Firm promotions

Our newly promoted Partners, Legal Directors and Senior Associates are:

Partner promotions:

Harriet Betteridge (Private Client – Guildford, UK)

Harriet advises high-net-worth clients in the UK and those with overseas connections with their estate planning. Her practice allows her to work with her clients to get the fundamentals in place, such as making a will, as well as on longer term succession planning strategies. Harriet has significant experience in setting up trusts and their ongoing administration and as part of this she advises on trust taxation.

Emily Chalkley (Employment – London, UK)

Emily is a highly experienced litigator working in both the Employment Tribunal and High Court. On the non-contentious side, she provides HR support to corporate clients, advising on complex restructures, global employment policy changes and TUPE. She is skilled in managing post-termination disputes with senior executives and adept at advising on settlement negotiations and severance terms.

Joe Edwards (Real Estate Disputes – Guildford, UK)

Joe specialises in real estate finance disputes, property insolvency and property litigation. In addition to more traditional real estate litigation work, Joe specialises in property finance disputes and secured lending mandates. This sees him acting for borrowers, lenders and guarantors in a wide range of lending matters.

Joseph Evans (Dispute Resolution – London, UK)

Joseph is a solicitor-advocate who undertakes all aspects of commercial litigation work, specialising in insolvency disputes. Joseph assists officeholders with their investigations into insolvent companies and individuals, both in the UK and overseas, with a view to recovering misappropriated funds for the estates. Joseph works on cases involving fraud, misfeasance, negligence and tax avoidance.

Guillaume Ferrand (Corporate – Paris, France)

Guillaume specialises in M&A and Private Equity and advises private companies and investors in their strategic capital transactions in France, including mergers and acquisitions, LBO and venture capital transactions.

Catrin Harrison (Private Client – London, UK)

Catrin specialises in complex tax, trust and estate planning. She assists high net worth individuals with a wide range of UK taxation matters, including the statutory residence test, the remittance basis / the new four year regime, and the taxation of offshore trusts with UK resident settlors and/or beneficiaries.

Richard Honey (Private Client – London, UK)

Richard advises high net worth individuals on a full range of private client matters, including will drafting and lifetime and post-death tax planning, with a particular focus on succession planning for individuals with family business interests. Richard has significant experience in administering complex and often contentious UK and cross-border estates. He also advises on trust creation and administration as well as capacity issues, especially for families with vulnerable individuals.

Edith Lai (Banking & Finance – London, UK)

Edith is a debt financing specialist, representing banks, debt funds, investment managers, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. She advises on corporate and real estate finance transactions, with extensive experience in a diverse range of asset classes such as logistics, student accommodations, and healthcare. Specialising in complex cross-border deals, she frequently engages with parties from Continental Europe and Asia. Originally from Hong Kong and a native Chinese speaker, she is Co-Head (UK & Europe) of the Firm’s China and APAC Desk.

Oliver Little (Private Client – London, UK)

Oliver provides advice to UK and non-UK individuals, families, trustees and beneficiaries regarding taxation, trust and estate planning matters. He has a particular focus in advising high-net-worth individuals to coordinate their tax and estate planning across multiple jurisdictions, including the application of the statutory residence test for clients who are either moving to or leaving the UK. In addition, Oliver has particular expertise on the tax-efficient structuring of UK property ownership.

Claudine Morgan (Dispute Resolution – Cheltenham, UK)

Claudine is a commercial litigator with significant experience across a broad spectrum of disputes and investigations. She has an exceptional ability to effectively manage complex and technically demanding cases. Claudine’s specialisms are contractual disputes, breach of duty claims, shareholder disputes, wrongful trading, misfeasance, civil fraud, misrepresentation, D&O claims, professional negligence and reputation management.

Ashwin Pillay (Corporate – London, UK)

Ashwin advises on a range of corporate matters with a focus on private company mergers and acquisitions and private equity investment work for a variety of individuals, institutions and management teams as well as acting on corporate governance matters including corporate reorganisations. Ashwin works with a wide variety of clients, albeit with a focus on entrepreneurial sellers, across many sectors and on all aspects of these matters.

Sarah Wray (Private Client – London, UK)

Sarah advises on all aspects of private client work. However, her particular specialism is Landed Estates, both rural and urban, and heritage property. Sarah is passionate about helping her clients, many of whom have held their Estates for hundreds of years, to build strategies which ensure the long-term integrity and success of the Estate. This involves ensuring good internal governance, with open dialogue between trustees, beneficiaries and key executives, within a flexible structure able to respond to the pressures, and opportunities, of the modern world.

Counsel promotion:

Legal Director promotion:

Elena Dunn (Global Private Client – Zurich)

Elena trained at the Firm and subsequently spent nine years with a top 50 UK law firm. Having rejoined the Firm in 2024, ahe advises international clients on personal, business and philanthropic interests. Elena advises on UK and international tax issues and on tax regularisations where necessary, as well as in relation to planning for the future and having an appropriate succession plan in place, often across multiple jurisdictions. Elena also advises individuals on moving to or from the UK and issues to consider regarding family structures, such as trusts, partnerships and companies.

Hayley Lalsing (Private Property – Guildford, UK)

Hayley joined the firm in 2016. She has a broad range of experience in residential property transactions, acting for private individuals based both in the UK and internationally, trustees, and company directors. She has particular experience and expertise acting for private banks in connection with their property financing requirements.

Counsel promotion:

Elena Dunn (Global Private Client – Zurich)

Elena trained at the Firm and subsequently spent nine years with a top 50 UK law firm. Having rejoined the Firm in 2024, ahe advises international clients on personal, business and philanthropic interests. Elena advises on UK and international tax issues and on tax regularisations where necessary, as well as in relation to planning for the future and having an appropriate succession plan in place, often across multiple jurisdictions. Elena also advises individuals on moving to or from the UK and issues to consider regarding family structures, such as trusts, partnerships and companies.

Legal Director promotion:

Hayley Lalsing (Private Property – Guildford, UK)

Hayley joined the firm in 2016. She has a broad range of experience in residential property transactions, acting for private individuals based both in the UK and internationally, trustees, and company directors. She has particular experience and expertise acting for private banks in connection with their property financing requirements.

Senior Associate promotions:

  • Elinor Boote (Private Client – London, UK)
  • Tom Denham-Smith (Private Wealth Disputes – London, UK)
  • Will Dewey (Private Client – Guildford, UK)
  • Georgia Fullarton (Commercial Dispute Resolution – Dubai, UAE)
  • Christopher Hadnutt (Construction, Engineering & Projects – London, UK)
  • Will Harwood (Real Estate – London, UK)
  • Grace Hudson (Corporate – London, UK)
  • Lynsey Inglis (Real Estate – London, UK)
  • Clément Missey (Corporate – Luxembourg)
  • Molly Moseley (Corporate – London, UK)
  • Imran Moutaabbid (Corporate – Luxembourg)
  • Tessa Newman (Corporate Tax – London, UK)
  • Louise Paterson (Private Client – London, UK)
  • Briony Richards (Employment – Cheltenham, UK)
  • Charlie Searle (Private Client – London, UK)
  • Sophie Willis (Real Estate – London, UK)

Our lateral partners

Keep reading

Our people

Keep reading

Alumni • Legal Notices • Accessibility • Privacy Notice • Fraudulent or 'scam' communication • Complaints Procedure • COVID Secure Certification • Pricing Information

© Charles Russell Speechlys 2025. Solicitors Regulation Authority number 420625.