Location

Partner

Position: Partner

Lucinda Holliday

Lucinda is Partner and the Head of the Family and Divorce team.

She has experience in dissolution, divorce and separation and the associated financial issues and children matters that might occur because of the breakdown of a relationship. In terms of financial matters, Lucinda regularly deals with high-net-worth clients, often with business interests.

She also works with clients prior to their marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation to help them to consider and formalise arrangements using Pre and Post Marital agreements and cohabitation agreements, in order to minimise potential conflict if the relationship were to subsequently breakdown.

Lucinda is an accredited mediator in financial and children matters, and has been practicing since 2011. She is also a Child Inclusive Mediator.

Underlying Lucinda’s practise is her expertise in dealing with the emotional and psychological impact of separation and how these factors might affect the separation process and what impact these might have on her clients and their children.

Lucinda has recently become a Certified Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). With her NLP training, Lucinda can support clients through the separation process and in taking back control and breaking free from past patterns of thinking or behaviour which should make the transition easier.

Jonathan Gallop

Jonathan is a Partner and Head of the Wills, Trusts and Probate team.

Jonathan undertakes the full range of Private Client work, including Wills, Probate and Administration of Estates, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Tax Planning.

Jonathan is recognised in the leading legal directories, The Legal 500 and Chambers High Net Worth. He has worked at Blaser Mills Law for over 15 years and has built long standing relationships with clients, including generations of wealthy families, professionals and business owners in Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns.

Jonathan has a high level of technical knowledge, particularly in the fields of estate planning and the administration of high value estates. He is also skilled in drafting complex Wills and associated inheritance tax advice, as well as drafting specific trusts relating to disability and care.

Jonathan is an Associate Member of STEP, the world’s leading organisation for private wealth professionals, and a Full Accredited Member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), an independent national organisation of lawyers who provide specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people.

Tracy Jones

Tracy is Blaser Mills Law’s first dedicated Responsible Business Partner.

Prior to joining Blaser Mills in 2017 Tracy had enjoyed a long career in law; practicing as a property solicitor and partner at several major firms for over twenty years before moving into a role as a senior member of the Business Development team and now leading the firm’s Responsible Business initiative.

Tracy has always had a great interest in societal and environmental issues and now works actively with the firm’s stakeholders to create and implement responsible business programmes for the firm. These range from developing inclusion strategies and setting sustainability goals through to engaging the firm in community projects. Tracy is driven by the challenge to learn, educate and grow.

Tracy heads up the firm’s Inclusion Forum and is also a committee member of The City of London’s Lawtech Innovation Ambassadors Sounding Board, an organisation committed to bringing all members of the legal community together with a view to making positive changes across the profession.

Her long experience of being a solicitor and partner in law firms gives Tracy an ability to engage with lawyers on all aspects of Responsible Business whilst having a deep understanding of the pressures and issues that are always present in their working lives.

Tracy reports directly to Blaser Mills Law’s CEO and management executive.

Dave Matthews

Dave became CEO of Blaser Mills Law LLP in January 2019 having been part of the firm’s management for over 15 years.

Dave has been responsible for creating the firm’s business plan, formulating strategy and ensuring the achievement of the firm’s goals.

Dave works closely with a team of specialist managers including the Business Development Partner, Finance Director and individual Heads of Departments, ensuring continuing improvement in all aspects of the firm’s performance. Dave has been particularly willing to seek specific external expertise where required, utilising a number of consultants and specialists to provide input to the firm on issues such as pricing, performance management, delegation, and management skills.

Over the past few years, as part of the management team, Dave has presided over a dramatic growth in the firm’s size and turnover. This period has also seen a considerable increase in the number of very high-quality nationally-recognised specialist lawyers practicing at the firm, as evidenced by a huge increase in the number of lawyers being ranked within Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

Dave joined Blaser Mills in 2001, becoming a partner in 2003. He specialised in Personal Injury litigation, attaining Top Ranked status with Chambers and Partners and a similar accolade in The Legal 500. As a litigator Dave generally adopted a collaborative approach and was known for his ability to apply a creative and flexible approach in order to achieve excellent outcomes for clients.  These skills, and particularly the ability to achieve a desired outcome across a wide range of situations, have proved equally valuable following his move into full-time management.

Colin Smith

Colin is a Partner and head of the Commercial contracts team.

Colin specialises in the review, preparation and negotiation of commercial contracts, helping clients to manage risk in their key relationships with customers, suppliers and commercial partners. A Blaser Mills Partner for over 20 years, Colin combines a high level of technical expertise with providing practical and pragmatic advice. This approach reflects his experiences in industry before he became a lawyer, a career that included 6 years in brand management with Proctor & Gamble.

He advises across a wide range of industry sectors, including manufacturing and distribution, IT/technology, renewable energy, motorsport, health care and professional services.

Colin’s clients include tech start-ups, established family businesses, household brands and global corporations. Much of Colin’s work has a strong international focus and he has extensive experience of negotiating complex cross-border agreements.

Specialisms include franchising and data protection. Colin trained with one of the UK’s leading franchise lawyers at the outset of his legal career and has been at the forefront of steering clients through the introduction of the GDPR and the impact of Brexit on data privacy and direct marketing.

Colin is recommended in The Legal 500 UK guide.

Denise Herman


Denise Herman is a Partner and Head of the Child Care and Legal Aid Children team.

She specialises in public law care proceedings, acting on behalf of parents and children, and has been involved in complex cases involving non-accidental injuries (NAI) to children, sex abuse, Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy, female genital mutilation, fabricated illness, neglect and all other complex areas. Denise has acted for many parents who have learning difficulties. She also acts for grandparents and extended families in connection with special guardianship matters. Denise advises on private law children matters, acting for both parents and extended family members as well as guardians.

She conducts her own advocacy at all levels, including the High Court. She has considerable experience with cases involving complex and conflicting medical evidence as well as cases involving a foreign/immigration element.

She has been a member of the Family Law panel since 1999. She has been a member of the Children panel (children representative) since 2001, and also BAAF and NAGALRO. Denise was awarded Super Lawyer status in both 2013 and 2014, and she continues to be one of the leading lawyers in her field of expertise.

Oksana Howard

Oksana is a Partner in the Corporate department.

She advises both domestic and international clients on a broad range of corporate matters, with a particular expertise in complex high value cross-border M&A transactions, often acting for large overseas companies based in multiple jurisdictions, including the US. Oksana assists with company sales and purchases, MBOs and MBIs, group restructuring and reorganisations, joint ventures, mergers and de-mergers, private equity transactions and investments.

Oksana also assists her international clients with setting up and expanding their businesses into the UK and provides ongoing legal support during various stages of their business development and expansion.

She has ample experience of running international and domestic transactions from outset to completion, acting for a large pool of clients operating across various industries, ranging from start-ups and SMEs to multi-national public listed companies, with a particular focus on tech and fintech companies and businesses.

Given her international background and connections she has built a large network of legal and other professionals from all around the world, which provides her clients with an invaluable access to legal and other professional advice in multiple jurisdictions worldwide, to cater for their varied legal and commercial needs.

Jane Hannaway

Jane is a Partner, Head of the Residential Property team and sit’s on the firm’s Management board.

She has vast experience in handling high net-worth properties. Jane has acted for a broad range of buyers, sellers, lenders, developers, investors and international clients.

Jane prides herself on her pragmatic legal advice and approachable manner. She has a strong reputation amongst clients which has led to repeat business, referrals and recommendations.

Edward Lee

Edward is a Partner and Head of the Corporate and Commercial contracts team with over 30 years’ legal experience within the technology (especially SaaS businesses), FCA regulated, logistics and sports industries.

He has particular expertise in mergers, disposals, acquisitions and other corporate transactions. He specialises in undertaking large and complex cross-border multi jurisdictional transactions.

Edward also advises financial institutions, small VCs/PE houses, HNWI and management teams in buy outs.

Chambers and Partners an independent legal directory has recognised Edward as a Band 1 lawyer in the higher M&A category for the last 19 years.

Legal 500 the other independent legal directory recognises Edward as a Leading Partner which they define as “The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike

Samantha Bellia

Samantha is a Partner in the Residential Property team.

Samantha has 15 years of experience and throughout the course of her career has specialised in all types of residential property transactions including sales, purchases and remortgages of leasehold and freehold properties as well as new build plot, high value transactions and transfers of equity.

She has represented first time buyers as well as individuals moving home or downsizing to retirement homes along with companies and investors.

Noel Deans

Noel is a Partner, Head of the Employment team and sit’s on the firm’s Management board.

He has over 25 years’ experience in employment law. Prior to joining Blaser Mills Law, Noel was a partner in a number of leading city and international firms.

Noel regularly advises clients on a wide range of employment law matters including privacy, appointments, business reorganization, TUPE, collective consultations, internal investigations, disciplinary hearings, breach of fiduciary duties, board disputes, dismissals, discrimination, whistleblowing, bonus and other contract disputes related to post-termination restrictions, team moves, diversion of business opportunities and partnership agreements.

Noel is good at identifying the precise issue, appropriate strategy and has a strong reputation for giving “sound stellar advice on the commercial and legal aspects” of dispute resolution.

Noel has advised a variety of clients including senior executives, FTSE100 companies and some of the largest US headquartered global corporations in a wide range of sectors, including publishing, advertising, technology, oil and gas, insurance, banking, recruitment and charities.

Noel has been ranked in the top 20 employment lawyers in the UK and is an outstanding public speaker who regularly provides training to clients and members of leading trade associations.

Noel is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Robert Cain

Robert is a Partner in the Corporate and Commercial contracts team, with over 20 years’ legal experience.

Robert has particular expertise in corporate and commercial transactions in the IT, technology, motorsport and brand distribution industries. He has also served as a non-executive Director providing advice on legal issues.

Prior to joining Blaser Mills, Robert worked at a number of leading regional law firms, before moving onto establishing Cain Law, a niche corporate and commercial firm based in Silverstone. During his career, Robert has formed strong foundations with heavy-weight City and global law firms.

Robert has previously given talks on a vast number of subjects in several locations around the world, including to Californian State Bar at their annual convention in Monterey and at the Professional Motorsport World Exhibition in Cologne.

Robert has acted for a full range of clients from multinationals and public bodies to start ups and individuals.

Minesh Thakrar

Minesh is a Partner in the Wills, Trusts and Probate team.

He undertakes a full range of private client work, including the preparation of Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Attorney, issues affecting the elderly, inheritance tax mitigation and probate and the administration of estates.

He takes a calm and pragmatic approach to his practice, ensuring that his clients are assured and confident throughout the process. Both his written and verbal communications are clear, and clients often comment on his ability to deliver information concisely and with clarity.

Prior to being in the Wills, Trusts and Probate team, Minesh was in the Personal and Serious Injury team, where he practised for 14 years.

Alexandra Kirk

Alexandra heads up the Private Client division for the firm and is a Partner in the Residential Property team. 

She is an expert in matters relating to residential property, dealing with a wide range of issues including sales and purchases of high-value freehold and leasehold properties.

Alexandra has particular expertise in dealing with property investments for sporting professionals and regularly advises international sports stars on all of their property requirements, from buy to let investments to purchasing their main residence. Her vast experience enables her to advise her clients on the best commercial investment for their portfolio, in an efficient, discreet and stress-free manner.

Hiren Gandhi

Hiren is a Partner and sits on the firm’s Management Board. Hiren works closely with the CEO to deliver on the firm’s business objectives, typically involving strategy, growth, client relationships and high-level recruitment. Hiren heads up the firm’s commercial unit, managing and driving performance of the firm’s commercial practice groups, as well as overseeing the Business Development and Marketing function.

Hiren currently holds Non-Executive Director board positions at Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) and HWBIDCo. Hiren started out his career as a patent attorney, working at several intellectual property law firms in London and the north of England.

Adam T. Smith

Adam is a Partner in the Child Care and Legal Aid Children department.

Adam holds a caseload of Legal Aid Public Family Law cases, dealing with connected work such as Special Guardianship and Adoption. Adam provides clients with continuity of representation and regularly undertakes his own advocacy in the Family Court.

Adam prides himself on giving legal advice which is straight-talking, but sensitive. He enjoys protecting his client’s position and deals effectively with a variety of public family law cases in the most emotionally challenging and urgent circumstances. Adam has particular interest in cases where parents wish to have increased contact with children in Local Authority care, or parents who have made positive changes since a Care Order was made and wish for their children to come home.

Adam is a member of the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation scheme, and is certified to accept instructions from Children’s Guardians and from Children directly.

Adam has acted for parents and joined parties in complex fact-finding cases, and has litigated at all levels up to and including the Court of Appeal.

Adam was shortlisted for Young Family Law Solicitor of the Year for 2022.

Recently published cases:

Re A and B [2019] EWFC B10– Adam represented his client at the final hearing and was successful in advancing his client’s position that his client’s children should remain together in foster care and the youngest should not be placed for adoption.

Re H-B-S (Children: Discharge of Interim Care Order) [2020] EWCA Civ 1027 – Acting as litigator, Adam was involved in this appeal representing the Mother, which concerned the correct legal test to apply on an application to discharge an Interim Care Order.

Re X, T, A, E and S (Children) [2020] EWCA Civ 1680 – Acting as litigator, Adam was involved in this appeal where his client, the Mother, successfully appealed part of the findings made against her in a contested fact-finding hearing in Family Court.

Victoria Harvey

Victoria is a Partner and Head Personal Injury  and Medical Negligence at Blaser Mills Law.

Victoria has over 30 years’ experience in personal injury litigation and now specialises in medical negligence.

Her past history includes employer liability, RTA and industrial disease case load including mesothelioma and asbestos related illness.

In recent years Victoria has concentrated on claims involving serious, life-changing injuries. She has a great deal of experience with claims involving chronic regional pain syndrome and other chronic pain conditions, fatal injuries, crushing injuries and psychological trauma.

Victoria now focuses on medical negligence claims involving surgical error, mis-diagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer and other serious conditions, sub-standard care of the elderly, failure to obtain informed consent, unnecessary surgical procedures, sub-standard care and claims for dental negligence.

She is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and was an Executive Committee Member for this organisation for 9 years. Victoria was also on the Board of Directors for the UK Rehabilitation Council for 4 years and spent 2 years on the Bar Standards Board Consumer Panel.

Victoria continues to rank as a Key Lawyer in the Legal 500 Directories.

‘The practice offers down to earth, approachable and sensible assessments which clients appear to appreciate.’ The Legal 500

Shabina Hussain

Shabina is a Partner and heads up the New and Retirement Homes team.

Shabina has specialist knowledge within the retirement home market and regularly acts for buyers of retirement homes from industry-leading retirement home providers. Shabina also handles all aspects of residential property law, acting for private individuals, property investors, major developers, and managing agents.

Jonathan Lilley

Jonathan is the firm’s Executive Chairman, responsible for initiating, managing and promoting the Firm’s key objectives for growth, strategy and continuing prosperity. He is the Firm’s Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) and sits on the Management board.

Jonathan is also a Commercial Litigator, specialising mainly in areas of property, employment and dispute resolution. He retains and acts for a wide variety of clients in many fields of business, including international freight forwarders, IT companies and property investment companies, primarily in the Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. As an employment lawyer, he is particularly sought after for representation of those involved in managing high value and/or difficult severance packages for employer and employee alike. With 30 years of practising experience Jonathan is recommended in The Legal 500 UK guide.

Karen Woodison

Karen is a Partner in the Wills, Trusts and Probate team and primarily advises clients from our London and High Wycombe offices.

She specialises in Wills, probate and the administration of estates, Lasting Powers of Attorney, including the registration process, and Court of Protection applications. She also advises on estate planning, inheritance tax and Capital Gains tax issues.

She communicates with her clients in a friendly and approachable way and is happy to see clients at home, in a hospital or residential home.

She is an Associate Member of STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners).

Louise Benning

Louise is Partner and Head of the Property Development team.

Louise oversees a team that includes specialist lawyers in Real Estate, Residential Development and Property Litigation. Louise’s expertise lies in Residential development.

She acts for small and large scale developers, as well as property investors in acquiring development land and the related plot sales.

Louise regularly advises developers on the negotiation of site acquisitions, s106 Agreements and related plot sales, option agreements, overage agreements and conditional contracts.