Rare legal team move between East Yorkshire law firms

Left to right - Josh Briggs (Head of Dispute Resolution), Sarah Hamby, James Marsden (Head of Family Department and the Beverley Office), Victoria Quinn, Jessica Dickinson

THREE legal experts in dispute resolution and debt recovery litigation have joined Wilkin Chapman, the largest law firm in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire to reinforce its growing dispute resolution and recoveries departments.

Victoria Quinn, Sarah Hamby, and Jessica Dickinson all made the move from the Hull-based practice Gosschalks to join Wilkin Chapman’s teams in Beverley and Grimsby. A rare move in the local area, the trio will solidify Wilkin Chapman’s prowess in dealing with property disputes and enforcing recoveries for businesses across Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire as well as throughout the UK.

Leading the charge is the newest partner to Wilkin Chapman’s dispute resolution department, Victoria Quinn. Victoria is a member of the Property Litigation Association and with over 20 years of experience in real estate litigation, she’ll be working with businesses, investors and developers in relation to lease renewals, rent recovery, lease enforcement and estate management, to include advising on and serving break and option notices and recovering possession.

Victoria Quinn, Partner in Wilkin Chapman’s dispute resolution team, said: “I’m pleased to be joining Wilkin Chapman along with Sarah and Jess who I’ve worked with for a number of years and leading the dispute resolution team in Beverley. We are joining at a pivotal time for Wilkin Chapman, and I am motivated by the firm’s plans for the future. 

“I have a strong background in the licenced leisure and retail sectors, having worked for leading pub-companies, bookmakers and high-street retailers regarding the legal aspects of managing their estates and property portfolios, from strategic and reactive perspectives. I also act for operators and site providers in dealing with infrastructure roll-out under the Electronic Communications Code, which is prevalent given Government initiatives concerning gigabit broadband and connectivity; such initiatives require specialists who can navigate the Code and the tribunal, and I have expertise in dealing with these issues.

“With our combined experience, myself and Sarah will offer a significant boost to the growing dispute resolution team in Beverley and allow us to provide unrivalled client service.” 

Working with Victoria in the dispute resolution team will be her former colleague at Gosschalks, Sarah Hamby. Sarah is a senior associate and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. She has 15 years of experience in resolving contentious disputes for businesses across the region.

Sarah Hamby, Senior Associate in the dispute resolution department at Wilkin Chapman, said: “I’m very pleased to join Wilkin Chapman with my colleagues, where I’ll join Victoria in bringing specialist knowledge of real estate litigation to the team’s growing arsenal of resources. It’s clearly a business with a strategic understanding of growth with ambitious plans for the future - and not ‘just’ a law firm.

“Businesses seeking support on lease renewals, possession claims, adverse possession claims, boundary disputes, or easement and rights of way disputes can come to us for specific advice in absolute confidence. We’re expertly positioned to deal with nuisance claims, property-related negligence claims, debt recovery and enforcement and service of property notices, such as break notices and disputes that fall under the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1954.”

Working from Wilkin Chapman’s Beverley office, Sarah will specialise in commercial property disputes, acting for landlords and tenants in relation to lease renewals, possession claims, disputes concerning lease obligations including rent arrears and general estate management. She is also experienced in advising operators and landowners of their rights and obligations in relation to the Electronic Communications Code, which contains rights designed to facilitate the installation and maintenance of telecoms networks. 

Finally, Jessica Dickinson is re-joining Wilkin Chapman to work at the firm’s Grimsby headquarters, where she will work in recoveries with a particular focus on energy litigation. Having originally worked at Wilkin Chapman in 2015 as a paralegal, the company is pleased to welcome back Jessica as the largest law firm in the region goes from strength to strength.

Speaking of her appointment, solicitor in Wilkin Chapman’s recoveries department, Jessica Dickinson, said: “I’ll be working from our Grimsby office to offer businesses expert legal advice in relation to the recovery of property-related debts, with a particular focus on energy litigation. With the fixed recoverable costs regime having been extended last Autumn to cover higher value claims, providing an efficient service and value for money to clients is more important than ever. Working with Wilkin Chapman’s recoveries team is the ideal opportunity for me to combine impactful legal advice with real value, fairness and efficiency for businesses both locally and across the UK.

“Wilkin Chapman’s culture and values align with me and I’m excited to return to the firm.”

Josh Briggs, partner, and head of dispute resolution at Wilkin Chapman said: “It is a pleasure to welcome three talented experts in dispute resolution and debt recovery litigation to the firm. Victoria, Sarah and Jessica add real expertise to the team and demonstrates our local market strength and growth plans for this area.”

To learn more about Wilkin Chapman’s dispute resolution and recoveries teams and their full range of legal services, visit wilkinchapman.co.uk.