SAVAGE SILK LIMITED - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business Admin Apprentice
Anna joined the accounts team as a Business Admin Apprentice in May 2024 after completing her GCSE's. Having assisted her parents in their own Estate Agency practice, Anna already had a good background knowledge of admin tasks, accounts and conveyancing - which allowed her to come into the team with a good base level of experience. Anna's apprenticeship will last approximately 12-15 months, following which she is keen to go on to become a qualified Accountant.
Beverley has worked in the legal sector for over 30 years and, more specifically, has worked as a secretary within a litigation team. As a result, Beverley has a wealth of experience in supporting client and colleague requirements. Beverley works closely with clients during any and all stages of their matters, whether that be in the commercial team through to dispute resolution team, ensuring things run as smoothly as possible. This has meant Beverley has also developed strong relationships with the clients. Beverley's experience and understanding of the processes in the legal sector allows her to support clients at what can sometimes be a stressful time.
Job Titles:
- Commercial Property Paralegal
Carolyn joined Savage Silk in June 2024 as a paralegal in the Commercial Property team. Carolyn previously worked in a national law firm and has gained over 25 years' legal experience across various areas of law. Carolyn has a passion for Commercial Property work and settled into this sector in 2016. She joined the team at Savage Silk to further expand her knowledge, supporting the whole team with a range of commercial property fee earning work.
Chris deals with all aspects of corporate and commercial law such as drafting terms and conditions (for business customers and consumers), distribution and supply contracts, share transfers, company share buybacks, company restructures, loan note agreements, the sale and purchase company shares, the sale and purchase of company assets and shareholder agreements to name a few. Examples of some of the matters he has been involved in include the sale of the assets of an educational nursery, the sale of the assets of a north-east hotel, the sale and purchase of shares in leisure companies (over several transactions) and the sale of financial advisory companies. Often, the deals he is involved in have a value of several million but he also acts on more niche transactions and can tailor his expertise to the nature of all sales, large or small by taking a commercial and pragmatic approach. Chris has a loyal client base which has been established through him consistently providing solid advice and he has acted for many of his clients for several years. Chris has been published in several legal journals and has lectured at Northumbria University on commercial law matters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Solicitor
Connor is a Solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team. He qualified in August 2018, re-trained and was promoted to Associate taking effect January 2023, and then progressed to Senior Associate in December 2023 testament to his ability in this area of law. He has experience of resolving many types of disputes, acting on behalf of claimants and defendants, before the commencement of court proceedings at minimal cost to his clients. Some of these settlements have been reported in the press having been high profile. Connor has particular expertise in having conduct of contractual, property (both commercial and residential) and intellectual property disputes. Connor is proactive and a strategist, thinking outside the box to prevent and/or resolve a dispute on the best possible terms for his clients which meet their objectives. Connor also has experience of managing claims at court and dealing with different forms of alternative dispute resolution. He also provides in-house guidance and update sessions to clients and organisations
David is a Partner in the Commercial Property Team and has a wealth of experience in acting for clients on a diverse range of property issues, including sales and acquisitions, leasehold management, financing of portfolios, advising on development matters, corporate sales and purchases and shareholder agreements. David recognises that in each transaction his clients will have a unique set of circumstances that are particular to them and which require detailed attention. He also works with other professionals to ensure mutual clients are in a position to achieve their goals in both the short term and the future.
Job Titles:
- Director of People and Culture
- Their Director of People
Deb joined Savage Silk as their Director of People and Culture in August 2023, having worked in the legal sector for circa 20 years. Being dual qualified in Employment law and HR, Deb's vision is to help create an environment which supports emotional intelligence, strategic intelligence and progression, whilst also ensuring that the firm embraces equality and diversity. On a day-to-day basis, Deb supports the management team with all strategic HR projects, whilst also ensuring that the business remains compliant with all of their policies and procedures. Deb prides herself on her pragmatic and forward-thinking approach to people management and is keen to always ensure communication is delivered in a way that affords everyone the opportunity to collectively support one another. Alongside the management team, Deb's ambition is to help the firm expand by attracting, developing and retaining people with energy, sharp minds and bags of character
Emma joined the Accounts Team in September 2018 and has become a valued member of the team. She has 7 years' experience of legal accounting and during that time has built up a strong skill set. Emma supports the team in ensuring that a high quality client service is provided at all times.
After completing her A-levels, Esra joined the Savage Silk legal team in January 2024 as a Business Admin Apprentice. Despite her previous lack of experience in the legal field, Esra soon began to shine, having already undertaken a role which was heavily reliant on high levels of customer service. Esra is keen to go on to pursue a Solicitor Apprenticeship in order to become a qualified solicitor and is already demonstrating the attitude and skillset which is required to excel in a legal setting.
Harmeet qualified as a Solicitor in 2019 and specialises in Commercial Property acting for a range of clients such as SME's, banks and charities. Harmeet is able to advise and assist clients with a range of matters, such as commercial property purchases, sales, new leases (both for Landlords and Tenants) and assignments and is also able to deal with business acquisitions and sales. Over the years, he has helped acquire or sell convenience stores, post offices, gift shops, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, bars, hairdressers, beauty salons, industrial warehouses and even a bowling alley. Harmeet prides himself on his attention to detail and providing a high quality service to each of his clients.
Job Titles:
- Finance & Operations Director
Helen is a skilled and experienced operator and is the driving force behind the finance and operations functions. She ensures the smooth management of the functions across the businesses, which in turn means the rest of the teams can focus on providing a discrete, high quality and responsive service to clients.
Jennifer joined Savage Silk in June 2023 as a paralegal in the Commercial Property Team. She previously worked within the property management team of a chartered surveyors, and has over 10 years' experience working as a paralegal, dealing with property transactions within a regional law firm. Jennifer holds a CILEX Membership (Institute of Legal Executives).
Joanna is a Trainee Solicitor working within Commercial Property team. She commenced her studies at the University of Sunderland where she achieved an LLB degree and continued her studies completing the LLM integrated LPC. Joanna has good legal experience working in the Law Clinic where she covered various areas of law but more recently spent some time working in Residential Conveyancing. Joanna is dedicated and is looking forward to developing her skills and striving to do her best for clients.
Joe is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Property team and has extensive experience in acting for property investors, occupiers, lenders and SME clients; as well as for landowners and developers on a variety of property matters. He has a particular specialism in secured lending and has worked for a number of different banks and borrowers, on a number of complicated high value transactions across multiple sectors. Joe's clients value his commercial and pragmatic approach to their legal issues, as well as his ability to problem solve, no matter how tight the timescales are.
Julie qualified as a Solicitor back in 1995 and quickly went on to specialise in Employment Law. She gained a wealth of experience advising businesses, of all shapes, sizes and sectors, with two national commercial law firms, and then as a Partner with a niche business law firm on Teesside where she headed up their Employment team. Julie has since also utilised that expertise to work "in house" as the HR Director of a Group of companies based in the North East and has herself benefitted from this by gaining insight into the practical impact of employment law from "the other side of the fence"!
Lewis joined as a Trainee Solicitor in 2023, starting in the Private Client Team. He graduated with an LLB Law Degree in 2022 and with an LLM/LPC Postgraduate Degree in 2023, both from the University of Sunderland. Through his time at the Sunderland Student Law Clinic, Lewis has advised clients a variety of matters. He is very approachable and will always to his best to help clients to the best of his abilities. Lewis is eager to expand his legal knowledge and skills as much as he can during his training contract and to ensure he is able to assist clients and colleagues as much as possible.
Linda has over 30 years' experience as a Legal Cashier and heads up the Finance Team alongside Helen Casely. Her role is to ensure a high quality and efficient accounts function is provided to all businesses, and through this smooth running of both the back office and client related functions this enables the rest of the teams to focus on providing a high level of service to clients.
Louise joined the Accounts Team in December 2022. She has over 15 years' experience as a Legal Cashier and is a key member in providing reliable back-office support to all teams in the business, along with supporting the running of the day-to-day functions of the accounts department. Louise works closely with her colleagues to ensure a high standard of client service is provided at all times.
Job Titles:
- Paralegal / Legal Operations Manager
Malana has worked in the legal sector for over 30 years. She is a highly experienced paralegal with exceptional organisational skills and a solution-oriented approach. Malana also plays an integral part in risk and compliance management, including the implementation of the firm's policies and procedures.
Pamela has worked in the legal sector for over 25 years and is experienced in both corporate and commercial property transactions. She is a paralegal in the Corporate and Commercial Team and assists the team in a range of corporate and commercial work.
Paul is a long established and experienced solicitor. He spent the first 20 years of his legal career dealing with a real mix of property, matrimonial, crime and even private parliamentary bill work. Paul then settled down to commercial civil litigation with an emphasis on agricultural work. He is also a qualified civil courts advocate, qualified mediator and is involved in many law report and publicised cases.
Paul has been widely recognised for some years as one of the North East's leading corporate and commercial lawyers. He has a wealth of experience of dealing with a wide range of matters across a broad spectrum of sectors, including acquisitions and disposals, corporate restructuring, investments, corporate governance, commercial contracts and intellectual property. Recognising that irrespective of its size, complexity and value each matter is important to his clients, Paul's focus is always on providing solutions to problems and achieving the best possible commercial outcome for his clients. Paul has also acted as mentor to a number of other corporate and commercial lawyers practicing in the North East and beyond.
Robin is a highly experienced private client lawyer and is a trusted adviser to numerous high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and family businesses. He specialises in succession planning, matrimonial issues and financial settlements.
Robyn graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Teesside University in 2020 and then went on to achieve a Master of Law (LLM) with Legal Practice (LPC) postgraduate degree from the University of Sunderland in 2022. Robyn joined Savage Silk as a paralegal and qualified as a Private Client Solicitor in 2024. Robyn deals with all aspects of Private Client work including, probate and administration of estates, the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, and Court of Protection work. Robyn is proactive, thorough and always strives to do the best she can for clients. Robyn is keen to continue to expand her knowledge and experience within the Private Client Team.
Job Titles:
- Admin
- Solicitor Apprentice
Sarah joined Savage Silk as an admin apprentice following on from her A-Levels. Since joining she has really grown and developed her skill sets and, after completing her apprenticeship, has become the go to person for admin assistance in the Private Client Team. Sarah is excellent at supporting clients during what is often a very difficult time and always shows empathy and compassion in everything she does. Sarah is keen to explore this area of law further and develop her knowledge and expertise.
Satpal has a wealth of experience working for and developing long lasting relationships with entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals and SMEs. He has detailed knowledge and experience of a wide range of legal issues on an expanded range of commercial matters. Satpal provides a holistic assessment of needs to clients and represents them in the property, leisure, retail and healthcare sectors, which has enabled him to build up a good knowledge of legislation which affects those sectors. Satpal's clients value the commerciality he brings to their projects and how he always looks at the issue from their perspective as well as delivering positive results. Satpal delivers solutions to his clients in a commercial and pragmatic way.
Sean joined Savage Silk in June 2024 as a Trainee Solicitor and worked within the Dispute Resolution and Commercial Property team. He graduated with an LLB Law Degree in 2019 and LLM/LPC Postgraduate Degree in 2021, both from the University of Sunderland. Prior to joining Savage Silk, Sean gained experience dealing with Residential Conveyancing transactions, having acted for a range of clients across the country. Sean finished his training contract with the Commercial Property team and qualified into the Dispute Resolution team in February 2025. Sean looks forward to developing within litigation and has a particular interest in property disputes.
Simon is an experienced lawyer and a director of Savage Silk. He has had extensive experience of working on major private and public sector projects. Simon's clients value his commercial approach, his ability to see things from their perspective and the care he takes to understand both their personal and commercial requirements. For his many clients, Simon is a respected and trusted adviser that they rely upon for their commercial and legal needs.
Toni is part of our Business Services team and deals with the various transactional aspects of running a busy legal practice. She works closely with her colleagues to provide excellent service to ensure that transactions complete as quickly and as smoothly as possible and always does so in a friendly and approachable manner.
Vicky is an experienced private client solicitor and carries out all aspects of the preparation of Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and dealing with probate matters. She became a member of Solicitors for the Elderly in 2017 and is working towards becoming a member of STEP in the near future. Vicky understands that all clients have different needs and personal situations and her friendly, open and honest approach and advice to these differing needs makes her clients feel comfortable and puts them at ease.
Yasir graduated with a law degree from Teesside University and completed the Legal Practice Course and a master's in law at the University of Sunderland. Yasir qualified as a solicitor in 2024. He has worked in the legal sector for several years, with experience ranging from Private Client, Private Family, Residential Conveyancing, and Commercial Property. He trained with a regional law firm predominantly in Darlington and Durham before joining Savage Silk. Yasir is passionate about Commercial Property and has joined Savage Silk to expand his knowledge and grow in Commercial and Corporate Property.