Flint Bishop > Birmingham, England > Firm Profile

Flint Bishop > The Legal 500 Rankings

Crime, fraud and licensing > Licensing

Flint Bishop offers its clients a comprehensive range of alcohol and entertainment licensing advice, with a core area of work coming from large tenanted or managed estates, such as the National Trust. Andrew Cochrane helms the practice and is the go-to advisor in the hospitality sector, with a client roster including local and national operators of pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels. With expertise advising operators of licensed premises on enforcement actions and behaviour complaints, George Domleo is also noted for his broad licensing practice, which encompasses applications for new premises licenses, licence reviews and prosecutions, while Karen Cochrane is recommended for her similarly broad caseload.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Nottingham and Derby

Flint Bishop acts on an impressive portfolio of disputes for public sector bodies, government agencies, and both domestic and global companies. The team workload includes representing clients at the High Court, as well as appearing in the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Justice. Team lead Qamer Ghafoor’s strong experience sees him engaged on complex commercial, banking and insolvency litigation, and Jon Jefferies has a strong body of work handling directors’ fiduciary duties, partnership, and shareholder disputes. Sarah Burton is key for property-related disputes, while Kelly Savage has expertise in commercial and property litigation, having handled such matters at both High Court and Court of Appeal level.

Dispute resolution > Debt recovery

Flint Bishop continues to demonstrate strength in business-to-business and residential recoveries, acting for a roster of major national brands across the range of sectors. Seasoned commercial litigator Qamer Ghafoor demonstrates a strong portfolio featuring freezing injunctions and search and seizure orders. Team head Niall Gilhooley has amassed 30 years of experience within the debt recovery industry. Catherine Marksman lends her experience to energy suppliers, government agencies, and national brands, and Natalie Lloyd-Nash specialises in complex matters regarding debt recovery, utility debts and salary overpayments.

Insurance > Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant

Based in Derby, Flint Bishop specialises in personal injury litigation, with its areas of focus including motor insurance and complex injury claims. Practice head Anthony Carrington leads the insurance litigation team, with recent work spanning road traffic accidents and dispute resolution. Lauded by clients for his ‘outstanding’ work, Nigel Partridge heads up the large loss team, with areas of focus in motor insurance claims and catastrophic and complex injuries. Jonathan Gilbert handles severe brain and spinal injury cases, while Daniel Askew specialises in costs litigation. Philip Thompson‘s broad capabilities span issues arising from road accidents, liabilities and acting before the High Court.

Real estate > Property litigation

Handling a steady stream of property disputes from landowners, developers, and commercial landlords, the Flint Bishop team is well-prepared to undertake work before the High Court, Court of Appeal, and beyond. Qamer Ghafoor spearheads the practice and advises on complex commercial disputes and insurance-related claims, while Jon Jefferies receives instructions from a variety of commercial clients ranging from corporate entities to landowners on commercial and insolvency matters. The arrival of Sarah Burton from Knights plc in September 2024 strengthens the team’s property-related dispute offering. Other key names include Kelly Savage, who has demonstrable experience within High Court and Court of Appeal cases, and Jo Milward, who handles commercial forfeitures, lease assignments, and lease renewals.

Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Nottingham and Derby Tier 2

Commended for the team’s ‘professional, commercial, pragmatic’ approach, Derby-based practice Flint Bishop specialises in national and international M&A transactions, property joint ventures and contractual work. Practice co-head Martyn Brierley leads on corporate transactions, and primarily advises shareholders and sellers on acquisition and management buy-out issues; Brierley’s areas of expertise include the manufacturing, construction and rail industries. Co-head Haroon Younis oversees the commercial deals, and is experienced in handling complex intellectual property matters and negotiating contractual frameworks for technology and software clients. On the corporate side, Mark Wilcock has recently acted for sellers on management buy-out and demerger issues, with his caseload straddling the construction, care and property sectors.

Insurance > Professional negligence Tier 2

Flint Bishop is well-equipped to pursue claims against various professionals, particularly solicitors, brokers and surveyors. Practice head Qamer Ghafoor is highly regarded for his expertise in commercial dispute resolution. Key practitioners include Kelly Savage who is a key contact in commercial litigation cases and Sundeep Sandhu who has experience handling contractual disputes, insolvency matters and professional negligence claims.

Private client > Agriculture and estates Tier 2

Based in Derby, the team at Flint Bishop is equipped to handle disputes, private client work, inheritance issues and probate matters for families and farming partnerships. Practice head Paul Sabin advises on pre-emption agreements and stewardship agreements, often handling agricultural transactional work. Claire Rudkin heads up the wills, probate, tax and trusts department and counts high-value estates and trusts on her client roster. Sundeep Sandhu is active in matters involving partnership disputes, proprietary estoppel and probates, and Marc King is active in succession and estate planning work, and inheritance tax issues.

Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 2

Flint Bishop‘s Derby-based wills, probate, tax & trusts department has a core focus on estate administration, particularly those with assets abroad, including across Europe and the US. Claire Rudkin heads up the team and is a specialist in advising on the administration of trusts for both foreign and UK-domiciled clients. William Harper regularly acts for individuals, handling relief claims and the preparation of wills.

Real estate > Commercial property: Nottingham and Derby Tier 2

The Flint Bishop team is trusted by a diverse range of clients, including sellers, buyers, developers, investors, landlords, and tenants, for services spanning real estate portfolio management, lease negotiations, and acquisitions. Practice head Janet Rhodes is known for her work with pub companies on leased and tenanted management services. Sam Shepherd specialises in commercial development, particularly brownfield urban sites, while Ben Pickup handles complex property transactions. Simon Griffiths, who joined in June 2024, focuses on development agreements and acquisitions. Sanveer Sandhu departed in January 2025, and Ian Wilson left in August 2024.

Employment Tier 3

Located in Derby, Flint Bishop primarily act for employers, advising clients on a range of employment issues, including advising on contract and policy drafting, and unfair dismissal claims. Practice head Stacey Cox takes the lead on a variety of discrimination cases, with a focus on the manufacturing and residential care sectors. Noted for her ‘informed and commercially focused decisions’, Briony McDermott advises on Employment Tribunal claims and restructuring issues. Becky Madden leads on gross misconduct cases and TUPE transfers, with a primary focus on residential care matters.

Private client > Contentious trusts and probate Tier 3

With a focus on handling private client disputes, Flint Bishop has been praised by clients for its ‘excellent advice and service’. Recognised as a ‘confident litigator’, Sundeep Sandhu leads the practice from Derby and primarily advises on matters involving the validity of wills, real estate and property disputes, as well as professional negligence claims. Sandhu has been commended as ‘knowledgeable, organised, patient and action oriented’.

Private client > Family Tier 3

Based in Derby, Flint Bishop specialises in family and matrimonial matters, with a focus on divorce and financial remedy proceedings. Heading up the practice, Angela Davis handles complex divorce cases, often dealing with business assets, property disputes, inheritance matters and financial settlements. Erica Wakeman is a key contact in the team, frequently working alongside Davis on matters involving child arrangement proceedings and financial negotiations.

Public sector Tier 3

Flint Bishop routinely advises a range of educational establishments, extending across the education sector, on matters including academy conversions, data protection, governance, and commercial contract issues. Stacey Cox sits as the head of the education team, lending her broad employment experience to various education clients. Briony McDermott is a key point of contact for academy conversions in particular.

Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 3

Crime, fraud and licensing > General crime and fraud Tier 3

Flint Bishop, which acquired Lupton Fawcett in September 2025, offers expertise in matters related to fraud and proceeds of crime, rape and serious sexual offences, as well as university misconduct matters. They are renowned as ‘front-runners in providing expert advice and representation’. Jeremy Scott leads the team, bringing over 30 years of experience in defending both businesses and individuals facing investigations or prosecutions for serious financial crime allegations. Meghan Waldron and Richard Etherington are also key members of the team.

Employment > Employment: Leeds and West Yorkshire; North Yorkshire Tier 3

Flint Bishop’s employment practice operates across Leeds, York and Sheffield, offering regional reach and wide-ranging sector expertise. The team has long-standing relationships in the education, construction, manufacturing and leisure industries, and is noted for its experience advising both large corporates and senior executives. Led by Angela Gorton, a seasoned litigator, the group handles a steady stream of tribunal claims, redundancies, TUPE issues and union-related matters. Tom Watkins and Liam Kenealy have both departed the group as of October 2025.

Employment > Employment: Sheffield and South Yorkshire Tier 3

Flint Bishop (which acquired Lupton Fawcett in September 2025) maintains a regional employment law presence with solicitors based in Sheffield, Leeds and York. The practice is led by Angela Gorton, who handles a broad range of employment matters including disputes, restructuring issues and TUPE. Glenn Jaques in Sheffield advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters and is frequently instructed in complex claims involving discrimination and whistleblowing issues. Liam Kenealy departed the group as of October 2025.

Private client > Charities and not-for-profit Tier 3

Private client > Family: elsewhere in Yorkshire Tier 3

Flint Bishop (formerly Lupton Fawcett) advises high-net-worth and privately funded clients on a wide range of complex issues, including pre- and post-nuptial issues, and cohabitation agreements. The team is adept at representing local authorities in Children Act proceedings, and intricate financial provisions of relationship breakdowns. Team head Christopher Burns is skilled at handling complex financial and children cases, particularly with a jurisdictional or relocation element. Emma Rennison‘s practice focuses on cohabitation, private law children, and financial remedy matters, while in Sheffield, Richard Buckley is key to the team, advising on divorce and complex financial matters.

Private client > Family: Leeds, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Tier 3

The ‘excellent family team’ at Flint Bishop, which acquired Lupton Fawcett in September 2025, offers a suite of legal and collaborative dispute resolution options for clients, in addition to advising on pre and post-nuptial agreements. Christopher Burns leads the department, drawing on over 30 years’ experience in the practice area to cover the full range of family law. Frequently working alongside Burns is Emma Rennison, who has a particular focus on financial remedy cases.

Real estate > Commercial property: Sheffield, South Yorkshire Tier 3

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property Tier 4

Following its acquisition of Lupton Fawcett in September 2025, the practice at Flint Bishop is noted for its ‘extremely knowledgeable, attentive, well prepared’ team, which has experience advising on the range of intellectual property issues. Copyright disputes and trade mark portfolio management are key strengths of the team. Members of the practice work closely with the competition and media practices of the firm, and are skilled at advising on complex data protection matters. Clive Lawrence leads the team.

East Midlands > Insurance > Personal injury and clinical negligence: defendant

Based in Derby, Flint Bishop specialises in personal injury litigation, with its areas of focus including motor insurance and complex injury claims. Practice head Anthony Carrington leads the insurance litigation team, with recent work spanning road traffic accidents and dispute resolution. Lauded by clients for his ‘outstanding’ work, Nigel Partridge heads up the large loss team, with areas of focus in motor insurance claims and catastrophic and complex injuries. Jonathan Gilbert handles severe brain and spinal injury cases, while Daniel Askew specialises in costs litigation. Philip Thompson‘s broad capabilities span issues arising from road accidents, liabilities and acting before the High Court.

East Midlands > Private client > Contentious trusts and probate

With a focus on handling private client disputes, Flint Bishop has been praised by clients for its ‘excellent advice and service’. Recognised as a ‘confident litigator’, Sundeep Sandhu leads the practice from Derby and primarily advises on matters involving the validity of wills, real estate and property disputes, as well as professional negligence claims. Sandhu has been commended as ‘knowledgeable, organised, patient and action oriented’.

East Midlands > Private client > Family

Based in Derby, Flint Bishop specialises in family and matrimonial matters, with a focus on divorce and financial remedy proceedings. Heading up the practice, Angela Davis handles complex divorce cases, often dealing with business assets, property disputes, inheritance matters and financial settlements. Erica Wakeman is a key contact in the team, frequently working alongside Davis on matters involving child arrangement proceedings and financial negotiations.