Simon Baillie-Hamilton is a Partner and Head of the Rural Business and Property team for Mayo Wynne Baxter and has been with the firm since 2000.
Simon is a specialist agricultural solicitor who advises landed families and rural businesses.
With dual professional qualifications, Simon began his career as a rural chartered surveyor before becoming a solicitor. He previously worked for Strutt and Parker and regional law firm Thomas Eggar.
Simon qualified in 1996 and is recognised as one of the country’s top agricultural lawyers by the leading independent guide to the profession Chambers UK. He is a Chartered Surveyor as well as a solicitor and a member of the Agricultural Law Association.
At work Simon is particularly interested in agricultural property, development options and promotions, landlord and tenant matters as well as management and planning for landed estates.
Outside work he enjoys all sports and is a keen supporter of Lewes Hockey Club.
April is a solicitor in the commercial team, specialising in both commercial conveyancing and company law. She is able to assist businesses of all sizes with a variety of commercial legal matters to assist their development and growth.
April guides clients through commercial transactions in plain language, helping to make complex cases more digestible and understandable. She works in Brighton and Eastbourne but can assist clients all across the South-East.
April studied Law at the University of Sussex, graduated in 2022 and after studying for the Solicitor’s qualifying exam at BPP University, qualified as a solicitor in 2025.
Outside of work, April supports local LGBTQ+ charities in and around Sussex.
I enjoy finding those answers that my clients are looking for. I like getting to know my client’s needs and helping them reach their business goals. Each business has individual needs and I am excited about using emerging technologies an developments to support my clients reach these goals.
James specialises in assisting businesses with commercial contracts and challenges. 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
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 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.
Daniel is head of the commercial department at Mayo Wynne Baxter.
A corporate lawyer, with more than two decades experience advising businesses and their owners on a broad range of transactional and commercial matters
Daniel has extensive experience in the sale and purchase of privately owned companies and businesses, having completed transactions across a wide variety of sectors. His transactional work includes advising on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance matters, management buyouts and corporate restructurings. He regularly prepares and negotiates shareholder agreements, articles of association, partnership agreements and share option schemes.
In addition to his corporate practice, Daniel advises on commercial contracts and financing arrangements, including lending and borrowing transactions. Clients range from owner managed and family businesses to entrepreneurs, shareholders, directors and privately owned multinationals, many of whom view him as a trusted and long-standing adviser.
Having begun his career training at a City firm, Daniel practiced at a Surrey based firm for twenty years before joining Mayo Wynne Baxter in 2022.
Daniel’s approach is characterised by his focus on building enduring relationships, providing succinct and pragmatic advice, ensuring that his clients are supported throughout the lifecycle of their businesses.