SLS committee members
-
Tom is the current President of Surrey Law Society for 2011-2012. Tom's background is in science but he re-trained and qualified as a solicitor, specialising in family law. He has been a member of Resolution (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association) for several years and deals with matters relating to children, divorce and financial applications, as well as separation for both married and unmarried clients, advising on cohabitation and preparing separation agreements. Tom is a qualified Resolution accredited specialist in the areas of advanced financial provision and private children law. He is also a Collaborative Practitioner and is committed to these principles to resolve family law disputes.
-
Kieran qualified in July 2006, and is now a solicitor in the Private Client department of Russell-Cooke LLP in Kingston upon Thames where he specialises in all aspects of private client work. Kieran is a STEP Committee member (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and Student Liaison Officer for STEP Surrey Branch. Kieran studied at the University of Durham and completed his LPC at the College of Law in Guilford. Before qualifying as a solicitor Kieran was employed by BP, working within their in-house legal department. Prior to a career in law, Kieran was employed as a consultant in Frankfurt and London. As Vice President of the Society Kieran chairs the SLS strategy group Quo Vadis.
-
Marek Bednarczyk has been a committee member since 2000. He is a partner with Hart Brown Solicitors and specialises in personal injury and clinical negligence. He is currently a member of the Law Society’s Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Panels and the AvMA Panel. He has worked in the past for many years on the Legal Services Commission Funding Review Committee (formerly the Appeals Committee). He qualified as a solicitor in 1991.
-
Matthew was elected to serve as the Society's Honorary Secretary at the AGM in November 2011, taking over from Robert Gray. Matthew is a Partner in the Commercial Property Department at TWM Solicitors LLP in Guildford. He has been a committee member since 2001 and is part of the Quo Vadis Strategy Group. He chairs the Conveyancing & Land Law Committee. Outside work and Society commitments, he is keen motor racing driver and motorcyclist.
-
Mike joined The College of Law on qualification in 1978 and has taught for the College, in Guildford and in London, ever since. He became a member of the West Surrey Law Society Committee in 1992 and of the Surrey Law Society Committee on its formation the following year. He has served two terms as President and is now Treasurer. Mike is involved in several charities including the Surrey Welfare Rights Unit of which he is Chair.
-
David was President of the Surrey Law Society for 2010-2011 and he presently serves on the Quo Vadis sub-committee. David is the head of the Private Client department of Gowen & Stevens LLP in Sutton and is keen to promote Private Client work. David has been a keen linguist, speaking French, Italian and some Spanish but those skills are becoming rustier by the day. David also serves as a trustee for a church in Sutton.
-
Simon qualified in 2003 as a solicitor having previously worked for 10 years at Lloyds TSB. He practises in Guildford dealing with all aspects of private client work with an emphasis on tax and trust law. Simon studied Law and Russian at the University of Surrey spending time in Moscow studying Russian and working in a Moscow law firm. For over 20 years, Simon has been a church organist, playing for services near and far, including Brussels and Moscow.
-
Win Cummins was admitted as a solicitor in 1980 A Property lawyer she has worked both "in house" for 2 large property developers and the BBC, and private practice. She left Nabarro Nathanson and joined Mackrell Turner Garrett in 2000 and became a partner in 2001. Win is head of the Real Estate Practice Group with Mackrell International one of the oldest international legal associations. One of the newest members of the SLS Committee, she is eager to contribute positively to the Society.
-
Graham Guerin has been a solicitor since 1979. For many years he was Senior Partner of Hooper Holt & Co in Redhill. He now works for the merged firm of Gray Hooper Holt LLP. For most of his career Graham has specialised in criminal law, but also practised in many other areas inclduing general civil litigation, child care work and personal injury.
-
Charles Pfister first joined West Surrey Law Society in the early 1980s and was president of the WSLS in 1990. He was involved with the merger to develop the present Surrey Law Society. Charles is on the Commercial Sub Committee and was also involved in the development of the recruitment service Employers4lawyers. He is also the society’s Public Relations officer and Parliamentary Liaison officer. Charles has practised law in Guildford for the last 35 years and is the senior partner of awb Partnership in Guildford specialising in commercial property.
-
Ken Seakens is a committee member and former President of SLS. He presently serves on the Quo Vadis and Financial sub-committees, the Surrey committee of Solicitors for the Elderly and the E-Conveyancing Taskforce of the Law Society. Admitted in 1971, he has been a sole general practitioner since 1980 in Virginia Water.
-
Sushila Abraham is a Committee Member of the Surrey Law Society. She is a Sole Practitioner in Surbiton and has a general practice but her main area of expertise is Family Law. She was the Past Chairman of the Sole Practitioners Group (2009-2010) an Executive Committee Member and is the Conference Organiser for the Group. She is a very active member of the Group and on behalf of the Group liaises with the Law Society and the SRA. She has a passion for cooking.
-
Robert is a past President of the Society and was appointed Honorary Secretary in 2007 following the untimely death of his illustrious predecessor, Chris Davies. He is a personal injury specialist and Senior and Managing Member of Gray Hooper Holt LLP in Redhill. Robert retired from main Committee and the position of Honorary Secretary at the AGM in November 2011. He remains on the Finance Sub Committee as a co-optee.
-
Sarah was co-opted onto the South East Surrey Law Society Committee as Hon Treasurer (although she is not numerate!) as long ago as 1981, becoming President of The South East Surrey Law Society in 1993 prior to the merger of the Surrey Law Societies. After a spell sitting on the main Committee of The Surrey Law Society she now sits only on the Social Sub-Committee. Sarah is a senior partner at Downs of Dorking and Godalming. She is also Honorary Secretary of the Croydon Centre of the National Trust, Special Events Organiser for Leatherhead Fine Arts Society (NADFAS), Chairman of Dorking Talking Newspaper and a keen Rotarian.
-
John Perry
Council Member of The Law Society of England & Wales
020 8549 7444
John is a High Street general practitioner and a Partner with Palmers in Kingston upon Thames. He has 30 years’ service to local law societies, being in turn Secretary and President of both the former Mid Surrey Law Society and then the Surrey Law Society. John is a former Law Society Intervention Agent and he was elected in July 2011 as a member of The Law Society's Council to represent solicitors in Surrey. John gets involved in most things to do with Kingston and Law in Surrey as well as singing in seven London choirs and playing cricket for Teddington.
-
Throughout most of his career he has worked locally in Surrey dealing with both residential and commercial property, including licensed premises and undertaking secured funding work for corporate clients. He is a keen amateur photographer and rifle shooter and his main claim to fame is the case which he personally brought against the Home Office following the handgun ban, which ended up in the House of Lords (he won!)
News
-
7th February 2012
Call to Action against HSBC Panel Policy Changes
-
31st January 2012
Surrey Lawyer Magazine - Winter 2011 - 2012
Events
-
26th January 2012
LIST OF UPCOMING EVENTS
-
9th February 2012
FREE One Hour ABS Presentation, Guildford with WSM in Association with Barlow Robbins LLP
