Private client team news and updates—October 2024

For many families, playing Monopoly is a staple at this time of year which, while fun to begin with, often ends in heated debate over one player’s unfortunate bankruptcy or suspiciously large pile of cash that appears midway through a turn. Unlike in a game of Monopoly, however, it is better not to roll a dice or take a chance card when planning for your family’s future. 

In this latest newsletter, our team offers practical advice on a range of topics including lifetime gifting, managing estate administration and the importance of creating a valid will.

With many thanks to our clients and referrers, we are growing and delighted to welcome the following new additions to the team:

• Sarah Ahchoon joined in September as a senior associate, based in the Putney office 
• Rebecca McNally qualified as an associate in September. She is based in the Putney office
• Emma Reade qualified as an associate in September. She is based in the Putney office
• Flavia Seferi joined in September as an associate, based in the Kingston office 
• Aidan Tynan joined in July as an associate, based in the Kingston office
• Bethany Walker joined in July as an associate, based in the Kingston office
• Jessica Zama joined in October as a senior associate, based in the Putney office 

Russell-Cooke has won Private Client Team of the Year at the Surrey Law Society Legal Awards 2024, in addition to being highly commended in both the Client Experience Award and Family Law Team of the Year categories.

Russell-Cooke’s family and children and private client teams have again been recommended in eprivateclient’s annual ‘Top Law Firm’ rankings, where they have been listed for over a decade in Tiers 1 and 2 respectively.

We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Private Client Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2024 in November.

• Julie Man featured as a speaker on cross border issues across the UK and US, at the STEP London Central Seminar on 17th September
• Led by Andrew Godfrey, Russell-Cooke hosted Lexunion’s 21st Annual Network Congress in London in London which ran between 19 and 21 September
• Russell-Cooke hosted the STEP Cross Border Seminar at 7 Bedford Row, chaired by Julie Man and featuring Patrick Delas and Tom Deely as speakers on 9th October
• Suzanne Mynors participated in a fireside chat on legal and financial security as part of Your Power Decade conference at The Roehampton Club on 10th October

Our presence on multiple committees demonstrates our involvement and influence at the cutting-edge of legal practice:

• Andrew Godfrey is a Board Director of Lexunion
• Rita Bhargava is a member for STEP England and Wales Regional Committee
• Kieran Bowe is a member of the Law Society Wills and Equity Committee and is Hon. Secretary of the Surrey Law Society
• Julie Man is a committee member of the STEP Cross Border Estates Global Interest Group
• Bethany Walker was recently elected to the Law Society Council