Lee Bolton Monier-Williams — England

About

### Who are we? LBMW has been providing its clients with the highest quality of legal advice and services since 1855. We represent businesses, individuals, families and not-for-profit organisations across a range of sectors, both in the UK and internationally. We build long-term relationships with our clients who value our expertise, integrity and approachability. LBMW is trusted by its clients to navigate them through their most complex and important legal matters. From our unique office premises in the heart of Westminster, we have been providing expert legal advice to our clients for more than 170 years. We are extremely proud of our past but also of our development and evolution into a modern, diverse and dynamic law firm, recognised in the in the Legal 500 as a “leading firm” which is highly valued by our clients and our staff. Our lawyers are experts in their practice areas. Not only do they provide technical excellence and the highest quality of service, they are also down to earth and responsive. Our client relationships are long-standing and built on trust and integrity and a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. - Types of Work Undertaken ### Commercial and Corporate We offer a multi-sector and well-resourced business service for individual, charitable and commercial clients. Our corporate team advises on mergers & acquisitions, business structuring, fundraising, private equity, joint ventures and corporate governance. Our clients are both domestic and international ranging from private equity investors to start-ups. We have clients doing corporate transactions in technology, food & beverage, education, healthcare and retail. The commercial team handles business contracts of all types. We regularly draft and advise upon sales contracts, software contracts, shareholders’ agreements and distribution agreements. ### Disputes Our Disputes team has specialist property litigation lawyers with extensive experience in dealing with property and land disputes, acting for and advising developers, landed estates, commercial landlords and occupiers, schools, charities and private property and land owners.Our team also deals with contested trusts, estates & wills. We advise and protect charities and NFP organisations with every type of contentious legal issue from governance matters through to challenging wills and protecting legacies. We are one of the leading church and faith practices in London and the country acting for Diocese, PCCs and other faith based organisations resolving all manner of disputes. We also act for independent and maintained schools, Higher Education Institutions and Universities in highly disputes in the courts, in the tribunals and through ADR. Our Disputes team have extensive experience of acting in judicial review claims in both the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal both defending public bodies that are subject to judicial review and acting for corporates, schools and charities seeking to challenge unlawful decisions ### Education Our highly experienced team is able to cover all Commercial, Land, Employment, and Educational aspects of an academy project. We are experienced in the creation, expansion, dissolution and reorganisation of academy trusts, charities, and trading subsidiaries, working with church and secular education providers to ensure the children served have the best opportunities to flourish in the Academy system. We are able to offer a depth of experience in the church education sector which is unparalleled. We currently act or have acted for the majority of dioceses in both the Church of England and Church in Wales in respect of their education work and are also experienced with assisting other faith education providers, many of which face similar challenges to those faced by the Church of England. We can advise on a wide range of issues including: - Admissions and Exclusions - Data protection - DfE and EFA Guidance - Education Acts - Education Bills - Governance - Premises - School meals - SEN - Staffing and employment - Statutory Guidance ### Employment Our employment team provides strategic and practical advice to business clients. Our specialists are on hand to partner clients and assist them achieving their employment aims. We provide swift, decisive and commercial advice based on the type of the business, the sector and the client’s needs. Whether advising on regulatory and compliance issues, drafting contracts and policies or defending the client in an Employment Tribunal claim, our employment team is an experienced and available resource. We carry out contentions and non-contentious work for employers and employees and work with People Directors and HR professionals at all stages from recruitment to the end of the employment relationship. Our employment team provides specialist advice on discrimination issues and how to minimise the chances of having to defend such claims. Our employment team represent clients in the Employment Tribunal in disputes ranging from unfair dismissal to discrimination, loss of rights, pension disputes and breaches of trust. Our employer clients include large corporations, SMEs, LLPs and partnerships, schools, multi-academy trusts and not for profits and religious organisations. ### Family Family matters on which we advise include: financial remedies including pensions, property, periodical payments, shares and lump sums; Divorce, dissolution and annulment; Child residence and contact issues; Prenuptial and postnuptial Agreements; Adoption; Cohabitation Agreements; Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders; and Separation Agreements. ### GDPR & Data Protection Our lawyers advise clients of all types (SMEs, charities, religious organisations and schools) on GDPR. The work ranges from practice and policy reviews and updates, handling subject access requests, advising on data breaches, drafting privacy notices and assisting with full data audits. ### IP & Technology We regularly deal with trademark applications and disputes, copyright, IT contracts, database rights, negotiate software licences and information, management and protection. ### Not For Profit and Charity We have a national reputation as a leading practice in advising faith and religious organisations. We advise organisations of different faiths on all issues affecting them and provide support and assistance so that the organisations remain compliant with regulation and best practice. Our clients include organisations of different Christian denomination (including Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Independent and Evangelical churches) and organisations that are connected to Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist among others. Our staff act as the legal officers to five diocesan registries, providing advice to bishops, clergy, parish officers and diocesan organisations. We are also home to the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. We are the authors of the practitioners’ guide Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents (Ecclesiastical Law). Our Education Team maintains active links with government, the Department for Education, General Synod, the Charity Commission and other relevant bodies. Through our role as advisers to the Church of England Education Office (otherwise known as the National Society), being the body which represents Church of England schools throughout the country, we not only respond to legislative change but are also involved in shaping it. The wealth of our experience means that we are fully equipped to address any queries raised. We act for a wide range of charities working across the entire charity spectrum and have strong links with the Charity Commission, Privy Council Office, Department for Education, the Welsh Government and HMRC. ### Private Client Our expert lawyers have extensive experience in drafting wills and will explore with you both your personal and financial circumstances to provide you with the best solution. We can assist, executors, administrators, beneficiaries and family of the deceased during the estate administration process. Creating the right kind of trust to suit your needs can be complex and littered with potential adverse tax consequences. Our private client team has a wealth of experience in dealing with trusts and their associated complexities, including inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax implications. We have an experienced team who are able to offer a full range of accounting and administrative services to assist the trustees of UK resident trusts whilst reducing the burden on them. Working with independent financial advisers and accountants we can advise on how best to use the exemptions and reliefs accepted by HMRC to minimise your tax liability. Our team can advise on Lasting Powers of Attorney or make applications to the Court of Protection. ### Real Estate – Residential Our highly experienced solicitors offer the following advice: - In relation to freehold and leasehold sales and purchases - Regarding joint ownership arrangements and buy-to-let schemes; - Planning issues; - Transfers of Ownership - Right to Buy - Help to Buy - Plot sales - Property management, equity release issues and ‘lock out’ agreements; Ownership, redevelopment and use of basements or vaults. - Licence to Assign - Leasehold Enfranchisement - Licence for Alterations ### Real Estate – Commercial As well as the agreed commercial terms, we particularly focus on break clauses, rent reviews, rent deposits/guarantees, services and service charge/caps, insurance/uninsured risks, alienation, repair/schedule of condition, environmental, landlord’s and tenant’s works. Whether you are a landowner looking at the development potential of your land or a developer or promoter, our team can act at each stage of the development process from the promotion/conditional stage to site acquisition through to lettings and disposal. We have a particular expertise in negotiating overage and clawback arrangements and regularly deal with pre-emption/development/conditional/promotion agreements. We also advise commercial clients on leasehold enfranchisement, and our work involves advising clients on the the process and timeframes, liaising with surveyors drafting and serving of notices, checking the validity of notices, applying to the Tribunal, representation at the Tribunal, drafting and agreeing the form lease/transfer, completion and registration. Real Estate – Islamic Finance: We act for clients obtaining Islamic Finance (also known as Sharia-compliant finance) in the context of real estate transactions in both the residential and commercial sectors. - Burial, cremation and cemetery management We are the authors of the practitioners’ guide to burial law and cremation – the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents (Burial and Cremation) and can assist private individuals, religious organisations, parochial clergy, parochial church councils, cemetery owners and managers and local authorities in the following areas: - Acquisition and disposal of burial grounds - Granting and extinguishing exclusive rights of burial - Churchyard regulations and faculties for memorials - Disinterment/exhumation of human remains - Infrastructure works requiring disturbance of burial grounds - Setting up new burial trusts - The post-death treatment of human remains, including disputes - Questions around organ donations upon death and use of human tissue for medical research Responsibilities of local authorities and burial authorities in open and closed cemeteries (including under the Open Spaces Act 1906) - Consecration of burial grounds and consequences - Building or development of disused burial grounds - Setting up new burial grounds, including woodland burials The legality of other methods of disposing of human remains. - Corporate Social Responsibility We are alive to our potential to make a difference to the lives of individuals and communities in ways other than providing them with legal advice. We recognise the importance of contributing to our local community as an established business in the heart of Westminster. We encourage and support our people in getting involved in fundraising initiatives and pro bono activities. As with all professional firms, we are aware now more than ever before of our responsibility to reduce our impact of the environment. We have practices and policies to minimise paper usage, to conserve electricity and we aim to partner with ethically responsible suppliers. - This year we have:- - Continued our corporate partner status of St Andrew’s Youth Club, Westminster – the oldest youth club in London; - Arranged a 45 hour sponsored static cycle with other law firms in Norway and France raising over £1,700 for the charity SWATS (Supporting West Africa Through Schooling); - Become a corporate partner to the Wine and Spirits Benevolent Trust - Our partnership with St Andrew’s Club We are proud to be members of St Andrew’s – Westminster 100 Club . The Westminster 100 Club is group of businesses who have committed to supporting the St Andrew’s Club. The St Andrew’s Club is a fantastic youth club based in South Westminster, a few minutes’ walk from our offices. It provides services for local children and adults aged 5 and upwards. It is an independent charity funded by voluntary donations, providing an invaluable resource to Westminster and beyond. As members of the Westminster 100 Club, we have committed to supporting the club for 2019-2020. So far we have enjoyed doing this by hosting a charity lunch fundraiser, taking part in a sponsored walk run by the club, as well as fundraising fitness classes, and attending various events run by the club during the year. We look forward to continuing to support our local community in the coming years. ### Languages - English ### Memberships - MSI Global Alliance - Solicitors Regulation Authority - Resolution - The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) - Charity Law Association - Charities' Property Association - Association of Legal Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) - Ecclesiastical Law Association - Ecclesiastical Law Society - The City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society

Office locations

Practice areas

Lawyers in this office

Anna Gaston

Anna is a Partner in Private Client. · Private Client

Archie Sherbrooke

Archie is a Partner and Head of Commercial Property. · Real Estate

Beatrice Lewers

Beatrice is a Solicitor in Private Client. · Private Client

Catherine Pugsley

Catherine is a Partner and Head of Private Client. · Private Client

Clifford Woodroffe

Clifford is a Partner in Dispute Resolution. · Litigation

Denise Carritt

Denise is a Consultant in Commercial Property. · Commercial Property

Ed Henderson

Ed is a Partner in Commercial and Corporate. · Corporate / M&A

Ed Reid

Ed is a Solicitor in Commercial Property. · Real Estate

Elizabeth Cooper

Elizabeth is a Solicitor in Private Client. · Private Client

Gurjit Kundra

Gurjit is a Licensed Conveyancer in Residential Property. · Residential Property

Howard Dellar

Howard is Senior Partner and Head of Education and Ecclesiastical. · Education

Ian Blaney

Ian is a Partner in Ecclesiastical and Education and Charities and Not For Profit. · Ecclesiastical

Jacqueline Connolly

Jacqueline is an Associate Solicitor in Residential Property. · Real Estate

Jessica Groves

Jessica is a Partner in Residential Property. · Real Estate

Khalid Sofi

Khalid is a Partner and Head of Charity and Not for Profit. · Charity & Not for Profit

Laura Poulloura

Laura is a Solicitor in Residential Property. · Residential Property

Laura Southern

Laura is a Solicitor in Private Client. · Private Client

Laura Tester

Laura is a Solicitor in Family Law. · Family Law

Lina Rodriguez

Lina is a Partner in Commercial Property. · Real Estate

Margurita Geary

Margurita is a Partner and Head of Residential Property. · Residential Property

Megan Morgan

Megan is an Associate in Private Client. · Private Client

Michael Anderson

Michael is a Solicitor in both Dispute Resolution and Commercial and IP. · Dispute Resolution

Michael Fletcher

Michael is a Consultant in Private Client. · Private Client

Niamh McKay

Niamh is an Associate in both Dispute Resolution and Commercial and IP. · Dispute Resolution

Nigel Urwin

Nigel is a Consultant and Head of Intellectual Property. · Intellectual Property

Nipuni Wijesinghe

Nipuni is a Solicitor in Commercial Property. · Real Estate

Nishita Gudka

Nishita is a Partner in Commercial Property. · Commercial Property

Shameela Ahmed

Shameela is a Partner and Head of Family Law. · Family Law

Stephen Dean

Stephen is the Managing Partner and Head of Disputes Resolution. · Dispute Resolution

Susan Newell

Susan is an Associate in both Ecclesiastical and Education and Charities and Not for Profit. · Ecclesiastical