Michael Armstrong

Michael Armstrong

Michael advises individuals and families based in the UK and internationally on a broad range of tax, succession planning and estate matters.

With specialist expertise in working with older and vulnerable family members, Michael advises individuals, families and representatives on the estate planning options available to clients who have been diagnosed with dementia and other cognitive impairments. He collaborates with medical specialists to obtain suitable assessments of clients’ capacity to make gifts, execute wills and put lasting powers of attorney in place.

He also works with the families and representatives of vulnerable clients to ensure that they are supported in taking decisions for themselves where possible, and that decisions are otherwise taken in their best interests.

Michael takes a sensitive approach, providing clear and practical legal advice which takes into account the sensitivities surrounding our clients’ individual and family circumstances. He holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising Vulnerable Clients and won the STEP Excellence Award on this specialist subject.

Michael has co-led the firm’s Community and Charity Committee with fellow Partner Jeremy Roberston, driving action aligned with the firm’s commitment to make a positive impact in our community.

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Helen Bravery

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.

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Daniel Bryan

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.

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Danielle Crawford

Danielle Crawford

With deep knowledge and experience of dealing with highly complex and sensitive issues, Danielle understands the importance of being pragmatic, responsive and empathetic. She is driven by fostering strong client relationships, built on collaboration and trust, to reach successful outcomes.

She advises employers and individuals on a wide range of employment and partnership issues. Her experience is diverse and includes HR advisory work, investigations into complex whistleblowing complaints, settlement negotiations, dismissals, partnerships disputes and supporting clients with judicial mediation and employment tribunal cases. Danielle also delivers training and seminars on various employment topics. She joined Forsters in 2024 from Winckworth Sherwood, where she spent 16 years.

Outside of work, Danielle is committed to making a positive difference to people and communities. Most recently this has included her being actively involved in charitable initiatives such as employment law clinics and being the Chair and a trustee of a parent teacher association.

Since April 2024, Danielle has co-led the firm’s Pro Bono Committee driving progress and performance aligned with the firm’s commitment to creating a culture where our people make a positive contribution to our communities.

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Robert Keylock

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.

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Andrew McEwan

Andrew McEwan

Andrew is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team where he has a broad range of experience acting for developers and investors in a variety of real estate sectors, including those utilising external finance. He has advised on significant infrastructure projects, commercial, mixed-use and residential developments, alongside the acquisition and disposals of office, industrial and retail assets.

He has a particular focus on and expertise in relation to development projects across a variety of sectors as well as a keen interest in trends around sustainability and AI in both the legal and real estate industries.

A collaborative and enthusiastic professional, Andrew has a particular interest in complex, multi-party projects where his manner helps him work closely with colleagues in our Construction, Planning and Banking and Finance teams and harness the expertise of those in the teams. Clients recognise him as a calm and positive lawyer who takes time to understand them and their projects to provide pragmatic and commercial advice on their real estate matters.

As part of his role in the Commercial Real Estate team’s ‘Knowledge, Innovation and Tech’ group, Andrew reviews the latest developments and potential use cases for legal tech and AI and is involved in organising product trials and briefings for our lawyers. He also plays other key roles in the firm as a volunteer and mentor for the Social Mobility Foundation, as part of some of Forsters’ sports teams and as a supervisor for a number of junior lawyers in the Commercial Real Estate practice.

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Nichola Padget

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.

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Jonathan Preece

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.

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Julia Ramsden Gunduz

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.

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Victoria Salter-Galbraith

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.

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Amanda Sandys

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.

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Bryan Shacklady

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.

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Owen Spencer

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.

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Richard Spring

Richard Spring

Richard specialises in UK real estate development and primarily advises on the construction documentation for the design and construction of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing buildings.

He advises on projects across many sectors, with a particular interest in residential (including student accommodation, private and build to rent) and hotel projects, acting for developers and investors. He also has extensive experience advising in relation to retail and office schemes.

Richard particularly enjoys complex development work where there is an interface with other practice areas, notably commercial real estate and real estate finance. He prides himself on developing long-standing relationships and delivering advice which is practical and pragmatic, keeping clients’ commercial interests front and centre.

Richard sits on Forsters’ Pro Bono committee and as a member of Forsters’ Graduate Recruitment panel, is heavily involved in graduate recruitment. He participates in the firm’s Working Parents and Carers network, and is involved in Forsters’ Commercial Real Estate Sustainability group.

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Lucy Zaremba

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.

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Caroline Wild

Caroline Wild

Caroline is Counsel in the firm’s Real Estate Disputes team where she advises clients on all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement. With almost 20 years of experience, Caroline has a proven track record for technical excellence.

She has extensive experience in dealing with lease extensions and freehold purchases, both on a voluntary basis, and under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. Caroline also advises on Right to Manage claims and the right of first refusal provisions under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 and she is taking an active interest in the state of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

With a diverse client base she acts for both landlords and tenants, including private individuals, landed estates, developers, property and management companies, housing associations, charities, and UK and international investors. This has proved invaluable in her daily practice as she understands the process and priorities from many different perspectives.

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Aaron Morris

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.

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Paul Grayson

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.

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John FitzGerald

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.

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Róisín Forde

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.

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Laura Haworth

Laura Haworth

Laura is Counsel in the Commercial Real Estate team. She is currently on maternity leave.

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Daniel Burr

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.

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Ryan Didcock

Ryan Didcock

Ryan is Counsel in the firm’s Real Estate Disputes team where he advises on a broad range of property disputes with a particular specialism in residential matters.

His experience covers a broad range of issues, including landlord and tenant (breach of covenant, disrepair, rent recovery, possession, forfeiture, etc.), the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, fire safety and cladding disputes (with emphasis on leasehold obligations, service charge/remedial costs recovery, funding and BSF access, and lending complications), mortgagee/receiver action, service charges (including Section 20 consultation), claims in trespass, property trust disputes, nuisance and negligence, boundaries and adverse possession, collective enfranchisement, and debt claims. Ryan’s approach is always to seek practical aims, by litigation if necessary, at proportionate cost.

Ryan’s clients include individuals and private companies (as both landlord and tenants), property developers, receivers, banks and funds.

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Edward Glass

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.

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