Position: Counsel

Michael Armstrong

  • 29 August 2024
Michael Armstrong

Michael advises both UK‑based and international clients on a broad range of estate planning and personal tax matters.

He works closely with families across generations, providing guidance on trust structuring, tax and succession planning, and the long-term stewardship of family wealth.

His experience includes advising entrepreneurs and families with cross-border interests on the development of estate plans that support both their personal and business objectives.

Michael has particular expertise in working with older and vulnerable family members, and provides clear and practical legal advice which takes into account the sensitivities surrounding our clients’ individual and family circumstances.

He works with individuals, families and their representatives to ensure that vulnerable clients are supported in taking decisions for themselves where possible, and that decisions are otherwise taken in their best interests. He holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients and won the STEP Excellence Award on this specialist subject in 2021.

Michael and Partner Jeremy Roberson lead the firm’s Community and Charity Committee, driving action aligned with the firm’s commitment to make a positive impact in our community.

Helen Bravery

  • 29 August 2024
Helen Bravery

Helen is Counsel in the firm’s Banking and Finance team and has a broad range of experience acting for lenders and borrowers and covering all aspects of banking and finance including domestic and international transactions.

She has advised on general banking transactions including acquisition finance, corporate finance, loan-on-loan financing, receivables finance and asset-based lending with a particular focus on and expertise in real estate finance (including both development and investments transactions).

She has acted on transactions spanning a varied range of asset classes including hotels, warehouses, offices, pubs, data centres and residential properties (including student housing and BTR). Borrower clients include hotel owners and operators in the UK and Europe as well as family offices, developers, corporates and high net worth individuals. On the lender side she has acted for challenger banks, retail banks, debt funds, bridging and mezzanine lenders.

Helen is involved in graduate recruitment and often presents at open days and on vacation schemes to potential graduates. She is a mentor for NQs and prepares and gives training to the Banking and Finance team on a wide range of topics.

Daniel Bryan

  • 29 August 2024
Daniel Bryan

Daniel is Counsel in the firm’s Corporate and Commercial team where he advises various stakeholders on all aspects of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, fund raising, and joint ventures, as well as providing ‘day to day’ advice.

He has experience of transactions in various sectors and jurisdictions, with a particular focus on technology. Daniel deals with acquisitions and exits on deals worth several million to hundreds of millions, and he also acts for angel investors and start-ups on financing rounds. This includes working with clients in everything from artificial intelligence through to digital assets and micro-mobility. He also has experience in several other areas, such as distressed acquisitions, corporate real estate, and life sciences.

Daniel balances the commercial objectives of the deal with his role as a deal adviser, seeking to protect his clients but not prevent them getting where they want to be.

He is also a member of the firm’s Social Mobility Committee and the Working Parents and Carers network.

Robert Keylock

  • 29 August 2024
Robert Keylock

Robert is Counsel in our Private Client team where he advises individuals and trustees on all aspects of private client law, and in particular:
• wills, trusts and succession planning;
• taxes (particularly inheritance tax and capital gains tax); and
• probate and administration of trusts and estates.

Within those broad areas, Robert has specialist expertise in advising the owners of rural businesses. For the entirety of his career, Robert has acted for numerous traditional landed estates which has encompassed helping families with a wide variety of matters ranging from implementing succession strategies for whole estates, through to discrete transactions such as the structuring of purchases, sales or gifts.

Nichola Padget

  • 29 August 2024
Nichola Padget

Nichola is a Counsel in the Real Estate Disputes team and has over 17 years of experience acting for landlords of commercial property portfolios, both institutional landlords and privately owned estates, on all manner of property management related matters across numerous sectors (retail, warehouses, offices and mixed use premises).

She acts for developers and providers of social housing on a range of commercial property related issues and corporate occupiers on matters such as lease renewals and defending dilapidations claims.

Nichola also advises landed estates and individuals on rural property and agricultural related matters including rights of way disputes, statutory duties and agricultural succession claims.

In addition, Nichola has experience advising clients on CVAs, administration, liquidation and Part26a Restructuring Plans specifically how insolvency affects her clients’ interests, validity of notices, the effect of disclaimer, retention of title issues and negotiating settlements with insolvency practitioners.

Jonathan Preece

  • 29 August 2024
Jonathan Preece

Jonathan is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where his practice focuses predominantly on commercial property transactions with particular emphasis on the acquisition, development and disposal of complex fully residential or mixed-use sites for both social housing providers and private developers.

This often involves advising on joint venture structures, planning and construction issues, option agreements, overage, clawback and pre-emption arrangements, the negotiation of development agreements and land contracts, infrastructure agreements and the structuring of each transaction in the most tax efficient manner.

Jonathan has considerable experience advising on all aspects of commercial landlord and tenant, including leasing, licensing and strategic management advice across the retail, office, leisure and mixed-use placemaking sectors.

Throughout his career he has also represented numerous clients in various sectors on hundreds of lettings of commercial units and buildings. In recent years Jonathan has focused this aspect of his expertise on placemaking and commercial lettings within residentially-led mixed-use schemes owned by affordable housing clients.

Julia Ramsden Gunduz

  • 29 August 2024
Julia Ramsden Gunduz

Julia is Counsel in Forsters’ Private Client team, specialising in advising trustees and financial institutions, both from a contentious and non-contentious angle, on tax and trust related issues arising in connection with such structures. This includes advising on global regulatory and exchange of information initiatives, tax regularisation and disclosure facilities, as well as legislative changes in the UK.

She also has extensive experience of advising international high net worth individuals and their families on their estate and wealth planning strategies and family governance. This includes developing and implementing complex cross-border structures, taking into account international tax planning considerations, domicile, the conflict of laws, forced heirship and asset protection issues.

Julia has experience of working in-house at financial institutions and is able to factor commercial realities (and constraints) into her advice and the solutions she provides.

She provides internal training on regulatory and exchange of information topics as well as mentoring junior associates. She is a native German speaker.

Victoria Salter-Galbraith

  • 29 August 2024
Victoria Salter-Galbraith

Victoria is Counsel in the Rural Land and Business team and a Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association. Victoria is Head of the firm’s Historic Properties and Planning team and specialises in acting on matters relating to listed and otherwise historic properties.

In addition, she is head of the firm’s vineyards group, collaborating with colleagues across the firm in our Corporate and Commercial, Private Client, Tax, Employment and Partnerships, and Banking and Finance departments.

Victoria’s practice also includes acting on the sale and purchase of farm property, agricultural tenancies (including succession and termination of the same), diversification of an existing farm or estate, and development of land for housing or renewable projects. She also is regularly instructed in relation to the refinancing of residential property, farms and landed estates.

Her clients range from high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals selling and purchasing historically significant homes, to owners of some of the most significant landed estates in England and Wales, to established farming families.

Amanda Sandys

  • 29 August 2024
Amanda Sandys

Ranked as a Rising Star in the latest Legal 500 and recommended in Spear’s 500 Family Law Index, Amanda is ‘extremely well regarded’ Counsel in the Family team. Specialising in resolving disputes arising from divorce and separation, her cases often involve high value assets with a focus on ‘modern families’.

She has particular expertise in helping families resolve arrangements for children, often involving relocation, residence and contact issues, as well as securing orders to protect children from harm. When the situation requires Amanda will involve other professionals such as guardians, independent social workers and psychologists.

Amanda has experience in protecting clients in the public eye including sports professionals and politicians from the legal, emotional and media fallout of their relationships ending. She combines an eye for detail with a client-centred, creative and diplomatic approach.

Where possible Amanda champions alternatives to court. As a collaborative lawyer she helped to found an innovative collaborative pod alongside other family solicitors and other professionals including wealth managers and family consultants. The initiative promotes non-contentious and pragmatic ways of resolving family disputes.

Bryan Shacklady

  • 29 August 2024
Bryan Shacklady

Bryan is Counsel in the firm’s Dispute Resolution team and acts for ultra high net worth individuals and others in relation to a range of disputes. He has particular expertise in complex multi-jurisdictional litigation, having been involved in disputes with live proceedings in England, the Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Iceland, the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Russia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand.

He is known for advising on shareholder disputes where relations between shareholders have irretrievably broken down, whether that is to achieve a settlement if possible, or to succeed in court proceedings if not.

Bryan is experienced in arbitration, having represented clients in arbitrations under the arbitration rules of the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration, the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association and the Tribunal Arbitral du Sport/Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He is heavily involved in our Graduate Recruitment programme and takes a great pride in mentoring our more newly qualified lawyers.

Owen Spencer

  • 29 August 2024
Owen Spencer

Owen is Counsel in the firm’s Commercial Real Estate team where he focuses on representing corporate occupiers. He has a broad range of experience and in particular he advises on complex office HQ relocations and lease disposals. He has a specialism of advising on the real estate aspects of film and television studios and has acted on some of the most notable deals in the UK.

As an expert in representing occupiers, Owen is able to use his experience to provide bespoke advice which meets each client’s exact requirements and circumstances. Getting involved in projects from an early stage enables him to provide a holistic service and help manage the transaction to a successful conclusion.

Owen also advises on the UK real estate needs of a non-profit intergovernmental organisation, whose focus is in developing the agricultural and environmental sectors of the developing world.

He also plays an active role in the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion committee.

Lucy Zaremba

  • 29 August 2024
Lucy Zaremba

Lucy is Counsel in the Real Estate Disputes team, she advises on a broad range of property disputes with a particular specialism in residential disputes and leasehold enfranchisement.

Lucy’s work includes a broad range of residential landlord and tenant litigation, including service charge disputes, recovery of arrears, section 20 consultation, breach of covenant issues, disrepair, termination of long leases and possession claims. She has particular expertise in residential property management and all aspects of contentious leasehold enfranchisement, right to manage claims and the rights of first refusal under the 1987 Act and has acted in a number of reported cases in this area.

She also acts on property contract disputes, including enforcement of sale contracts; creation and enforcement of easements and other property rights; boundary and other neighbour disputes; Party Wall etc. Act issues; nuisance actions; bringing and defending claims for injunctions to enforce or protect property rights and professional negligence actions concerning property.

Caroline Wild

  • 29 August 2024
Caroline Wild

Caroline is Counsel in the firm’s Real Estate Disputes team, specialising in all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement. With 20 years of experience, she is recognised for her technical expertise and practical approach.

Caroline has significant experience advising on lease extensions and freehold acquisitions, both on a voluntary basis and under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. She advises also on Right to Manage claims and the right of first refusal provisions under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. In recent years, Caroline has been actively monitoring and engaging with the development of leasehold reform and in particular, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

Caroline’s diverse client base includes landlords and tenants, private individuals, landed estates, developers, property and management companies, housing associations, charities, and UK and international investors. This gives her an invaluable perspective on the priorities and challenges faced by all parties, enabling her to deliver tailored and effective advice.

Aaron Morris

  • 29 August 2024
Aaron Morris

Aaron is Counsel in the firm’s Corporate team where he advises clients on a broad range of corporate work including acquisitions and disposals, joint venture and shareholder arrangements, corporate restructurings, property related corporate transactions and share incentive plans.

Aaron works across a number of sectors including real estate (including commercial real estate, residential real estate and student accommodation), private wealth, energy, technology and sports.

Paul Grayson

  • 29 August 2024
Paul Grayson

Paul is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where he holds over ten years’ experience in the UK property industry. His practice covers the full scope of commercial real estate matters, but specialises in development, strategic land matters and real estate finance.

This often involves advising developers, institutional investors and private equity houses within the industrial and logistics and strategic land sectors. For all clients, Paul prides himself on his responsiveness and commitment to offering commercial and pragmatic advice.

A key player in our industrial and logistics sector, Paul led Forsters’ successful ‘Outside of the Box’ campaign which surveyed professional investors and developers in UK real estate assets about their experiences in competing for land, investment and occupiers while adapting to the current market shifts.

John FitzGerald

  • 29 August 2024
John FitzGerald

John is Counsel in the firm’s Private Client team.

John advises on a broad range of trust, personal tax and estate planning matters. He primarily acts for high net worth and ultra high net worth international individuals on UK income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax, especially with respect to the UK tax treatment of non-UK trust structures.

John also has particular expertise in the UK’s statutory residence test and domicile matters, the remittance basis of taxation, business investment relief, the tax treatment of offshore life policies, and the “protected settlement” and “excluded property” trust regimes.

Róisín Forde

  • 29 August 2024
Róisín Forde

Roisin is an experienced and commercially minded finance lawyer with a broad range of experience acting for funders, sponsors and borrowers on a wide range of domestic and international finance transactions.

Counsel in the Banking and Finance team, she has a particular focus on real estate finance with experience covering a variety of asset classes including office, retail, residential, hotels, pubs, care homes, student accommodation, warehouses and shopping centres. In addition, her banking experience includes acquisition and leveraged finance, general corporate lending, asset-based lending and workouts and restructuring.

Roisin’s clients include developers, corporates, family offices and high net worth individuals as well as on the lender side, retail and challenger banks, bridging and mezzanine lenders and debt funds.

Daniel Burr

  • 29 August 2024
Daniel Burr

Daniel is Counsel in the Construction team and acts primarily in the development, sale, purchase, letting and financing of commercial real estate projects. His clients include developers, institutional investors, funders and tenants.

While Daniel’s established practice reaches all aspects of the real estate development market, Daniel has particular experience advising in connection with the end-to-end delivery of complex and multi-let industrial and logistics projects. In addition, Daniel acts for a number of international film studios in relation to the construction of film stages and post-production facilities and developers undertaking the construction of complex office developments and refurbishments in London and the regions.

Charlotte Youngs

  • 29 August 2024
Charlotte Youngs

Charlotte is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a broad range of commercial property work, including acquisitions/disposals, development projects, real estate finance and leasing. Her practice focuses on the acquisition and development of large and complex mixed-use sites as well as the disposal of commercial or mixed-use sites for institutional investors, affordable housing providers and private developers.

This often involves advising on joint venture structures, development agreements, planning and construction issues, option agreements, overage and pre-emption arrangements, building and land contract negotiation, infrastructure agreements and the structuring of each transaction in the most tax efficient manner.

She has a particular focus on the affordable housing sector, understanding policy and funding considerations for registered providers as well as the regulatory matters they need to consider in their developments. In recent years, Charlotte has also started advising on the Building Safety Act 2022 to ensure compliance within the affordable housing sector.

She has a particular interest in sustainability within real estate, and she plays an active role in our internal committee that helps shape our client offering. This includes advising on green lease provisions, other environmental and energy drafting as well as legal provisions to support social and place-making initiatives.

Charlotte is hands on in supporting junior members of the firm by offering guidance and comprehensive training on a number of topics, including residential and mixed-use developments and building safety.

Lorna Dolan

  • 29 August 2024
Lorna Dolan

Lorna is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team and advises on a full spectrum of transactions, from acquisitions and disposals, financings, landlord and tenant, and asset and portfolio management. She acts for a wide range of clients from institutional funds to property companies, developers, tenant occupiers and individuals.

A particular focus of her practice is advising commercial occupier clients on their occupational property needs, notably within the media, publishing, professional services and banking sectors. This includes premises and HQ relocations, disposals, lease extensions, regears, major refurbishment projects and portfolio management. She has a keen interest in sustainability and green leasing principles.

With Lorna’s breadth of experience, she is able to bespoke her advice to suit her clients’ needs. Appreciating that real estate is not the main focus of many of her occupier clients’ roles, she enjoys the challenge of conveying specialist legal knowledge in an accessible, practical, strategic and understandable way. Lorna approaches negotiations in a commercial and collaborative manner, and has a solutions-focused attitude.

Having trained and qualified at Forsters, Lorna has now taken on the role of trainee supervisor and enjoys being able to develop the next generation of Forsters’ lawyers.

Lorna is recognised as a ‘Leading Associate’ for occupier services in the Legal 500 UK guide 2025 and 2026.

Aimee Dooley-Cox

  • 29 August 2024
Aimee Dooley-Cox

Recognised in the 2025 eprivateclient NextGen Leaders list, Aimee is a Senior Associate in the Private Client team specialising in high value complex probate matters and the administration of estates. She acts for a range of clients, generally high net worth individuals and families both UK domiciled, and non-UK domiciled.

Her core expertise is in estate administration, obtaining grants of representation in the UK for testate and intestate estates. Aimee is experienced with reporting the extent of estates in the UK and maximising reliefs where available to ensure the correct amount of inheritance tax is paid if due. She enjoys working with international individuals and assisting with cross border work.

Aimee works closely with the executors and beneficiaries to implement post death variations to ensure the estate is dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

Aimee is a full member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and has completed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates. Aimee also volunteers at the South Westminster Legal Advice Centre.

Edward Glass

  • 29 August 2024
Edward Glass

Edward Glass is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team and is experienced in a broad range of commercial property work, including acquisitions and disposals, development projects, real estate finance and leasing, where he advises across all property sectors. He also advises on the real estate aspects of corporate transactions.

He has a particular focus on sustainability trends in commercial real estate and contributes to various industry publications, such as EG and Property Week. In particular, he advises on green leasing, ESG regulation in the built environment and the co-location of renewable energy infrastructure with commercial real estate. Edward is also interested in the impact of technological innovation on the industry, particularly in the context of ESG factors.

Keeping abreast of trends impacting real estate sectors, Edward is able to advise his clients accordingly and ensure they are always ahead of the curve with industry developments. This is especially important with the ever-changing environment for sustainability and technological innovation.

Edward plays a key role in our graduate recruitment programme and mentoring trainees once they have joined the business.

Georgina Haddon

  • 29 August 2024
Georgina Haddon

Georgina is Counsel in the Residential Property team where she acts for both domestic and international clients on a variety of freehold and leasehold transactions, including acquisitions and disposals of prime London property, secured lending, management work, landlord and tenant advice.

Well versed in both single property transactions and large-scale portfolio investments and refinances, she is committed to exemplary client service irrespective of the size, value or nature of the matter.

She has a wealth of experience acting on luxury new build estates; both on the purchaser side for ultra high net worth investors and for large-scale developers. She has also travelled frequently to South East Asia, developing relationships in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Georgina takes a commercial and solution focused approach to her transactions. She is decidedly aware that all matters are unique, as are the people and businesses behind them and aims to deliver carefully tailored advice accordingly.

Georgina was named a “Rising Star” in Spear’s Property Index 2026.