Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons launches Family team in London and hires Fiona Wilson to head the practice

 

Tuesday 1 July 2008

 

Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons is pleased to announce the launch of a Family team in its London office and also the appointment of Fiona Wilson.  The team, which is part of the firm's Private Client Services group, will be headed by Fiona who has been hired as a Family Law specialist to grow the practice in London.

 

The appointment of Fiona and the launch of a Family team in the firm's London office represent a strategically important business decision for Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons.  The firm's London office is an integral and important part of the firm's client offering, and is also key to its future strategy for growth.  These key announcements highlight the increasing success of the firm's London operation and also the growing need in the London market for the firm to offer a fully-fledged team that provides legal advice in the field of family law.  The complexity of issues in family matters requires specialist and discrete guidance, and the launch of this new team in London ensures that office is now able to provide clients with family advice as part of its offering to private individuals.

 

Fiona joins the firm from ASB Law where she was a Family partner and has previously worked at the City and Kent office of Vizards Wyeth where she built a successful family team from scratch.  Fiona now wishes to practice again in London where she feels her client base can be further developed.  Her specific areas of expertise include pre-marital agreements, living together agreements, the resolution of financial issues on divorce and of financial and property disputes between cohabiting couples, and the resolution of claims brought under the Inheritance Act.  Fiona brings an assistant with her to the firm, Irpreet Kohli, who will help ensure that the team hits the ground running from 1 July and that previous successes in building a team are recreated.

 

Comments Fiona: "Following significant progress in the firm's London office over the last 18 months, I am pleased to join Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons at such an exciting time.  I am delighted to be able to launch the firm's London Family team and look forward to growing both the client base and the team."

 

Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons has one of the largest specialist Family teams in the south east.  It provides clear and objective advice and sensitive help, backed by a wealth of expertise and experience.  Areas covered include divorce, separation, financial consequences of relationship breakdown, domestic violence and other injunctions, children proceedings including public law care proceedings.

 

Christine Plews, head of Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons' Family team, states: "In Fiona and her team we have an extremely strong foundation for the growth of a successful Family practice in our London office.  We are delighted they have joined the firm and I'm very much looking forward to seeing them develop new work and create a solid presence in the London market."

 

Fiona and her team start at the firm on Tuesday 1 July 2008.

 

- ENDS -

 

Notes to editors:

 

Fiona Wilson - Partner and Head of Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons' London Family team

Fiona gained a Diploma in European Law from the University of Amsterdam in 1995 having studied at the University of Aberdeen between 1976 and 1980.  She was admitted in 1982 as a solicitor in Scotland and in 1982 as a solicitor in England and Wales.  She worked for Blake Lapthorn Hampshire during the 1980s and the 1990s, firstly as a solicitor in the Family and General Litigation team and later as an Information Officer.

 

Fiona regularly lectures for Central Law Training and writes for the Family Law Journal and Resolution's magazine The Review.

 

Away from the office, Fiona is a member of Kent's Independent Education Appeals Committee and spends her free time with her family.

 

Irpreet Kohli, Assistant Solicitor in Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons' London Family team

 

Irpreet joins Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons from Vizards Wyeth, London, where she practiced as a specialist Family solicitor in a department which is Legal 500 rated.  Her caseload was entirely privately funded and included high net worth individuals and covered all aspects of family law.  She worked with Fiona Wilson to build up a thriving family team there.

 

Having studied at the University of Birmingham and the College of Law, Birmingham, Irpreet joined Thomson Snell & Passmore to complete her training contract.  She is now three years PQE and is keen to progress and develop her career with Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons.

 

Irpreet has a keen interest in marketing and during her post qualification has built up contacts within the Asian community.  She has written many articles for Asian Woman on subjects such as forced marriages, legal requirements for marriage and immigration and marriages abroad.  Additionally, she has appeared on the BBC Asian Network on similar subjects as well as general topics such as the Mills & McCartney divorce.

 

 

Contact:

Daniel Baber, PR Manager: Tel – 020 7814 5489; Email – daniel.baber@bllaw.co.uk