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May May and Merrimans Website Home Page - http://www.mmandm.co.uk
AccessibilityMay May & Merrimans
Private Client Solicitors
Established in 1786
12 South Square, Gray's Inn,
London WC1R 5HH
Our practice is geared to the needs of clients ranging from large landed estates through small and medium sized companies to individual private clients and their families.
Our principal areas of practice are Property, Trusts Tax and Estate Planning, Heritage Assets, Wills, Probate, Matrimonial, Corporate and Dispute Resolution.
Our approach is client-based - offering the personal attention of one partner to the client's overall objectives, while calling on the expertise of specialist colleagues as required. We attach great importance to establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with our clients and to giving up-to-the-minute advice on the latest developments in the law.
Trusts Tax and Estate Planning
At May May & Merrimans we offer expert advice on all aspects of personal taxation and financial planning. Our aim is to help you achieve your financial goals, both short and long term. We provide a comprehensive service in structuring your affairs with a view to maximising personal and family wealth, whether it comprises your house or land or valuable chattels, business property or other investments. Few clients are indifferent to the burdens of tax we all face, and our knowledge of current tax saving schemes, and of the pitfalls for the unwary, will enable you to consider all the options and decide on the approach best suited to your individual circumstances. Our reputation has been built on over 200 years' experience of managing private clients' affairs and we are totally committed to continuing that tradition by finding solutions to the challenges of asset management in the 21st century.
Strategic tax planning - we have detailed knowledge of the appropriate structures for holding assets, whether through trusts, companies or partnerships. For the individual private client we can offer and implement advice on wills and lifetime gifts or settlements and on minimising capital taxation. We have extensive experience of the complex tax reliefs available for heritage property, and of advising how to extract the maximum benefit from them.
Wills and Powers of Attorney - your will is a vitally important part of planning to meet family circumstances and substantial tax savings can be achieved by a correctly drawn will. Powers of attorney are also crucial in providing for management of your affairs if you should encounter either sudden or long term health problems.
Probate and Administration of estates - we provide comprehensive estate administration services offering specialist expertise in handling the difficult circumstances following a bereavement, assembling details of estate assets, obtaining probate, dealing with Inheritance Tax issues and distributing the estate; administering intestate estates and dealing with contested wills.
Trusts - we can advise on all questions of trust law, and deal with the drafting and execution of trust and settlement documents in many contexts. We carry out the day-to-day administration of about 200 trusts owning many different asset types. Our expertise in specialist trust and tax matters also covers setting up charitable trusts and trusts of life insurance policies.
Tax - we provide comprehensive tax services in the administration of trusts and estates and the preparation of tax returns for individuals. These services also extend to offshore trusts and overseas residents, and the impact of double tax treaties.
Portfolio Management - as established family lawyers our clients look to us not only for advice on purely legal matters but also for guidance in managing their general finances. We have close links with stockbrokers and other independent advisers which enable us to offer access to a wide range of high quality financial services, particularly in the areas of investments and insurance.
Estate PlanningPlease Note: May May & Merrimans is not authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 but we are able in certain circumstances to offer a range of investment services to clients because we are members of the Law Society. We can provide these investment services if they are an incidental part of the professional services we have been engaged to provide.
Key People:
Christopher Walsh - profile
Giles Gostwick - profile
Roddy Steen - profile
David Smyth - profile
Alexandra Sarkis - profile
Pauline Smith - profile
Mary Elliott - profile
We can purchase your first flat for you, move you on to your first house and from there progress to the luxury penthouse or the country estate or perhaps both!
If you already own an estate whether it be in the country or in London you will be in good hands as we act for a number of substantial estates which means that we are very familiar with the sort of problems that you might be facing.
Major commercial property transactions, including a wide range of development projects, require not only a detailed knowledge of the law but also the ability to recognise the commercial realities in order to get the deal done quickly and efficiently. One without the other will not satisfy today's clients - and we have those skills as numerous transactions will testify.
Property law is constantly evolving so it is essential to be on top of recent legislation and its practical impact on the ownership and management of individual assets. We advise on the tax implications of property ventures and have extensive experience in estate management and landlord and tenant questions.
Our service is both thorough and efficient; you will be kept informed throughout the transaction and the cost will reflect the value of the transaction.
Whatever your concern, May May & Merrimans brings the same personal attention both to the overall objective and to the points of detail. Getting the deal done to our clients' best advantage is at the heart of our approach.
Commercial propertyKey People:
Sandy Schofield - profile
Giles Gostwick - profile
Richard Taylor - profile
Ian Layzell-Smith - profile
Marie Bermingham - profile
Simon Morgan - profile
May May & Merrimans acts for clients with a wide variety of business interests, ranging from farming and property investment/development through to the professions and trading enterprises. Commercial expertise, as well as a sensitivity to tax and succession issues, is an integral part of the service we offer. And we understand that businessmen and women look to their lawyers for a practical approach - and prompt action.
If you are starting up in business we can advise on and set up the appropriate structure be it company or partnership, liaising with other professionals as necessary. We are experienced in buying and selling existing enterprises, including dealing with related property and employment aspects. Generally, we are happy to advise on all matters which arise in the course of running a business or private company, including share issues, the drafting of commercial agreements and employment questions.
Starting up in businessKey people:
Alexandra Sarkis - profile
Giles Gostwick - profile
Angela Togher - profile
Family Law and Personal Litigation
Where personal relationships or children are involved, distress and anxiety can be minimized by a sensitive approach, careful analysis of your needs, and prompt legal action when required. It is often best to obtain professional advice as early as possible so that you know exactly where you stand and can plan accordingly.
May May & Merrimans offers a full and comprehensive service in these fields, whether by mediation, conciliation or litigation. We have the specialist expertise internally and contacts externally to resolve disputes successfully, whether they involve the family (marriage breakdown, children or disputed Wills or trusts) or third parties (such as employment questions, contractual disputes or professional negligence). Our litigation practice also encompasses contentious commercial, property and trust matters.
Matrimonial DisputesKey People:
Susan Black - profile
Angela Togher - profile
Partners
Christopher Walsh has been senior partner since 1993. He served his articles with the firm, qualifying in 1970, and was made a partner in 1972. Christopher's specialisation is estate and tax planning for landed estates/heritage property, in which fields he is an acknowledged expert.
Giles Gostwick has spent his entire legal career at May May & Merrimans. He qualified in 1974 and was made a partner the following year. He is currently the firm's managing partner. Giles specialises in estate planning, wills (including foreign aspects), trusts (on and offshore) and general private client business. He also handles commercial and agricultural property work for corporate and estate clients.
Roddy Steen qualified with May May & Merrimans in 1975 and has been a partner since 1979. His practice encompasses estate planning (including tax planning for Irish domiciliaries), wills, trusts and charities. He also handles commercial and agricultural property work for private clients.
Sandy Schofield trained with Simmons and Simmons. He qualified in 1974, joined May May & Merrimans in 1978 and was made a partner in 1985. Sandy specialises in commercial property work (including development land sales), mineral leases, VAT on property transactions and agricultural holdings law. He is listed as an expert in agriculture and estates in the current edition of UK Legal Experts.
Richard Taylor trained with May May & Merrimans, qualifying in 1982. He was made a partner in 1988. Richard's specialisation is commercial and domestic property transactions, including Landlord and Tenant.
David Smyth joined the firm as a newly qualified solicitor in 1983 and was made a partner in 1987. He specialises in estate planning, wills, trusts and personal taxation.
Alexandra Sarkis has been a partner since 1987, having qualified with the firm in 1984. She specialises in estate planning, wills, trusts (on and offshore) and probate. She also handles business and private company law matters.
Susan Black qualified in 1976 and joined the firm as a partner in 1994. Her practice encompasses all aspects of family law including marriage breakdown and related financial ancillary claims, disputes involving children and inheritance claims. She has particular expertise in complex money cases. Sue is a member of the Law Society Family Law panel and the Solicitors Family Law Association, and has a Family Mediators Association qualification in mediation.
Pauline Smith joined the firm in May 2004 from Bird & Bird. She qualified in 1974 and deals with a broad range of private client work including pre and post-death inheritance tax planning, wills and administration of estates, and the creation, administration and distribution of trusts. She has wide experience in the specialist area of charity law and advises a number of charities who are active in the health and research fields.
Mary Elliott trained with the firm, qualifying in 1990. She was made a partner in 1995 and specialises in probate, wills, settlements and related tax and property issues.
Ian Layzell-Smith qualified with May May & Merrimans in 1992 and was made a partner in 2001. He handles a wide range of commercial and agricultural property transactions, and is listed in the current edition of Legal Experts as an expert in agriculture and estates.
Marie Bermingham joined the firm in 2001 and was made a partner in 2003. Since qualifying in 1985, she has acquired significant experience in property law matters. She now specialises in estate conveyancing.
Angela Togher joined the firm in 2004, bringing with her ten years’ experience in the field of civil litigation, and became a partner the following year. She handles a broad range of civil litigation including property related matters, commercial disputes and defamation. She is also able to advise on employment issues.
Simon Morgan is another relative newcomer to the firm, having joined in 2004 from Payne Hicks Beach, and been made a partner in 2005. Simon has specialised in property law since qualification in 1996, and has a particular interest in agricultural law. His experience in landlord and tenant matters includes leasehold enfranchisement and extensions.
Associates
Paul Camfield joined May May & Merrimans as an Assistant Solicitor in 1988 having qualified in 1984. His specialist areas are trusts, wills and probate.
Rosemary Milns qualified in 1984 and joined May May & Merrimans as an Assistant Solicitor in 1988. She specialises in trusts, wills and probate and related tax issues.
At May May & Merrimans we take recruitment and training seriously, and we have an excellent record of retaining our staff. It is in our interests to do so because private clients above all value continuity and the knowledge of their affairs which is built up over a period of years. For our solicitors the key rewards of the job lie in work which is both varied and intellectually challenging, and in developing client relationships from one generation to the next.
We are always interested in hearing from talented and motivated individuals who can demonstrate a strong academic background, excellent communication skills and a commitment to a career with a thriving private client practice.
The firm is not at present taking on trainee solicitors.
History of May May & Merrimans
Founded in 1786 by Richard Wilson, May May & Merrimans has always practised within or close to the Inns of Court. For over 100 years the practice occupied no. 49 Lincolns' Inn Fields, until the move to its present premises in Gray's Inn in 1958. In the 19th Century the partners practised under their own names; Charles Gibbons May became a partner in 1884 and this family connection continued until 1965.
The firm took its present name on amalgamation with Merrimans in 1968 and subsequently acquired the practices of Ravenscroft Woodward & Co and Caprons & Crosse, both of which also had long antecedents in the private client field. The firm continues to expand and has recently acquired the private client practice of Bird & Bird.
May May & Merrimans
12 South Square
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5HH
Telephone: 020 7405 8932
Fax: 020 7831 0011
Email: mail@mmandm.co.uk
Directions to May May & Merrimans
Our offices are situated in Gray's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court, 5 minutes' walk from the Law Courts, and 2 minutes from Chancery Lane tube station on the Central Line (leave by Exit 1).
The main entrance to Gray's Inn is from High Holborn, midway between the junctions with Chancery Lane and Gray's Inn Road. South Square is the first square you enter and No. 12 is the second doorway to the left.
Streetmap Location Map Link - Please note this link will open in a new window.
May May & Merrimans
12 South Square
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5HH
Telephone: 020 7405 8932
Fax: 020 7831 0011
Email: mail@mmandm.co.uk
May May and Merrimans Website Home Page - http://www.mmandm.co.uk