Warner Goodman LLP

Solicitors who work at Warner Goodman LLP

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  Sarah Brooks

  Sarah has over 32 years experience in the law and has a broad knowledge of many fields. Having gained experience in criminal law, civil litigation and probate, she decided to specialise in the world of property. She qualified as a Legal Executive in 2001 and became Business Head of the Residential Conveyancing Department in 2009 before being promoted to Partner in 2011. Sarah is passionate about the work she does, especially her relationships with clients and her professional colleagues, and takes great pride in her Residential Conveyancing department and the exceptional reputation they have gained. Outside of work Sarah enjoys getting away to see different countries, attending live music concerts and long walks with her dogs.

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  Kevin Horn

  Kevin graduated in Law in 1989 and joined Warner Goodman in September 1990. He became an Associate in 1998 and a Partner in 2000. Kevin spent 25 years dealing with all aspects of family law with a particular emphasis on children related work but in 2016 he decided on a change of career and joined the Private Client team where he hopes to spend the rest of his working life. Away from the office Kevin is a lifelong and passionate supporter of the sleeping giants that are ‘the mighty Blues’, (Portsmouth FC for the uninitiated), and looks forward to a change in their fortunes and a second spell in the Premiership.

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  Ed Voller

  Ed is the firm’s Managing Partner – a full time management role within Warner Goodman LLP where he will be able to use his people skills and business knowledge to assist in the continuing development of the firm. After acting for injured claimants for over 30 years, as of June 2015, Ed ‘hung up his boots’ as an injury lawyer in order to work alongside the firm’s retiring managing partner. During his 30 years he helped thousands of people claim compensation following serious injuries, road traffic accidents, accidents at work and many more who have been able to rebuild their lives due to the important financial support received. Ed is no stranger to management roles, for many years he has been a member of the firm’s Business Team and, before that, he was a member of the firm’s Management Team, Partner In Charge of our large Southampton Office, Litigation Business Head and Marketing Partner. Ed was born and raised in South London (the accent still gets through!) and trained in Gray’s Inn, London, spending the first seven years of his legal career there. Ed joined Warner Goodman in 1987 and has been a Partner in the firm since 1989. Outside of work, he is a singer/songwriter and writes original descriptive labels for a commercial craft ale brewer.

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  Jane Cox

  Jane began in 2004 as an Assistant Solicitor in the Private Client department before being promoted to Associate status in 2007, and then appointed Partner in 2013. Jane graduated from Plymouth University with a 2:1(Honours) degree. She went on to complete her Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Guildford and obtained a Distinction. Jane completed her training with a firm in Kent aptly called Warners and then spent her first year as newly qualified Solicitor in the firm Lamport Bassett. Jane works part time and the remainder of her time is spent looking after her children, walking her Labrador, Bess and trying to fit in some time to relax with her husband Mark.

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  William Ware

  After leaving Rugby school William moved south to Southampton University. He graduated from Southampton with an LLB degree in Law. After sitting the Law exams at Guildford College of Law, he joined Warner Goodman in 1982. William has had the unique experience of working at all the firm’s offices at various times in his career with the firm. During that time he has gained an invaluable insight into working at the firm and the preferences of the firm’s clients. Although he now specialises in Inheritance Tax planning Wills and Trusts, he has had considerable experience in litigation. He enjoys gardening, collecting and restoring antiquated machinery (including a 20 year old Bentley), and also pottering on the Solent in various small craft. When not attempting to be a “new man” interactive parent – he is an armchair enthusiast of Formula 1 motor racing.

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  Claire Battye

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  Claire is one of the firm’s partners and has been with Warner Goodman since 1998. She heads up the Commercial Property and Land Development team and is based at our Portsmouth office. She specialises in all aspects of Property Law with a particular focus on acting for developers and speculators. She also enjoys dealing with all types of commercial property acquisitions/disposals, and security work for High Street Lenders. Claire qualified as a Solicitor in 1993. Before this she left school in 1984 and worked full time in the legal profession whilst studying. In her final year she attended Guildford College of Law where she passed her Solicitors final exams with First Class Honours.

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  Paul Winslade

  Paul can see every angle when he deals with property conveyancing – having been both a home purchaser and an estate agent before becoming a legal executive and partner. Paul deals with commercial and residential property transactions. He is fascinated by property law and relishes tackling the unusual. He recently had to research ancient rights of way and also private water supply laws for clients who were buying a historic barn with long-established footpaths across the land and its own bore hole shared with a neighbouring farm. Paul is married with two young daughters and has always lived in Portsmouth. He was an estate agent before joining Warner Goodman to train as a legal executive in 1997 and became a Partner in 2011. Paul enjoys all sports and represented Portsmouth youth teams in basketball, cricket and football.

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  Torion Bowles

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  After studying at Cardiff Law School for four years, Torion was called to the Bar in 2003. He pursued a career in Civil Litigation with a focus on property litigation before joining Warner Goodman in the Residential Conveyancing team in Southampton just after cross-qualifying to become a Solicitor in 2013. It was in March 2014 that he transferred to the Commercial Litigation team and has since built a strong client base focussing on contentious matters involving companies and partnerships, the protection of the reputations of businesses, internet defamation, intellectual property, contentious debt recovery and disputes concerning the supply of services and goods. Torion has recently successfully represented defendants in a multi-million partnership dispute in the High Court preventing another partner purchasing the partnership assets for less than open market value. Torion has conduct of other high value litigious commercial matters and he also forms part of Warner Goodman’s international company and commercial team advising international clients on claims brought within the UK. Torion was delighted to be promoted to Partner in May 2017.

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  Helen Porter

  Helen Porter is a Partner heading up the Commercial Litigation Department. Helen advises on all aspects of commercial litigation in the High Court and County Courts, of dispute resolution and professional negligence. Helen also specialises in property related disputes advising on all aspects of commercial and residential matters and construction/building disputes, acting for both land owners and tenants in Court, Tribunal and Adjudicator’s office proceedings. Helen previously worked in Government both in London and overseas before obtaining a First Class BA Honours degree in Law and French at London Guildhall University. Helen was also a member of the Territorial Army for 10 years so understands the importance of dispute resolution! She moved to the south in 2005 after qualifying with a firm of solicitors based in Peterborough. Helen joined the Commercial Litigation team at Warner Goodman LLP in 2008. In her spare time, Helen enjoys gardening, travelling and keeping fit through zumba classes.

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  Steve Grant

  Steve is Head of the Commercial Group and a Partner in our Company Commercial team. Most of Steve’s time is spent advising on share and asset acquisitions, disposals and mergers. Steve has developed a particular specialism in relation to small to medium business sales and purchases. He prides himself on being able to get deals through to completion within tight timescales by working with, rather than against, all of the other parties. The remainder of his time is spent working on shareholder agreements, supplier agreements and other commercial contracts where his keen eye for detail and creative thinking has helped hundreds of clients for over a decade. The majority of Steve’s clients are owner managed businesses. He particularly enjoys the demanding nature of owner managers and relishes the opportunity to give commercial advice as well as advice on the law. He readily acknowledges that he has learnt more from great business owner clients and from running his own business than from legal textbooks or seminars and this is reflected in his services and service levels. Steve is an enthusiastic sportsman and outside of work he can usually be found torturing himself in the gym, playing football or angling.

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  Sarah Whitemore

  Sarah is a Partner within the Employment Team, and leads the Peace of Mind membership within that team. Her journey here was a traditional one, albeit that she took two attempts to complete her LLB. First time around she studied at Brunel where every course is a sandwich degree. She was sent for her work placement to the Courts of Justice in London Road and enjoyed it so much she refused to go back. To continue with the formalities (read to the end for details on her sporting abilities and musical tastes!), Sarah read Law at Southampton University, went on to obtain a (rare) First Class Honours from the Law Society’s Finals Course and joined Warner Goodman & Streat in 1992. Her early training was predominantly in Civil Litigation. She chose to specialise in Employment Law after her daughter was born 16 years ago. She was singled out in the 2002-2003 edition of Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession, for her work with employment law matters and, in particular, her ‘hard work on behalf of applicants whilst maintaining a balanced practice for individuals and employers’. Alongside the people she works for and the stories they tell her, what Sarah enjoys most about being an employment lawyer is the ability to do a deal for someone that gets them out of a situation which is not working for either side. Facilitating the ability to move on is the name of the game, although Sarah may say it’s perhaps not a very catchy one! What our clients say about Sarah is that she has the ‘ability to maintain a calm and balanced perspective on what can be emotionally difficult circumstances.’ Sarah says this could be because she used to be a Tannoy operator or before that a pizza delivery driver each of which required calm and perspective.

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  Howard Robson

  Howard is Team Leader of the Employment department which forms part of the Commercial Services Department. Howard graduated with an LLB (Hons) degree in Law in 1989 from Manchester Polytechnic and successfully completed the Solicitors Final Examinations the following year. Before joining the firm Howard was employed by Southampton City Council as a Principal Solicitor and Manager of the Litigation team within the in-house legal department with responsibility for dealing with the Authority’s Employment Litigation as well as a range of Criminal and Civil Litigation particularly in relation to regulatory matters including health and safety law, food safety matters and local authority licensing. Howard’s work now includes Unfair Dismissal, , Race and Disability Discrimination cases as well as dealing with non-contentious employment matters. Howard is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, and enjoys jumping out of otherwise serviceable aircraft whenever the weather allows! He also enjoys running to stay fit for the former activity!

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  Graeme Barclay

  Graeme qualified in 1996 and has practiced in Family law in the local area since that time. He joined the firm in 2006 and was made a partner in 2011. Graeme has a wealth of experience in dealing with privately funded clients, but is well grounded having handled a large caseload of publicly funded matters over his years in practice. Graeme is a member of Resolution, and is an accredited specialist in the fields of ancillary relief and domestic abuse. Graeme brings a calming and reassuring approach to law built upon the solid foundations of his years of experience. At times of crisis, Graeme offers a sensible and level headed service with a view to minimising pain and maximising results for his clients.

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  Sam Miles

  Sam joined the firm in 2004, having practiced in the local area since qualifying, and became a Partner in 2006. She is the Head of the Family department. Sam is a Resolution trained mediator and a member of Resolution. Sam’s practice spans the entire spectrum of family work, but she specialises particularly in private work involving financial and children matters and also has a large caseload of matters involving unmarried families. Sam adopts a no-nonsense approach to law, but strives to provide a sympathetic understanding of the client’s needs at times of stress and difficulty. Sam is married and has two young children herself so understands the pressures facing families.

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  Andy Munden

  Prior to joining Warner Goodman LLP, Andy graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc in Economics. He then turned to the Law and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. He originally worked for the firm from 1995 to 1999 and returned in 2002. In 2010, he was promoted to a Partner and was the first non-solicitor Partner in the 150 year history of the firm. As Personal Injury Partner, Andy has over 20 years of experience recovering compensation for those who have sustained injuries through accidents at work or on holiday, trips, slips and falls, and accidents due to faulty goods/products. He also has excellent knowledge of dealing with serious or catastrophic injuries, and those suffering with an Industrial Disease. He now specialises in professional negligence claims if clients feel their previous Personal Injury Lawyer has not acted accordingly, or they have not received the optimum level of compensation based on their injury and long term effects on their life. Andy is a well respected leader in the legal community, being a Professional member of the Professional Conduct Panel of Cilex Regulation, who are the regulator for issues of breach of the code of conduct of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, as well as being accredited on the Chair of the Personal Injury Group of Lawnet and a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Andy also now leads the IT provision, with a particular interest in the efficient provision of legal services in a customer focused way. Andy works with stakeholders within the firm and also third party contacts to ensure the firm continues to innovate and deliver customer service excellence in all areas of the practice, both for individual and commercial clients. In his spare time Andy enjoys playing football, golf and squash and watching the Saints (although that is not always enjoyable!). Andy’s wife Teena enjoys baking cupcakes (making Andy chief taster) and he is a devoted family man with two daughters.