Matt qualified at a regional firm in the South West in 2010 before relocating to Birmingham to start his legal career. Shortly after relocating, Matt joined what was Shakespeares and later Shakespeare Martineau (another brand within the AMPA legal and professional services group). Matt worked in the firm’s Birmingham and Solihull offices before moving to head up the Private Client team in their Milton Keynes office as a Legal Director where he stayed until 2022 at which point Matt moved to Sussex and joined Mayo Wynne Baxter as a partner.
Matt is a full member of STEP, an accredited member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers (formally SFE) and has passed the STEP diploma in advanced Will preparation with Distinction. Matt was also named as Associate to Watch in the Chambers 2022 High Net Worth rankings and ranked as Up and Coming partner in Chamber 2023 High Net Worth ranking!
Matt enjoys helping all types of clients in negotiating the pitfalls of estate planning and estate/trust administration including Will preparation, Lasting Powers of Attorney and IHT planning. Matt has a particular interest in working with clients from within the LGBTQ+ community, offering an open and non-judgemental path to the services they need.
Outside of work Matt enjoys going to the theatre and has seen almost 90 shows in the West End and on tour. He is also enjoys visits to the many local vineyards in and around Sussex, running and DIY.
Megan is a Private Client Executive within our Private Client team.
She achieved her undergraduate degree in Law with American Studies at Sussex University in 2019, and has compleated the Legal Practice Course with a Business Masters at the University of Law, Guilford. She is now waiting to sit her final SQE exams.
Before joining Mayo Wynne Baxter, she was volunteering with Citizens Advice as a gateway assessor, helping those accessing the service to get the support and information they needed.
Megan also spent time volunteering with CLOCK at the Brighton Family Court during her degree studies, assisting litigants in person with navigating the court system and completing forms.
In her free time, Megan enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her friends and family.
Having studied Law at the University of Surrey, I joined a firm in Surrey and qualified as a Solicitor in 2012. I initially worked as a Personal Injury Solicitor, dealing with a high volume of both litigious and non-litigious matters.
After a few years, I took the decision to change specialisms and undertake Private Client work, namely matters involving Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration.
What do you most enjoy about your role?
I enjoy building a rapport with clients and find a great sense of satisfaction in helping them to achieve their objectives. I have always found a sense of fulfilment in helping others, and being able to provide clients with peace of mind, especially in the most trying of times, it is both a privilege and a pleasure.
What are your strength and skills?
I listen intently to my clients in order to provide them with the advice that is best suited to their needs. The prospect of making a Will or administering an Estate can be daunting, but I am able to break things down in order to make them more understandable. I pride myself in being able to provide my clients with clarity and transparency in order to simplify matters and achieve the desired outcome.
Outside of work
I enjoy spending my spare time with family and friends. I am a sports fanatic and enjoy attending live events, particularly live sport and concerts.
What attracted, and keeps you in this area of law?
After completing my law degree at Staffordshire University, I qualified as a solicitor in 1997. During my career I have worked in many areas of the law, criminal, family, litigation, and a short time in conveyancing. I never thought that I would end up in Private Client but now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I really enjoy meeting clients, getting to know them, and helping them.
I specialise in personal legal issues including the preparation of Wills and the administration of estates after someone has passed away. I love figuring out that facts and figures, making it simple for our clients to understand the processes.
I am also a member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners. My Probate work ranges from giving relatives one-off advice to managing the whole matter through to the final distribution of very complex estates.
What do you most enjoy about your role?
What I like most about working in our Private Client department is that no two days are the same. Each client is different and each one’s circumstances are distinct. I love meeting new clients, helping them, and then getting to know them more over the years as they come back to change their Will, prepare Powers of Attorneys. And then meeting their children, who come in to do their own Wills.
It is such a diverse role.
What are your strengths and skills?
I am a good listener, compassionate, patient, and great at talking in plain English, helping clients to understand each step of their matter. I create comprehensive Wills for all sorts of situations including those that cover guardianship arrangements for children and Wills that cover complicated family structures.
Whilst mostly working from our East Grinstead office I regularly make home visits to clients who find it difficult to travel.
What would your colleagues say about you?
I think they would say that I’m approachable, helpful, always calm and gets on with the job. I think we all work well together as a team.
Outside of work
Outside work, I love to make the most of the beautiful Sussex countryside and enjoy long walks, and horse-riding. I also play netball in the East Grinstead netball league.
What attracted, and keeps you in this area of law?
I began my legal career at a conveyancing company, which unfortunately just wasn’t for me. I came across an advert for a position in the probate department at MWB and, despite having no direct experience with the department, I got the job! I soon realised that helping people when they are most in need brings me a sense of fulfilment that helping people move to a new house just didn’t do. I have been extraordinarily lucky to work in such a fantastic department and I cannot see myself doing anything else.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every workday begins with a cup of tea and, usually, a catch up with my colleagues. I will then spend some time in client meetings, as face to face contact is important in building a connection with my clients. Afterwards, I will review my files and reply to emails, whilst usually speaking to a few clients over the telephone to keep them up to date with progress. As the administration of an estate can take anywhere between 9 – 18 months, I do get to know my clients and it is always a pleasure to hear from them.
What are your strengths and skills?
I have been told that I am able to take a complex concept and break it down into easy-to-understand chunks. The law of Wills and Probate is somewhat complex and often rooted in terminology from the 19th century. I enjoy being able to translate this into plain English.
I am also MWB’s representative sitting on the Lewes and District Dementia Action Alliance committee. I am working to build up the profile of dementia friendly business in Lewes and looking to develop my links with the local community to provide a safe and supportive environment for clients living with dementia and their carers.
Tell me about a memorable time when you have helped a client.
I received a call from a client recently. After asking a quick question about her matter, we talked for 20 minutes. At the end of the call the client told me that she was feeling very lonely following the loss of her husband and that talking to me had really brightened her day. I was touched that she had thought of me and that I had made a difference. This is an example of what makes my job worthwhile.
Outside of work
I enjoy running with Lewes Athletics Club and bouldering indoors in Brighton. I also have two Yorkshire Terriers that keep me busy when I am at home!
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.
I am a paralegal in the Private Client team and have previously worked in the Residential Property Department.
I’ve achieved ILEX part 1
My main role is to provide support for our lawyers and assist in a range of Private Client matters including Lasting Powers of Attorneys, Wills and Probate and Estate Administration.
I am a strong team player who always strives to deliver an efficient and effective service to every client.
What do you most enjoy about your role?
I enjoy meeting clients and learning about their needs and finding ways to help them achieve their goals as smoothly and positively as possible.
My aim is to give a bespoke and friendly service to ensure the best possible outcome.
What are your strengths and skills?
I excel at being able to track down and obtain difficult information to enable a matter to proceed.
I am approachable and friendly, always ready to offer a listening ear and advice.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I have project managed the self-build of my home. I enjoy long distance running and have completed the London Marathon twice.
I am a Paralegal in the Private Client Team based at the firm’s Eastbourne office, where I have worked for over 11 years. Whilst I have experience in all areas of Private Client work, latery I have worked more specifically in relation to attorney affairs work within our specialist team.
My role is assisting clients with the running of their personal affairs in order to try and make their lives easier at a time when they are either unable to do so themselves or no longer wish to.
I enjoy helping people, building relationships with clients and understanding more about their lives, past and present. It also allows me to indulge my love of organisation.
I have three children and when I find some time for myself I enjoy a spa day or a West End show and cocktails!
I graduated from Law LLB with Honours first class in 2021 from the University of Sussex, during which time I took part in the Mayo Wynne Baxter Junior Mooting competition, which attracted me to the firm and gave me an opportunity to meet people who worked here. I had been determined to work here since and subsequently joined the firm in 2022.
In 2024, I passed my SQE 1 and am currently completing my SQE 2 as well as studying for my master’s degree part-time at the University of Law.
What attracted you, and keeps you, in this area of law?
With a background in debt advice, I am used to helping clients experiencing difficult personal and financial issues. I was attracted to Private Client due to the personable nature of this area of law, and I being an empathetic character, I can really help our clients in navigating what are often very difficult times. My strengths include great organisational skills and a calm and cool manner when dealing with stressful situations.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking and regularly train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
I was introduced to the world of law when I joined a local firm as a receptionist in 2015. I have worked in the Private Client Department since 2016, 4 years of which were spent specialising in Estate Administration matters. In January 2022 I obtained a specialist Paralegal qualification in Wills, Probate and Administration with the University of Law, and I am currently studying towards my CILEX Professional Qualification.
What attracted, and keeps you in this area of law?
By nature, the work we do in the Private Client Department is highly personal and can arise from very difficult circumstances for our clients. I love being able to help see clients through these matters and to make the processes easier for them. The confidence our clients put in us is a great privilege and makes the work we do all that more rewarding. I have personal experience with Dementia and am a registered ‘Dementia Friend’ via The Alzheimer’s Society.
What are your strengths and skills?
I understand how important it is for our clients to have trust in us, and I always aim to build those trusting relationships based on empathy, transparency, and dedication. I pride myself on being organised, and I love a good spreadsheet!
What do you like to do outside of work?
In my spare time, I enjoy going to the gym, cooking, playing video games and keeping up with the football.