Alan Edwards Solicitors: Our People - Dedicated and Professional

Alan Edwards, Senior partner at Alan Edwards & Co trained with Withy King and Lee (Bath) and Michael Kramer and Co (London) and qualified in 1970. Assistant solicitor and subsequently partner at Douglas-Mann & Co and Co-founding partner of Alan Edwards & Co in 1984. His specialisms include:

Collective Enfranchisement and lease extensions
Alan is experienced in acting for both tenants and landlords in the enfranchisement process and has acted in the successful enfranchisement of many buildings both in and outside London also dealing with the grant of 999 year leases as part of the process. He was involved in the passage of the primary legislation (the Leasehold Reform Housing & Urban Development Act 1993) and the amending legislation (the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002) through Parliament . He also presents joint seminars on the subject of collective enfranchisement and has written a number of articles on the subject. He also has equal experience in dealing with lease extensions. More

Commercial Property
Alan has extensive experience in the purchase and sale of commercial leases together with the purchase and sale of businesses which may be carried on from those premises or from freehold premises. This experience involves both the sale and purchase of businesses conducted by sole traders, partnerships, and companies. More

Landlord and Tenant Disputes
Alan has extensive experience in dealing with disputes involving the interpretation of leases both residential and commercial. More

Graham French started his legal career at Balham Law Centre from 1978 to 1980. He trained at Darlington and Parkinson and qualified in 1983. He joined Alan Edwards and Co in 1985 and has been a partner since 1986 and a Deputy District Judge since 1998. He specialises in Litigation, Housing, civil and some criminal litigation. His emphasis is on housing, Public Law and Landlord and Tenant; advisory work to housing associations, co-operatives and other public and voluntary sector bodies. Cases include: Westminster ‘Homes for Votes’ Gerrymandering Enquiry 1994-2003; Uratemp V Collins (HL 2002 – Dwelling, lease/ license); R V Westminster ex Bishop (CA 1993 – homelessness and needs of child); R v Ealing ex p Lewis (CA 1992 - unlawful Local authority Rent increase); Camden LB v Shortlife Community Housing Ltd (Chancery Div 1992 – ‘shortlife’ lease license); R v Westminster ex p Tansey (VA 1998 – Homelessness due to fire); R v Tower Hamlets ex p Monaf (CA 1987 – homelessness and immigration); Evans v London Metropolitan University (CA 2003-planning and environmental impact assessment).

Specialisms

Gusta trained at Mishcon de Reya. After qualification she moved to James and Charles Dodd in Lewisham, initially specialising in a mixture of housing and family work. She joined Alan Edwards & Co in 1998 and became a partner in 2000. She now specialises in general property, housing and residential landlord and tenant litigation, acting for both landlords and tenants on either a private or publicly funded basis.
Reported cases include Rowe v Falcke Matthews CA 2001 (construction of transitional provisions of Housing Act 1988 to determine tenancy status); Dewa v Westminster City Council HC 2002 (judicial review of local authority's discretion under Housing Act 1985 re HMOs); Fieldman v Markovitch HC 2001 (parameters of permission to appeal). She is a member of the Housing Law Practitioners Association and Association of Women Solicitors.

Specialisms

Morris John trained at Eaton-Evans & Morris and qualified 1996. He became assistant solicitor at Mohabir and Co in 1996. He joined Alan Edwards & Co in 1999 becoming a partner in 2001 and is head of the Residential Property Department. He specialises in all aspects of residential conveyancing and has developed his own large client following.

Specialisms

Susan Anand qualified in 2000 and joined Alan Edwards & Co in 2001, becoming a Partner in 2006, to specialise in commercial and residential property. She has represented land owners on purchases and sales of development sites as well as representing landlords and tenants in a range of complex commercial property matters. She also qualified as a Notary Public in 2006.

Specialisms

Matilda Rubens qualified in 2000 and became a Partner in 2008, dealing with all aspects of housing and landlord and tenant litigation including possession proceedings, disrepair, homelessness and judicial review proceedings. She is a member of the Housing Law Practitioners Group, Legal Action Group and Association of Women Solicitors. She chairs the Law Reform Group of the Association of Women Solicitors.

Specialisms

Janet Thacker spent the late 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s at Seifert Sedley Williams and during that time qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives specialising in commercial and residential property and was appointed head of the conveyancing department acting for clients in the world of music art fashion television stage and politics as well as acting for housing associations, union members and less privileged clients. Many of these clients have stayed with her over the years and she continues to practise in the same field.

Specialisms

Kathleen Thomas’ introduction to law was through working as a receptionist at Paddington Law Centre from 1972 to 1974. She went on to study law at the University of Kent gaining first class honours. She trained at Darlington & Parkinson in Acton and qualified in 1980. She worked as an Associate at Darlington & Parkinson and then from 1985 to 1990 as senior solicitor at Ealing Law Centre. Initially undertaking some consultancy work for Alan Edwards & Co in the early 1990s, from 1995 to 1999 she was an Associate Solicitor with the firm and since then she has been a consultant to the firm specialising in property (in particular in relation to leasehold block management), wills and probate.

Specialisms

Property
Wills & Probate

Jane Hinde trained at Clinton Davis & Co Hackney and qualified in 1983. There she became interested in Criminal Law and Personal Injury. She joined O H Parsons a specialist personal and industrial injury practice in 1984 working for several trade unions and their members. She moved to Kent in 1986 and worked and became a Partner with Sarah Harman at Harman and Harman in Canterbury and continued her work in medical negligence and personal injury, along with specialising in child care law. She became a member of the Child Care Panel and the Personal Injury Panel in 1988 and opened her own practice in 1990 in Canterbury. There she continued to specialise in Personal Injury work whilst at the same time running a busy criminal practice. During this time Jane also worked as tutor in law at the University of Kent.
Jane moved to London in 1997 becoming a part time criminal solicitor attempting to balance professional life with that of a full time mother. Jane joined Alan Edwards & Co as a consultant in 2004 working exclusively as a criminal duty solicitor covering the areas of West London, Central London and Brent. Jane has been a member of the Duty Solicitor Scheme since 1986

Amy Lewis began working at Alan Edwards & Co in 2000 as a clerk before completing her post graduate diploma in law and LPC, qualifying in 2006. Since then she has undertaken a variety of litigation and non-contentious work and now concentrates on Lease extension, enfranchisement and commercial conveyancing.

Specialisms

Natalie Turner studied law as an undergraduate at the University of Sheffield, where she went on to complete her Legal Practice Course. She joined Alan Edwards and Co. in the summer of 2008, when she commenced her training contract. As a trainee she undertook a varied caseload including civil litigation, landlord and tenant work, commercial property and wills and probate. She qualified in September 2010 and now works mainly on leasehold enfranchisement, lease extensions and Right to Manage applications, where she acts for both landlords and tenants. She also deals with a range of other non-contentious landlord and tenant matters.

Gemma Marrs studied law at the University of Warwick graduating in 2005 (2:1) before taking time out to work in the Intelligence Unit for the Metropolitan Police based in Harrow. Gemma joined Alan Edwards & Co in April 2007 where she worked as a paralegal for a year before commencing her training contract the following year, at the same time completing the LPC part-time at BPP Law School where she passed with distinction. As a trainee, Gemma's litigation work has included a varied workload to include landlord and tenant, housing, possession matters, homelessness applications, public law and crime. She qualified in September 2010 and specialises mainly in litigation. Gemma also acts as a duty solicitor on the West London Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme.

Maryam Saud did an arts degree as an undergraduate and started working at Alan Edwards & Co in 2005. Maryam qualified as a Licenced Conveyancer in 2009 and specialises in all aspects of Residential Property to include Conveyancing, acting for Residents Associations and Leasehold Block Management.