinherited him.
- Acting for the widow of a deceased who had essentially been written out of his Will and successfully obtaining half his estate for her at Trial.
Joseph Reeves
Partner
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
020 7481 6383 email JoeJoe is a civil and commercial litigator covering a wide range of practice areas including commercial and contract litigation, property disputes including landlord and tenant litigation, banking and corporate disputes, professional negligence and debt recovery.
Having qualified in 2010, Joe was previously a Partner in a West End Practice and most recently spent time working on a large scale regulatory matter in Dubai.
Joe’s experience includes:-
Property
- Advising clients facing a possession claim brought by an institutional landlord in respect of premises in Holland Park, including negotiating settlement of the claim
- Representing a landlord with an extensive London property portfolio in proceedings brought by a Local Authority under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
- Representing a landlord in a claim for interim rent under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
- Advising a commercial landlord in a £220,000 dilapidations claim against Kwikfit
- Advising a commercial landlord in a possession claim over premises let under an expired licence
- General advice and representation in relation to boundary and right of way disputes, forfeiture, rent recovery, dilapidations and service charge disputes
Contract and Commercial
- Advising borrowers and personal guarantors in a dispute involving the construction of a private loan agreement, including advising on the enforceability of a penalty clause under the agreement
- Advising a commercial landlord in a dispute with Npower, including advising on the construction and commencement of an energy supply agreement
- Successfully securing summary judgment in respect of a contractual claim for a deposit following a buyer’s failure to complete
- Advising on banking disputes including a set-aside application against HSBC in relation to non-enforceability of a personal guarantee
- Successfully securing compensation for a commercial entity in a claim against RBS resulting from the mis-sale of an Interest Rate Hedging Product (SWAP)
- General debt recovery on behalf of commercial clients including professional service providers and SMEs
Civil
- Successfully acting for an executor and beneficiary in relation to a probate dispute concerning disclosure of estate information, including substantial recovery of costs
- Advising a beneficiary in an inheritance dispute including successful mediation and settlement of the claim
- Advising intended beneficiaries in a professional negligence claim against solicitors following failure to finalise a testator’s will
- Advising a client in respect of a claim in professional negligence against solicitors, arising from complex trust litigation
- Advising a restaurateur in a professional negligence claim against solicitors following failure to advise on the presence of a planning restriction on commercial premises in Victoria
University
- Queen Mary University of London, LLB Law
- College of Law, London Moorgate
Craig Batko
Senior Solicitor
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
01372 750 102 Email CraigPlease be aware that Craig's name has recently been used on a fax phishing exercise, primarily targeting firms in the USA. If you have received a fax purporting to be from Craig, please ignore it. It is not from Wellers Law Group.
Craig qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and was a partner at his previous firm. He joined the litigation department at Wellers Hedleys at their Butler House offices in Great Bookham in September 2018.
Craig largely specialises in property related disputes and property litigation, particularly commercial and residential landlord and tenant disputes, business tenancy renewals and oppositions under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, dilapidation claims, possession claims, the acquisition and protection of rights over land such as prescriptive easements, other disputes relating to easements, the enforcement and discharge of freehold covenants, adverse possession, disputes over boundaries, trespass and nuisance. Craig appears in the County Court for possession claims and other chambers advocacy.
Craig’s other practice areas include trusts of land and co-ownership disputes under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996, contractual disputes, consumer law, licensing, debt recovery, judgment enforcement proceedings and some insolvency work.
Jonathan Tyler
Solicitor
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
01732 457575 Email JonathanJonathan is Head of Litigation for our Sevenoaks office and has a vast amount of experience of commercial litigation, particularly involving property. He acts for commercial landlords and tenants, businesses and individuals. He also has considerable expertise and experience in professional negligence work with focus again on the property industry.
He has been involved in group action litigation and large property damage cases with particular expertise in flooding claims.
He marries a client-focused and pragmatic approach with a real understanding of when to litigate. He is always ready take a robust approach at the right time but also recognises that sometimes alternative dispute resolution can be more appropriate.
Having been a partner for nearly 20 years at a London West End Legal 500 firm, he brings a wealth of litigation experience to Wellers Reece-Jones. He values his clients and their loyalty, takes time to understand their needs and makes no assumptions about their objectives. He recognises the importance of practical and commercial advice and providing cost-effective solutions to dispute resolution.
Tegen Whitford
Trainee Solicitor
Corporate Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Personal Litigation & Dispute Resolution
01732 457575 Email TegenTegen is a Trainee Solicitor currently undertaking her first seat within the Private Client department under the supervision of Ingrid McCleave. Tegen started at Wellers Law Group in October 2021 as a Paralegal within the Litigation department but has since progressed to a Trainee Solicitor in November 2022 and will qualify in May 2023.
Tegen assists Ingrid with the day-to-day running of files, drafting Inheritance Tax Forms, Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney’s, Deeds of Variation and regularly attends Ingrid at client meetings. She is continuously learning in this seat and enjoys complex matters. She is focused on understanding the client’s wants and needs to be able to progress matters in a timely manner.
Tegen studied at The University of Brighton and graduated in 2017 achieving a 2:1 in Law with Criminology, she then started studying her LPC and Masters at the University of Law Guildford whilst working full time as a Paralegal. She graduated in 2020 with a High Commendation.
Andreas is a highly competent solicitor who is qualified to handle matters across commercial litigation, international law and international arbitration. As Andreas is multilingual, speaking English, Greek, French and German, he can help a wide scope of clients with their litigation needs.
In terms of commercial litigation, Andreas has extensive experience dealing with matters such as directors’ liabilities, commercial contract disputes, insolvency proceedings and commercial debt.
Paul Martin
Partner
Business
Charity
Chinese Investment
International
Legal services for Chinese clients
020 7481 6381 Email PaulPartner - Commercial & Charity Law
Paul is Head of the firm’s Charity Department. He joined the firm in 1978 and has specialised in Charity Law for over 30 years.
Paul travels widely and has a client base of both national and international not-for-profit organisations. He has had considerable experience in representing various overseas foundations in their activities in the UK, as well as UK charities in their work in Africa, Central Asia, South East Asia, Australia, USA and the Middle East.
Paul’s specialisation is designing and implementing innovative enabling structures for not-for-profits and charities.
Paul is the Author of Faith, Hope & Charity, the A to Z of governing a charitable organisation (see link to video below). He is a director of two international charities.
Paul’s favourite client is a rather well-known purple dinosaur who, Paul says, tended to sing his instructions rather than send e-mails!
In his free time he has renovated a French farmhouse and enjoys gardening – but only if he can eat the resulting produce!
Testimonial
"Paul Martin has been the external legal advisor to The Langley Park School for Boys Academy Trust during the school's £35 million redevelopment project. During this period his advice has been on diverse issues including property law, development contracts, negotiations for easements and rights-of-way, Charity formation and administration in joint venture and management agreements. In addition, Paul's colleagues at Wellers have advised on litigation and employment issues.
We have been impressed with the excellent and personal service that has come from the firm, and have been pleased to have their complete service at our disposal during this exciting yet demanding time of change for the school."
- The Langley Park School fopr Boys Academy Trust