Nick is the Head of the Property Department; he specialises in all matters relating to residential property and has been in practice since he qualified as a solicitor in 1987.
Nick has practiced in his hometown of Lewes for the entirety of his career and joined Mayo Wynne Baxter in 2013. He has excellent local knowledge.
Nick is an expert in all aspects of residential property law and has considerable experience of guiding clients through the conveyancing process. In addition to his many private clients, Nick has acted for a wide range of larger clients such as property developers, local councils, and housing associations. Nick is a good communicator who strives to provide a quality service to his clients.
Outside of the office, Nick is a lifelong supporter and season ticket holder of Brighton and Hove Albion, a keen runner and a qualified scuba diver.
Nicola is Head of the Employment Department for Mayo Wynne Baxter and has been with the firm as a result of the merger in Autumn 2023. Nicola co-founded Pure Employment Law Solicitors in 2010.
She qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and gained experience in employment law at two of the South East’s leading law firms. In 2006, she received a Distinction in her Master’s degree in Law and Employment Relations. She has expertise in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, dismissal, breach of contract, pay and benefits and family-friendly rights.
Nicola provides strategic HR and employment law support to a wide range of organisations and helps her clients deal with major projects such as restructuring exercises and transfers of undertakings. She is also an experienced Employment Tribunal advocate.
Nicola regularly presents at seminars and workshops on employment law and enjoys delivering interactive training sessions.
Nicola has been ranked for many years now as a leading employment lawyer in ‘Chambers UK, A Client’s Guide to the Legal Profession’ Nicola is a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association, is a former President of Chichester & District Law Society, and has many years’ experience as a governor at two local schools.
Paul is a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution department and is based in our Lewes office.
Paul specialises in contentious property issues including landlord and tenant disputes, rights of way, business tenancy renewals, dilapidation cases and boundary disputes.
In addition, Paul is able to assist with possession actions, whether the occupier is a tenant, licensee or a trespasser. He also advises on general and commercial litigation including contract disputes and professional negligence and heads up our fixed fee debt recovery team, advising clients on the recovery of debts.
His experience in advising a broad range of clients allows him to provide pragmatic advice that is always comprehensive and clear especially when advising clients on the likely costs involved in litigation.
Paul is a member of The Property Litigation Association and is noted as a key lawyer in the Legal 500 2024 – Real Estate, Property Litigation
I am a family law specialist having qualified as a solicitor in 2007.
I have worked in the Sussex area since 2013.
Prior to joining Mayo Wynne Baxter, I was head of the family law department at a firm in Horsham. I have also previously worked at a regional top 100 firm.
I support clients on all aspects of family law, including divorce, financial and children matters.
I adopt a friendly, calming approach and understanding what a stressful time this is for individuals, I work hard to provide an excellent client service during this difficult time.
I am a member of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers committed to a constructive and non-confrontational approach to family law matters.
However, where a more robust approach is required, I am a firm litigator with extensive experience of the court process.
My work attracts positive feedback from clients and peers alike. I have previously been recommended in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK directories.
The 2021 edition of the Legal 500 comments that “Marwa Hadi-Barnes is an excellent solicitor. She is thorough and always give very practical advice.”
Chambers UK has said “Marwa is well regarded for her work on divorce and financial remedy. A source describes her as informative, pleasant and kind. She was on my side while maintaining a professional distance – a perfect balance” and “she is very efficient and good at giving realistic advice” say interviewees.
In my spare time, when I am not keeping my young son occupied, I try to fit in city breaks, Les Mills classes and the odd gig.
Juliet deals with all aspects of freehold and leasehold Residential Property and specialises in landed estates, high net worth residential transactions and complex conveyancing.
Juliet prides herself on her client service and has acted for various private individuals, companies, charities, landowners, developers and investors since she qualified in 2004. Juliet’s background is in Commercial Property and Rural Business and Estates, but she has concentrated on Residential Property since 2014. She strives to ensure the conveyancing process is run as efficiently and smoothly as possible for every client.
When Juliet is not in the office or chauffeuring her children to dance and sports classes, she enjoys bodyboarding, travelling, dining out with friends, and long country walks with the dog
I am a Partner and joined MWB in May 2018 having spent the previous three years with a niche private family firm based in Brighton where I trained and qualified as a family solicitor.
In March 2020, I qualified as a Collaborative Lawyer, in April 2021 I was made an Associate Solicitor and in May 2023 I was made Partner.
As a member of Resolution and a qualified Collaborative Lawyer, I am committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes.
As a family law specialist, I advise on all areas of family law. I specialise in complex financial cases including matters where non-disclosure is an issue, dissipation of assets, pre/post acquired wealth, involving Injunctive proceedings (Non-molestation and Occupation Orders) and with vulnerable parties requiring the appointment of a Litigation Friend.
I have acted on a number of longstanding children matters including cases with a public law crossover where a Children’s Guardian was appointed, in matters where parental alienation has been found and in matters where an Order was made providing for a ‘bar’ to further Court applications being made. In addition, I have a specific interest in internal and external child relocation cases having completed my Dissertation on the area of law.
I graduated with a First Class Honours LL.B Law with Business degree from the University of Brighton in 2012 and was awarded three final year academic prizes. In January 2016, I passed the Legal Practice Course and in August 2016 was awarded an LL.M in Legal Practice at the University of Law Bloomsbury, London. My dissertation was on the law relating to Child Relocation focusing on the impact recent decisions in internal and international child relocation have had on the established guidelines and the effect of those decisions on the likely outcome of future applications.
Before pursuing a career in law, I worked in the public sector gaining extensive knowledge and experience in compliance, drafting policy papers, research, analysis and business strategy.
I have built a reputation for providing clear, pragmatic advice for being calmly confident, reassuring and for being professional and knowledgeable.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and dog, walking, cooking and gardening.
Martin Williams is a Partner in the Employment team for Mayo Wynne Baxter and has been with the firm since October 2008.
Martin specialises in advising on restructuring and redundancy programmes, TUPE transfers, equality in the workplace, restrictive covenants, and data protection.
He also handles a variety of tribunal cases, providing a complete service to clients by conducting its own advocacy. Martin also has a wealth of experience dealing with complex employment issues in partnership and director disputes and plays an invaluable part of the firm’s Professional Practices team.
Martin qualified as a Solicitor in 2002 and since then has specialised in employment work. He gained invaluable experience with a Crawley based practice, and prior to working in the profession, was in the arts for 12 years where he managed orchestras in both the UK and USA.
Martin is also a member of Employment Lawyers Association.
At work Martin has particular interest in data protection within the employment arena, and he will frequently present seminars and training sessions to clients and associates.
I graduated from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with Law and Science degrees in 1994 and qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in the same year. I practised law in New Zealand before permanently moving to the UK and becoming a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, in 2003. Since that time, my practice was litigation based with an emphasis on family law, contested wills & probate and employment matters.
After working as a Partner with Russell & Co Solicitors in Crawley, West Sussex, I joined Mayo Wynne Baxter when the firms merged in May 2018.
I am a Partner and Head of the Family Team at MWB, with a practice which is now exclusively family law.
The cases I deal with involve separation, divorce, civil partnership, and cohabitation breakdown and I advise clients on the financial issues arising as a consequence of their relationship breakdown as well as issues in connection with the care arrangements for any children of the relationship.
I also have a wealth of experience in advising and representing clients who have been the victims of domestic violence or against whom allegations of domestic violence have been made.
My specialisms are in advising and representing clients in cases involving:
- Intractable contact/parental alienation children disputes;
- Temporary/permanent removal of children from England and Wales;
- International/domestic child abduction/failure to return;
- Relocation with children within England and Wales;
- Emergency/urgent court orders involving children;
- Urgent applications for orders to protect clients from domestic violence.
- Complex financial claims upon divorce/separation.
James specialises in assisting businesses and anyone wanting to start a business. He is also our Head of Vineyards & Wineries team as well as specialising in crypto-currencies and block chain.
If you want assistance with any aspect of business life then James would be delighted to speak with you, for example:
- Starting and running your business
- Guidance on tricky shareholder/management questions
- Protecting your assets through contract, trademarks or copyright
- Handling employment issues
- Writing or reviewing a wide variety of commercial contracts
- Anything connected with crypto-currencies or block chain generally.
Qualified as a solicitor in both England/Wales and Hong Kong, James has practiced law internationally and, in the City, (where he trained as a solicitor, qualified in 1988 and later worked for a private equity house). Having created and sold several companies himself, he understands the commercial and practical realities of setting up and running a business.
James was made Partner with the firm in April 2021.
James has had a varied career: he founded the Institute of Paralegals; was the first lay member of the City of Westminster Council’s Standards Committee and helped establish an Equality and Human Rights Commission working group to promote diversity in the professions.
He has made numerous presentations, including to the Vietnamese government on anti-counterfeiting law and was a member of a Hong Kong government advisory panel. He has published many articles and edited an FT Law & Tax book on management.
James has been very active in legal education, having been an Adjunct Professor to Syracuse University’s law school, an Associate Professor of Law at City University in Hong Kong and a law tutor for ICE at the University of Cambridge.
When not working James likes to relax to the point where, on occasion, he seems to be half man, half sofa. This doesn’t happen too often as he has a young family and Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society to contend with.
Specialisms:
- Business law
- Vineyards & Wineries
- Crypto-currencies & block chain
Jessica qualified in 2007 and specialises in private client law, more specifically trust creation and structuring, succession planning and capital taxation.
She is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners which is the most comprehensive qualification in the trusts and estates field and enhances her ability to give holistic advice to clients as a trusted advisor.
Before joining the firm Jessica was head of the private client department of a West Sussex law firm, having worked previously in the City and training with a regional firm known for dealing with landed estates and Sunday Times Rich List clients.
She regularly advises a variety of high net worth clients on trusts and complex tax planning solutions, whilst putting clients at ease by making the meetings congenial and friendly.
Outside of work Jessica loves spending time with her family and, when she has the opportunity, having a good gallop over the downs on her horse.