MEET THE TEAM

SENIOR PARTNER

HUGH HARRIES

Hugh Harries is the probate partner of Midwinters. He studied law at King’s College London, and qualified as a solicitor in 1985. He joined Midwinters in 1988, becoming a partner in 1991.

Hugh undertakes a wide range of probate work including advice on wills and related tax matters, administration of estates and trusts. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

PARTNER

GARETH GREGORY

Gareth Joined Midwinters in 1999 after running his own practice in Cheltenham for the previous 11 years.

Gareth heads the firm’s Property Department specialising in all aspects of residential and commercial conveyancing including commercial freehold and leasehold property. Gareth has handled investment portfolios for private clients and has acted on the acquisition of a large number of retail units in the country’s major shopping centres.

PARTNER

MARK LYNHAM

Mark undertakes Private Client work with a particular specialism in Probate. He graduated with First Class Honours before completing the Legal Practice Course at Cardiff Law School. He qualified in 1999 with a London firm.

He joined Midwinters in 2018 having moved from a national law firm where he handled complex probate matters and managed a team of experienced probate specialists.

He is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

PARTNER

LUCY WEBLEY

Lucy Webley qualified as a Solicitor in 1997 and specialises in all aspects of family law, including divorce, civil partnership breakdown, financial settlements, disputes relating to children and disputes between unmarried couples. She is also an expert in helping to avoid disputes through the use of pre and post nuptial and living together agreements.

She joined the firm in September 2019 from Ledbury firm Orme and Slade, where she headed the family department. Lucy is a member of Resolution, the national family lawyers’ association, and stands by their ethos of dealing with situations in a constructive and amicable way. She is known for her common sense approach and sensitive and empathetic way of dealing with her clients.

Lucy lives in Cheltenham with her family.

CONSULTANT

ALEXIS CASSIN

Alexis advises on wills, inheritance tax planning, all aspects of the Administration of Deceased’s estates and on property matters.

She also specialises in advising the elderly on matters such as powers of attorney and equity releases and oversees the running of the personal affairs of many clients. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

SOLICITOR

JOHN KEDDIE

John qualified as a solicitor in Bristol in 1997. He has undertaken Dispute Resolution/litigation work  since then. John has been recommended to clients and other firms by senior London barristers for his wealth of experience, detailed knowledge and expertise. John’s work includes:

• Inheritance Act, Will, Probate & Trust disputes including cases that have proceeded to multi-day trials in the High Court. This is a particular area of expertise in part because of the firm’s thriving Probate department.
• Landlord & Tenant disputes (for letting agents and landlords only) particularly in relation to section 21 and section 8 possession proceedings but also where the landlord faces a claim or a counterclaim such as alleged disrepair of premises. John is regularly referred work from Letting Agents and works in close collaboration with the Agent and the Landlord having developed significant expertise in this niche area of work. It is very much a team effort to achieve the best outcome for the Landlord at a reasonable cost. Letting Agent references in respect of the quality of John’s work are available upon request.
• Other property related litigation, particularly cohabitation disputes (beneficial ownership issues, constructive trusts, resulting trusts, proprietary estoppel).
• Large personal injury claims usually pursued via a ‘no win, no fee’ arrangement. Notable successes include a £3 million personal injury claim in the High Court in London in 2012. At the time this was one of the highest personal injury settlements in the country.
• Advising employees in relation to Settlement Agreements.

John believes in guiding clients through cases, with clarity at every step of the way.  Outside of work John enjoys time with his family, football (playing to a very low standard and watching to a very high standard) and skiing.

SOLICITOR

ANDREW HART

Andrew qualified firstly as a Legal Executive and then as a Solicitor in 1992.

He has worked in private practice in Cheltenham throughout his career joining Midwinters in 2015.

Andrew advises on Wills, Probate and the administration of estates as well as Powers of Attorney and elderly client matters.

SOLICITOR

LAURA LYES

Laura graduated from the University of Gloucestershire in 2015 and went on to complete her Masters degree in Legal Practice at the University of Law in Bristol.

Laura trained in Criminal Law in Cheltenham before qualifying in 2019 and practising Private Client Law. Laura joined Midwinters in 2024 after returning to work from a period of maternity leave.

Over the last 5 years Laura has worked closely with clients on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Estate Administration.

LEGAL EXECUTIVE

SARAH BUCHANAN

Sarah joined the Property Department of Midwinters in 2021 and specialises in all aspects of residential conveyancing.

She has comprehensive experience in the sale and purchase of freehold and leasehold property, shared-ownerships, transfers of equity, re-mortgaging, voluntary first registration and adverse possession applications.

Sarah qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in February 2020.