Key Personnel

Peter has been a partner at Ashton Morton Slack since 1975 and has a wealth of experience in the criminal courts. Most of Peter's time is spent representing clients charged with a wide range of offences from minor motoring matters to the most serious of charges. Peter also prosecutes for the Department for Work and Pensions, the Environment Agency, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, The Department for Trade and Industry and the Child Support Agency, as well as sitting as a Recorder in the Crown Court 4 or 5 weeks a year.

"I love the variety in my job and, along with all my colleagues in the Criminal Department, I hope to provide an unrivalled service to all my clients and to ensure that they feel that we have their interests at heart and will do all we can to achieve the best possible result for them."

Tim qualified in 1989 at DLA Sheffield.  He joined Ashton Morton Slack in 1991 and became a partner in 2007. 

Tim has wide ranging expertise in commercial litigation, specialising in landlord and tenant matters, contractual disputes, property litigation and contested probate litigation.  He enjoys the challenge of achieving good results for clients in situations often fraught with great anxiety, supporting them at every stage of the process.  Recent successes have included the resolution of a highly complex dispute between an American manufacturing company and its UK representatives.   

Tim is married, with a young son, whom he is hoping will grow to share his great love of cricket and rugby and perhaps emulate Tim's achievements in playing rugby at Twickenham and excelling as an all rounder at his cricket club. 

Robert qualified in 1975 and was a partner in one of the founding firms of Ashton Morton Slack. They acquired a practice which Robert managed for 17 years, during which time he practised in litigation and commercial work, until 1995 when he returned to Ashton Morton Slack's main offices to run the civil litigation team. Robert is recognised by the Legal Experts' Directory as an expert in dispute resolution. He is also the strategic partner for the Business division of the firm.

"As well as managing the work of the dispute resolution team I enjoy the more complex cases which come to us. I tend to handle the larger value cases, and I find a great deal of satisfaction in the challenge of my work - I am instinctively competitive and just love to win.

"I'm driven by results, so ultimately I like to achieve the best for my clients, whether through settlement or in court. It's a rarity that cases get to court, we tend to settle matters before that, but on those rare occasions, I enjoy the very refined skill required. I'm especially pleased with a pensions dispute which I just settled after two visits to the Court of Appeal.

"I think as a team, and along with colleagues, we have created a formidable force and for the future I'd like to see our business services grow and fulfil what I see as genuine potential."

Tricia qualified in 1979 after training with Wake Smith and joined what was later to become The Law Partnership, as a partner, in 1988.

She has always concentrated on private client practice, previously  Wills and Asset management but latterly she has specialised in residential property.

Tricia says ‘I enjoy the satisfaction of helping my clients move into their dream home, the camaraderie of dealing with other solicitors and sometimes the cut and thrust of a legal argument along the way'

Both Tricia's daughter and son are at university and she enjoys many sports in her free time including badminton, golf and tennis.  She also has a taste for good food and wine as well as holidaying in the sun. 

Mark qualified in 1984 at the Sheffield firm of Stouts, which later merged with The Law Partnership.  He joined Ashton Morton Slack as a partner in May 2000 when the firm merged with The Law Partnership. 

Mark brought to the firm a wealth of experience and expertise in Serious Fraud matters.  He has worked for some 13 years in this field, for a number of years in gold and precious metals cases, and for the past several years his time has been spent almost exclusively on defence work in VAT fraud cases brought by HM Revenue & Customs.  He is an acknowledged leader in this area of law and has a superb record of client acquittals.

Mark is fascinated by the forensic investigative nature of this work - it plays perfectly to his strengths which include a prodigious memory, coupled with numeracy and stringent attention to detail.  He derives great satisfaction from achieving an acquittal at the end of a long and complex investigation, whether at trial or as the result of a successful finding of abuse of process. 

When not working Mark brings an equally fierce competitive fervour to his rally driving.  He holds a UK National Grade A rally licence and, ably supported by his team, competes successfully with his Opel Manta 400 and Subaru Impreza N10.  Both cars have impressive provenance, having been owned in the past by the legendary McRae rallying family.

We now have in place a team with the right track record, which understands how to treat clients.  Where we differ is in combining these qualities with investment in unique management systems so we can cut out the unnecessary delay and expense which all too often overshadow medical litigation. This means we can provide access to the law to more people, more efficiently.

Ed joined Ashton Hewitt Barlow and Wise, a forerunner of the present firm in 1975. He now works as a consultant running the team, which acts for national insurance companies and also for a number of self-insured organisations in the defence of claims against them. He is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers and is their Yorkshire region representative. Ed is a past President of the Sheffield District Incorporated Law Society and a member of the Board of the Faculty of Law at Sheffield University.

"For the last twenty five years, I have practiced on the defendant side representing a number of insurers and individuals in large and high profile cases. The department is staffed by experienced litigation specialists, all of whom have in excess of twenty years experience of dealing with claims of this type and I'm proud that we are so well respected within the insurance industry."

John qualified in 1975 and was a partner in one of the founding firms of Ashton Morton Slack. John is a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel, and Member of The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. He has extensive personal injury claims experience in all areas of personal injury law. He is an experienced advocate and committed believer in the need to provide top quality client care as well as a legal expertise of the highest standard. John has special responsibility for the Clinical Negligence Team and has particular interests in training and developing the skills and a legal knowledge base for the continued success and expansion of the Personal Injury Department.

"During my 30 years in practice I have seen many changes in the in way personal injury claims are handled. Two objectives remain as important today as they have always done: firstly, the need to deal with the client as an individual whose special requirements must be understood and secondly, to provide a top quality legal service that delivers results. Despite modern commercial pressures I am proud that the firm remains resolute in retaining and delivering these objectives."

Our clients can be confident of receiving the right advice. We have the skills to provide that, but as an Ashton Morton Slack client you are looked after and need not feel intimidated by the legal process.  We tell you what you need to know, and above all we are approachable; a factor we see as essential for any client.

Max was educated at Rugby School, and read history and English before going on to qualify as a solicitor in 1991 at the London firm Lovell White Durrant.  He joined Ashton Morton Slack in 1994, becoming a partner in 1998. 

He is the partner-in-charge of the Business Department.  His particular areas of expertise are in acquisitions and mergers, share sales and purchases and all aspects of company law.  Max also advises on partnerships and trading contracts.  He has wide ranging experience in insolvency law including the administration process, receivership, liquidation and bankruptcy.  Max's other principal sphere of expertise is employment law, where he provides clients with advice on contracts and redundancy procedures, and industrial relations. 

Max's recent major projects include the acquisition of a group of 9 caravan parks, at a cost of some £43m, and the restructuring of a major nursing home group. 

Max is married with a young son and daughter and is an ardent supporter of Welsh rugby (somewhat akin to being a Sheffield football supporter), enjoys skiing and walking, has a great love of food and wine, and a wide ranging interest in music.  

 

Stewart qualified in 1973 and is a founding partner of the firm, having been involved since 1974 throughout the various mergers which resulted in the formation of Ashton Morton Slack. 

Throughout his career Stewart has developed expertise in most areas of the law.  He has chosen, in recent years, to specialise in serious fraud and white-collar crime - a field in which the firm is an acknowledged leader.   Stewart also acts for VOSA in transport prosecutions. 

Stewart greatly enjoys the complexity of serious fraud work - developing a relationship with the clients, the satisfaction of obtaining an acquittal in a case which may have taken years, finding the documents which can bring down the entire prosecution case.  He relishes working with a dedicated and competent team, committed to obtaining for his clients the best possible result. 

When not working Stewart is something of a renaissance man, combining his jazz and classical piano playing and love of theatre with competitive snooker playing and a keen interest in golf.  He also greatly enjoys food, wine and travel. 

Helen qualified in 1979 at the Sheffield firm of Bingley Dyson & Furey.  She joined Ashton Morton Slack in 1999 and became a partner in 2007.

Helen is the partner responsible for the firm's commercial property practice.  Her wide ranging expertise covers the sale and purchase of retail and industrial properties, leisure developments such as caravan parks, development land, blocks of flats, agricultural land and properties and buy-to-let properties.  She also provides advice on landlord and tenant matters, tenancy agreements, neighbour disputes including rights of way, restriction of light and boundary issues.  

Helen particularly enjoys the very broad spectrum of her work and the opportunities it provides for creative problem solving.

Helen is married with two sons and is a keen walker, spending many weekends in the Derbyshire Dales.  She also greatly enjoys overseas travel and is a food and wine lover.

Ann is a Partner and head of the family and children team and has been a dedicated family solicitor for eleven years. She is a specialist accredited member of Resolution, the Family Lawyers association; the areas she specialised in are Private Children Law and Domestic Abuse.

Ann is a participating member of St Andrews Child Contact Centre Committee in Sheffield. Ann and the rest of the team are assisting Business in the Community with the Right to Read project, focussed on improving child literacy levels in the local community.

Rachel Roebuck is Head of the Children Team and has over 25 years experience in family law.  She is a Children Panel member, and she has a well established client base including CAFCASS members.  In addition Rachel is a member of the Resolution Accredited Specialist Panel in the areas of private law children matters and advocacy in ancillary relief proceedings. 

Rachel can advise and assist clients on a wide range of subjects such as;

• Child Care Proceedings
• Problems with Social Services
• Contact and Residence Disputes
• Parental Responsibility Issues
• Child Abduction
• Adoption

 

Stephen qualified as a solicitor in 1973 and has specialised in property work ever since. Whilst head of the property department, Steve specialises in relocation work, acting for employers and employees of all types of businesses and government departments moving around the country and beyond:

"I also get involved in international work, helping to smooth the process for businesses and their employees by handling legal requirements and documentation. This is a very specialised area of work, and I am delighted to be Ashton Morton Slack's resident expert, and one of very few lawyers in UK specialising in this work! As a firm, we've developed a very strong reputation in this area now, which was recently recognised by a special partnering award from Cartus Limited, the premier provider of global relocation services."

Following the completion of his degree at Cambridge University, Mike joined a London firm for his training. He then returned to Sheffield, and subsequently joined Ashton Morton Slack as head of the Asset Management Department.

"I enjoy my job because I get a buzz out of helping people, either by aiding the transfer of assets from one generation to another, or by supporting people at difficult times. I am now working with the children of some of my original clients which gives a great sense of continuity".