I am currently based at the firm’s Seaford and Lewes offices heading up our specialist Attorney Affairs Team within the Private Client Department and managing a portfolio of Attorney Affairs; Estate Administration; Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney matters.
My experienced team undertakes general management of our vulnerable clients’ financial affairs where we have been appointed as Attorneys and also assists lay Attorneys in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.
I have been with Mayo Wynne Baxter for over twenty-six years and contributed several years as a legal secretary before training and qualifying whilst working as a legal advisor. I am a proud CILEX Lawyer, having achieved a Professional Diploma in Law and a Professional Higher Diploma in Probate Law and Practice, Equity and Trust Law and Family Law and becoming a CILEX Fellow in 2012. I was promoted to Associate in April 2017 and Partner in 2022.
I am dedicated to building strong and trusting relationships with all my clients, particularly when working with the elderly and vulnerable community. I am passionate about helping people through difficult times and my starting place with clients is always to consider what I would want for my own relatives. I enjoy getting to know my clients so that all decisions can be based around their individual personalities and needs. I am a member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers and a registered ‘Dementia Friend’ via The Alzheimer’s Society.
Alongside client work, I am also a Wellbeing Champion for my colleagues and oversee learning and development for the Private Client Department. I am heavily involved with the firm’s trainee Lawyers and love watching new talent succeed and go on to do wonderful things in their careers. Outside of work, I’m mostly outdoors in the fresh air, balancing a busy family of boys with their various sporting commitments and a very energetic Spaniel, so it’s a good job I’m an organised person!
Prior to working at Mayo Wynne Baxter, Verity worked in the finance industry for 13 years where she qualified as a mortgage and finance adviser, identifying and fulfilling clients’ needs and requirements.
Verity relocated to the South Coast from Surrey in 2012 and began her career with Mayo Wynne Baxter as a Receptionist in our Brighton office and has also been based in our Eastbourne and Seaford offices.
After a decade of service with the firm, Verity transferred to the Private Client team as a Paralegal and specialises in Tax and Trusts and HM Revenue & Customs Trust Registration Service.
Verity enjoys the variety of challenges that are presented in her daily work life and says it’s a lovely feeling going home at the end of the day knowing that she has helped people.
When not at work Verity is a mum to her two children, enjoys kickboxing, paddle boarding, cooking, baking, or curling up with a good book and her 3 rescue cats!
Sacha is a specialist residential property and conveyancing lawyer based in Seaford and is a Partner within the Residential Property Team at Mayo Wynne Baxter.
He supports individuals who are looking to sell or purchase a property. He works with a varied client base from first time buyers to developers and high net worth individuals.
Sacha has a detailed understanding of conveyancing law and experience in buying and selling properties, as well as transferring ownership. He takes a considerate and understanding approach when dealing with clients, as buying or selling a home can be an emotional and stressful process for many. Sacha prides himself on keeping his clients informed of any progress made and is always open to meeting with his clients in person to discuss any concerns they may have.
Sacha has recently completed a sale and purchase of a property where his client needed to exchange within a very short deadline due to personal circumstances. Sacha managed the process closely, negotiating with other parties, to ensure his client was able to exchange and complete simultaneously within the original timeframe.
Outside of work Sacha enjoys running, watching Formula 1 and trying to improve at Chess.
Lisa Taylor is a Conveyancing Executive within the Residential Property team based in our Seaford office.
Lisa started working in law as soon as she left college and worked for two firms before joining Mayo Wynne Baxter in October 1999 and has since become a well-respected and vital member of the team.
She has a wealth of residential conveyancing.
Lisa prepares auction packs and undertakes auction sales and purchases. She also does residential sales and purchases, including residential conveyancing portfolios.
Outside of work Lisa enjoys horse riding and running around the countryside taking her daughter showjumping! And part of the Heathfields Show Equine Committee.
What attracted you and keeps you in this area of law?
I have worked for MWB since 2008 having qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and I spent the years in between working in the personal tax department of various accountancy firms.
I moved into private client work to have more regular client contact and to be able to engage with a wider area of practice which includes drafting Wills and creating Lasting Powers of Attorney, to the administration of estates including the final tax and estate accounts.
As well as being a solicitor I am a Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians and I am a Full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I like helping others whether clients or colleagues and I take satisfaction from a job well done whether small or large. I also enjoy talking to people about why they might need a Will or LPA and I have done some local talks on these important matters.
What are your particular strengths and skills?
I am naturally organised, and I also enjoy puzzle solving and untying problems. I am good at maths and organising figures and one of my roles is to assist colleagues with the trickier estate accounts. My background in personal tax compliance also gives me a good basis to assist my clients and colleagues with aspects of income tax up to the date of death and during the administration of an estate.
Tell me about a memorable time when you have helped a client?
It is a privilege to talk in depth with our clients about their affairs or those of someone they have lost. When at the end of a client meeting a client says that it was OK and nowhere near as stressful or difficult as they though it would be, I feel a good sense of having helped someone.
What would your colleagues say about you?
That I am kind and gentle and a nice person to have around the office. That I am a good listener both to them and to my clients. And that I am good at accounts and tax and enjoy helping them out with these.
Outside work….
I love being with family and friends, my garden and running by the sea. I am also a self-supporting Church of England priest licenced to the Lewes and Seaford Deanery which means I could pop up in a church near you on a Sunday morning.
I am the Chichester Diocese Bishops Advisor on Self Supporting Ministry and I am also a member of the PCC of St Leonards and St Lukes Seaford, the Deanery Synod of Lewes and Seaford and Chichester Diocesan Synod.
Jonathan qualified in 2003 and is a Partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter. He is a key person in the Private Client team and has been with us for over 15 years.
A specialist in private client work, Jonathan also has invaluable experience in residential conveyancing and contentious probate work.
Jonathan was born and raised in Sussex and is a recognised member of the Brighton and Eastbourne community. He is a member of various local bodies and enjoys cricket and eating out.