Our Team
Here you can find information about the individuals in each of the teams and departments at Ridley & Hall and the areas of law within which our lawyers and solicitors specialise.
Click on the individual images to view detailed profile information.
If you know who you need to get in touch with already you can find direct contact information shown on each profile. Alternatively, you can either contact our main switchboard directly on 01484 538421 and we will guide you to the right person, or submit the inquiry form on our contact page.
Type the name to search for a member.
Adam Ali
SolicitorCommercial Property
Adam joined Ridley & Hall in February 2020 as a commercial property solicitor from Kingston upon Hull and now acts for local businesses in Huddersfield and in Hull. He is based in our Huddersfield office and works alongside our commercial property lawyer and partner David Amies....
David Amies
PartnerCommercial Property
With 20 years’ experience, David joined Ridley & Hall in 2015 to head up the commercial property department.
David brings to the firm his knowledge of the local market and takes pride in offering sensible, straightforward yet commercially astute advice to his clients across an exceptionally broad range of matters....
Kavya Balram
ParalegalChild Care & Public Law
Kavya moved to the UK in 2015. She is a qualified lawyer in India.
Kavya has always wanted to progress her career in law and pursue further studies to dual qualify as a Solicitor in England and Wales. She has passed the first stage of the exams and is studying towards the second part....
Lynsey Bashforth
PartnerWills & Probate
Lynsey Bashforth is a Solicitor who joined Ridley & Hall in July 2019.
Lynsey was the sole director of Bashforth-Young Solicitor until it was acquired by Ridley & Hall in 2019. Bashforth-Young Solicitor was a boutique specialist Wills & Probate firm located in South Elmsall Pontefract. Lynsey still works out of the South Elmsall offices where she established the practice and where all services of Ridley and Hall can now be provided to the community....
Sarah Brown
Associate SolicitorChild Care & Public Law
Sarah joined Ridley & Hall in 2010 following the completion of her Law Degree. Whilst working at Ridley & Hall she studied the Legal Practice Course part time over two years, completing it in 2012....
Nicki Butterworth
Associate Personal AssistantChild Care & Public Law
Nicki is an experienced Personal Assistant who works within the Care & Public Law Team (for Child Care Director, James Cook).
Nicki’s career began in the retail sector, and it was there where she began to hone her renowned communication and customer service skills....
Sue Cash
PartnerSolicitor & Notary Public
Sue Cash is a highly experienced solicitor and notary public. She has been a partner at Ridley & Hall since October 2009. Sue was head of the private client department for several years, and now has a compliance role within the firm as well as working on special projects and doing notarial work. ...
James Cook
Director,Head of Child Care & Public Law Team
Child Care & Public Law
James Cook trained and qualified at a South Yorkshire firm where he specialised in family and immigration law. ...
Marina Cotton
ParalegalResidential Property
Marina joined our residential property team as a Property Paralegal to work alongside Alistair McKinlay at our South Elmsall office, dealing with sales, purchases, transfers of equity and remortgages. ...
Anthony Elston
Finance DirectorManagement
Anthony is a Chartered Accountant and was a partner in a national firm of accountants until 2011. He then joined a national consumer law firm as Finance Director and worked as part of the management team achieving significant growth organically and through acquisition, culminating in the sale of the firm in 2014 to a public company....
Tracey Firth
HR ManagerManagement
Tracey joined Ridley & Hall as a HR Manager in 2021. She is a Chartered member of the CIPD....
Adam Fletcher
Director,Head of Pontefract - South Elmsall Office
Residential Property
Adam is a Director & Head of our Pontefract office. Adam was appointed Managing Director in 2012-2018, having previously held the role of Technology and Business Development Partner with the firm for the previous 12 months....
Thomas Grice
SolicitorWills & Probate
Tom is a solicitor who joined Ridley & Hall in May 2021. Tom has joined Ridley & Hall from a multi discipline firm in Wakefield, having previously worked in Knaresborough and at a nationwide firm in Wakefield. Previous to this Tom undertook his Law Degree at the University of Bradford and the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School, achieving a Distinction....
Kate Hames
SolicitorFamily & Matrimonial
Kate joined the Family and Matrimonial Department at Ridley & Hall Solicitors in 2020.
Having graduated with a degree in Law from Northumbria University, Kate spent over 12 years working for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service in Leeds, developing her legal knowledge and acumen within both their criminal and family law departments....
Deborah Hardy
PartnerChild Care & Public Law
Deborah has over 25 years’ experience in family law and has particular expertise in representing children, court appointed guardians, parents and extended family members in care proceedings in Leeds and surrounding areas. She joined Ridley & Hall as a Partner in 2018....
Shelley Harper
SolicitorFamily & Matrimonial
Shelley joined Ridley & Hall Solicitors in 2020 and is a Solicitor in our family department having qualified in 2018.
Shelley completed her Law Degree at Sheffield Hallam University and continued her studies at BPP University Law School in Leeds....
Melanie Hartley
PartnerFamily & Matrimonial
Melanie joined Ridley and Hall as a Partner in 2018 and works within the Family and Matrimonial Department.
Melanie brings a diverse range of skills to the department that she developed during her previous employment as an Associate Solicitor at a large National Firm and the invaluable experience she gained whilst working more recently at a boutique law firm in Leeds City Centre....
Emma Hopkins Jones
PartnerFamily & Matrimonial
Emma joined Ridley & Hall as a Partner in September 2020. Emma is an experienced family law specialist, practising in all areas of private family law. Emma’s expertise in financial issues on separation, and in particular cases involving unmarried couples, was recognised in the Legal 500 2017....
Victoria Jones
Trainee SolicitorFamily & Matrimonial
Victoria achieved a First Class M Law (Exempting) degree at Northumbria University. Whilst at university, Victoria was a student adviser at Northumbria University’s Student Law Office, providing detailed legal advice to members of the public under solicitor supervision. Prior to commencing her final year at University, Victoria completed a short internship working with a law firm in Singapore....
Deborah Kaye
Associate SolicitorWills & Probate
Deborah Kaye joined the firm’s Private Client Team in July 2019, to contribute to the growth of that department. She brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked in this area of the law for over 20 years. Deborah previously had strong connections in the Holme Valley where she practised for many years and has welcomed the opportunity to work again in Huddersfield, having spent a few years working for a large multi-discipline firm in Bradford most recently....
Clare Linden
PartnerChild Care & Public Law
Clare joined Ridley & Hall Solicitors as a Partner in 2018. Clare graduated from Durham University and completed her legal training at the College of Law in York in 2006. Clare qualified as a solicitor in 2008 when she re-located to Leeds to join the niche family law firm McAras and was made a partner in 2013 following the firm’s merger with Simpson Millar solicitors in Leeds....
Alison Mason
Head of the Residential Property Department,Partner
Residential Property
Alison Mason is Head of the Property Department and is a Licensed Conveyancer with over 20 years of experience in residential Conveyancing.
Alison joined Ridley & Hall in 1996 having previously worked for other local firms....
Alistair McKinlay
PartnerResidential Property
Alistair is a Partner in the Residential Property department, based in South Elmsall Pontefract, where he works alongside Adam Fletcher and Ashley Sowerby. He joined Ridley & Hall in February 2020 to help further develop the firm and department’s profile, having been a Partner for over 20 years at a well known Leeds practice....
Vicky Medd
PartnerFamily & Matrimonial
Vicky Medd is a family solicitor with over 20 years experience. She is an accredited specialist with Resolution and has a lot of experience of financial relief, and child disputes. Vicky was also recently involved in one of the first family arbitration cases in the country and has a lot of experience in dealing with cases as expeditiously as possible, whilst achieving the best outcomes for clients....
Afreen Mhar
SolicitorCommercial Property, Residential Property
Afreen recently joined the property team as a Residential and Commercial Property Solicitor in September 2019. After living in Norfolk since 2016, she has returned home to Huddersfield to settle back in to her community....
Laura Milburn
PartnerChild Care & Public Law
Laura has many years of legal experience and was called to the Bar in 2010. After qualifying as a Barrister, Laura cross-qualified to become a Solicitor in 2012.
Laura is a passionate advocate and has used her advocacy and negotiation skills on behalf of many clients over the years. ...
Helen Moody
SolicitorChild Care & Public Law
Helen completed her degree in law in 2009 before continuing her studies part time on the Legal Practice Course whilst working in a solicitors firm in Wakefield to gain experience.
Helen joined Ridley & Hall in January 2012 after completion of the Legal Practice Course, initially as a Legal Assistant working alongside Nigel Priestley to build up experience in the Public Law department. Helen completed her training contract at Ridley & Hall and qualified as a solicitor in October 2016....
Shad Mpande
SolicitorResidential Property
Shad is a Trainee Solicitor currently undertaking his third seat in the Family Department. He has undertaken a seat in the Property Department and our Paralegal Central Services Team.
Shad is a member of Resolution which is a community of family professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way....
Emma Pearmaine
Managing DirectorFamily & Matrimonial, Management
Emma Pearmaine is a family and matrimonial specialist. For almost 20 years, she has represented clients in divorce and children cases. She has particular niche expertise in matrimonial cases involving challenging business, pension, maintenance and other finance issues....
Melanie Pickering
SolicitorWills & Probate
Melanie Pickering joined the firm’s Wills & Probate team in April 2021, helping to expand the department. She has over 5 years’ experience of experience in this area of law and qualified as a solicitor into this field in 2017. Although always based in Yorkshire, Melanie has worked with clients based all around the country, and internationally....
Lucy Pickles
Trainee SolicitorWills & Probate
Lucy began life at Ridley and Hall as a Care Paralegal in August 2018. In July 2019, she began her training contract, with her first seat being in the Care Team. ...
Nigel Priestley
Senior Partner, MBEChild Care & Public Law
Nigel Priestley is a Senior Partner of Ridley & Hall Solicitors and a community care and adoption specialist solicitor. He is a member of the Children’s Panel and regularly represents children and parents in care proceedings.
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Michelle Silcox
SolicitorChild Care & Public Law
Michelle joined Ridley & Hall in October 2019 and was admitted to the Role of Solicitor in early November 2019.
Following redundancy from her longstanding role as Customer Service Manager at a national workwear company in 2007, Michelle took the decision to go to University and study law, something she had also hoped to do....
Ann Silver
Personal AssistantWills & Probate
Ann Silver is Personal Assistant to the firm’s Private Client Team. She joined Ridley & Hall in 1999 and over the years she has helped many hundreds of clients through the Will making process and supported many more through the distress of the death of a loved one and the Probate process...
Themer Slimane
Marketing ManagerManagement
Themer joined Ridley & Hall in 2017 as a Marketing & Business Development intern. He was appointed Marketing Manager in 2018 and his role consists of managing the online and offline marketing of the firm. He works closely with the Managing Director Emma Pearmaine....
Susan Sowden
SolicitorResidential Property
Susan joined the firm in November 2019, from a firm in South Yorkshire but having previously been with firms in West Yorkshire. She specialises in all forms of residential conveyancing including sales, purchases, remortgages, transfers of equity and sales of new build plots on small-scale property developments.
Susan also has a background in commercial property matters and Wills & Probate matters....
Ashley Sowerby
Associate SolicitorResidential Property
Ashley Sowerby joined Ridley & Hall in autumn 2016 as a Solicitor within the Property Department. She qualified as a Solicitor in 2014 after completing her Law Degree and Legal Practice Course at Leeds Metropolitan University....
Natalie Stephenson-Quayle
ParalegalChild Care & Public Law
Natalie started at Ridley & Hall in November 2019 as a care paralegal. In September 2020, Natalie integrated into the Public Law team as well, so now she works in both the Care and the Public Law teams which offers her the ability to help clients in need. This is something she has been interested in from a young age. ...
Rosie Turner
SolicitorChild Care & Public Law
Rosie primarily assists clients on a variety of issues in relation to kinship care, particularly claiming allowances and back dated payments for kinship carers from Local Authority’s. Rosie also assists clients with Special Guardianship Order applications and advice in relation to the support that is available under Special Guardianship Orders....
James Urquhart-Burton
PartnerLitigation
James is an experienced solicitor who joined the Litigation Team at Ridley and Hall as a Partner in January 2020.
James brings with him passion and understanding of the legal challenges faced by older people and their families. For a number of years now, he has advised people about their eligibility for funding for long-term care, particularly NHS Continuing Healthcare....
Loreena Walker
Associate Fellow Chartered Legal ExecutiveFamily & Matrimonial
Loreena joined Ridley & Hall Solicitors in 2018, and is a Fellow Chartered Legal Executive in our family department. Loreena is also a member of Resolution a nationwide organisation dedicated to ensuring that family professionals deal with family disputes in a constructive manner....
Sarah Young
DirectorLitigation
Sarah Young is one of a limited number of lawyers in Yorkshire who specialise in contentious probate law, which includes advising on – amongst other matters – inheritance disputes, problems with executors and arguments involving trusts and the Court of Protection....
