Team

Lesley Smith LLB

Before joining Bowcock Cuerden in 1998, Lesley was a partner in Baileys Shaw and Gillett in London, followed by a partnership and head of litigation at Kuit Steinart Levy in Manchester. She became a partner in Bowcock Cuerden in April 2000. She has considerable experience of dealing with employment claims, commercial and general civil litigation, as well as extensive High Court experience. Typical instructions include plant and equipment disputes, agricultural tenancy and property disputes, partnership and inheritance disputes and professional negligence claims. She is an accredited mediator.

David Thorp LLB

David qualified as a Solicitor in 1989 and was one of the founding partners in Bowcock Cuerden in January 1994. David has been instrumental in the success and growth of the firm’s Property Team, and has since 2004 been the head of the Team.

David deals with a wide range of commercial and agricultural property work, including for many of the firm’s largest and most prestigious Clients. David’s areas of specialisation cover the firm’s property work for Canal & River Trust (formerly British Waterways Board), as one of six firms on its national legal panel, the Land Trust, Local Authorities, and Property Developers. David has acted in a number of high value sales of agricultural land for development, and also supervises the team dealing with large scale voluntary applications for registration of title. David is proud recently to have helped a Charity very close to his home (and heart), Tarvin Community Woodland Trust, carry on their excellent work.

Jamie Want LLB

Jamie qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and until joining BCllp has worked in Staffordshire. Being local to Nantwich Jamie welcomed the opportunity to join the firm in 2012. Jamie specialises in corporate and commercial work, both contentious and non-contentious, and insolvency law. He is a full member of the Insolvency Lawyers Association. He advises companies, partnerships and individuals in drafting a wide variety of commercial documents, including contracts and terms and conditions, in acting on their behalf in litigation and debt recovery, and in the sale and purchase of companies and businesses, and related transactions. He also acts on behalf of Insolvency Practitioners, and on behalf of companies and individuals facing the insolvency process. Jamie became a Director of the firm in 2016.

Carina Pennant-Williams LLB

Carina has been with the Firm since 2006, .originally as a paralegal, then a trainee solicitor with us completing seats in property, corporate law and commercial litigation, before qualifying in early 2009 and becoming an Assistant Solicitor. She subsequently progressed to become an Associate Solicitor and in 2019 became a Director, and member of the LLP.

She acts for a number of business clients with repeat commercial work, including drafting contracts, employment advice and debt collection. Her main practice involves dealing with a wide range of contentious matters, from a dispute about moving a garden fence 5 inches to sizeable professional negligence claims and contested partnership dissolutions. Her aim in all cases is to seek to resolve disputes for her clients by achieving favourable terms in the most cost-effective manner.

Andrew

Andrew qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and has worked in Cheshire and South Manchester before joining Bowcock Cuerden in 2019. He specialises in commercial and agricultural property.

In commercial property matters he has acted on behalf of a number of high net worth investors and developers in respect of their property portfolios and developments in the North West and in London.

Andrew is a member of the Agricultural Law Association and acts for agricultural clients in connection with a wide variety of property matters.

Susannah Taylor LLB

Susannah qualified in 1992 and became partner in her former firm that same year. She remained there, until she joined Bowcock Cuerden in 1999. Susannah specialises in all aspects of family law and she also leads the residential conveyancing section of the Private Client Team. As a member of Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association), she is committed to promoting a non-confrontational atmosphere in which family disputes can be resolved.

Juliet Hibbert LLB

Juliet qualified in 1992 in London and has worked in the Private Client Departments of Davies Wallis Foyster in Liverpool, Gardner Leader in Newbury, Hill Dickinson LLP in Chester and Bowcock Cuerden LLP in Nantwich. Juliet specialises in wills and probate work.

Catherine

Catherine qualified as a Solicitor in 2015. Before joining Bowcock Cuerden, she trained at a niche litigation firm in Birmingham before moving to JPC Law in London, in September 2016.

Catherine has experience of dealing with a variety of disputes including professional negligence, breach of contract and landlord and tenant matters. She understands the importance of resolving disputes in the most cost-effective way possible and strives to identify clients’ objectives at an early stage.

Natalie Linehan

Natalie qualified as a solicitor in July 2018 and specialises in commercial and agricultural property. Before joining Bowcock Cuerden she worked in local government and private practice in Derbyshire. Natalie has a keen interest in dairy farming and in her spare time attempts to get better at hill walking with her Shetland Sheepdog and on sunny days can be found driving her MR2 MK1.

John Stockdale TD MA (Cantab) TEP

John was formerly head of the firm’s Private Client Team but became a consultant in 2019 and in that capacity continues to provide technical support and advice for the department. He studied at Downing College, Cambridge, graduating BA (Hons) in 1975, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1978. For some years he was a senior lecturer, focussing on taxation, at The College of Law, Chester, ultimately becoming responsible for the design and delivery of the tax content of the Legal Practice Course (LPC), the qualifying course for solicitors, at all branches of The College. He subsequently worked in the private client departments of Aaron and Partners LLP and subsequently Hill Dickinson LLP before joining Bowcock Cuerden LLP in Nantwich. Since 2004 he has been Technical Officer (Succession Taxes) with The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), which involves the analysis and preparation of responses to consultation documents issued by HMRC on proposed changes to the inheritance tax (IHT) regime, and representing the Institute at meetings with HMRC policy officials.

He gained the Financial Services Certificate (FSC) in 2000 and was admitted to the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) in 2003. John wrote the tax chapter on Mines, Minerals and Landfill in the 2007 re-issue of Volume 26(3) of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents (Fifth Edition) and regularly contributes to readers’ queries in the professional journal, Taxation. He is a member of the Agricultural Law Association.

Helen Green

Helen qualified as a Solicitor in 2017 and has worked in Private Client ever since specialising in estate and trust administration as well as Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection matters. She grew up just outside Nantwich and after several years working in Manchester she couldn’t resist the calls of the Cheshire countryside any longer and joined Bowcock Cuerden in August 2023.She achieved a distinction in her STEP diploma in Trust and Estate administration in 2019 and is now an accredited Trust and Estate Practitioner and affiliate member of STEP.

Helen values building long lasting relationships with clients and their family, sometimes advising multiple generations. She aims to help clients through often difficult times with a warm, compassionate and professional approach.

Monisha Khan

Monisha qualified as a Corporate & Commercial Solicitor in 2020 and has experience in assisting business clients with their legal needs. From drafting shareholders’ agreements and website policies to assisting in mergers and acquisitions, Monisha spans a spectrum of legal requirements to ensure matters are dealt with efficiently. Monisha joined our firm in 2023, where she collaborates closely with Jamie Want to facilitate corporate and commercial transactions.

Natasha Elston

Layla Dean

Layla studied Law at Derby University and has recently completed her Legal Practice Course and Masters in Legal Practice at the University of Law.

Layla joined the firm in July 2023 assisting the Private Client Department and has now moved to the Litigation Department as a Paralegal.

In her spare time Layla enjoys reading and walks with her dog.

Emma Sezer

Emma has worked in law for over 20 years and has spent the last decade working solely in Private Client, specialising in Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Deputyship / Court of Protection applications.

In her spare time she enjoys walking her dog and loves to read. Thriller/mystery/psychological with a twist books are her favourite!