HMG LAW - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Consultant Solicitor - Family
"It is vitally important to really listen to your client's and develop a full appreciation of their circumstances. Only by doing that will you be in the best position to help them in understanding what is realistically achievable and be able to develop strategies with them to achieve resolution."
Job Titles:
- Member of Resolution
- Partner and Head of Family Services
"One size does not fit all - people and relationships are really complex. I aim to offer personal tailored advice, empowering clients to make the right decisions to get through a dark, difficult period and move forward with their lives feeling lighter and brighter."
Christina is a highly proficient family law solicitor who joined us in 2014, having worked at firms in West London and Lancaster. She became Partner and Head of Family Department in 2015, describing HMG as "a small firm where individuals matter".
She is supremely experienced in matrimonial matters, particularly divorce and financial settlements, as well as pre-nuptial agreements, and matters arising from the breakdown of cohabiting relationships and issues surrounding children.
When approached by a client Christina really listens, always sensitive to heightened emotions in difficult situations, giving space where it is needed. She takes her time to explain the law and how it applies to the client's individual circumstances.
Christina is a member of Resolution who promote a consolatory and non confrontational approach to family matters, an accredited specialist in Private Children Law and Complex Financial Remedies and Chair of Oxfordshire Resolution. Christina is also listed in Legal 500 where she is described as "impressed by her confidence (not misplaced) in advising clients. She always gets it bang on. She is a fighter and won't stop until she gets the client what they are due (and more sometimes). An excellent tactician and lawyers and clients have confidence in her and rightly so".
Job Titles:
- Member of and Examiner for the Society of Trust and Estate Planners
- Partner and Head of Wills and Probate
Christopher brought his vast expertise to HMG in 2012, became a partner in January 2014, and heading up our Wills & Probate Department. He is a practising Barrister with over 25 years' experience in Chancery work, having been called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1984.
His extensive knowledge covers varied aspects of private client matters: the creation of wills, trusts and settlements with associated tax planning; the construction of trusts, wills and charities; powers of attorney and court of protection; probate and the administration of trusts and estates; real and personal property; landlord and tenant relations; partnerships, companies and pension schemes. Not to mention experience in bringing, defending and settling claims and applications in court.
Regarded by colleagues as diligent and careful, providing good client service is paramount to Christopher. He takes an engaging, personal approach to his work, sitting down with clients to ascertain exactly what they wish to achieve before sensitively guiding them to their objective. He finds being able to provide knowledgeable and efficient advice to clients extremely rewarding, particularly in a firm like HMG where he is constantly reminded of the wealth of experience across its teams.
Alongside his role at HMG, Christopher is a member of and examiner for the Society of Trust and Estate Planners (STEP). He is a co-author of the chapter on Categories of Trust in Tolley's Administration of Trusts; author of the chapter on the joint ownership of chattels, stocks and shares, bank and building society accounts in Tolleys Practitioner's Guide to Joint Property; and writes case notes for the Wills & Trusts Law Reports endorsed by STEP, as well as occasional articles and lectures on related issues. Amidst this he somehow finds time to enjoy history, travel, arts, gardening, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Senior Partner of HMG
"Helping clients understand what they actually want, and working together to achieve it is key."
Gary is the Senior Partner of HMG, having joined the firm in 2007 after many years of practice in East Anglia and Devon; he became a partner here in 2008, thoroughly enjoying his time at a firm where "the people are relaxed, helpful, and genuinely want to help clients".
He is a highly esteemed practitioner with wide-ranging experience of both commercial and residential property law; including agricultural work, property development and deal structuring, business sales and acquisitions, and the exploitation of mineral and other residual assets, as well as a thorough and practical knowledge of leases and general property law.
Gary connects with clients by sitting down and really getting to the heart of what they want ("Never assume that what the client tells you they want is actually what they want or need!" he says), then making a pragmatic, proactive plan to achieve it.
His clients certainly appreciate this approach, describing him as friendly, professional and competent: "Gary is very helpful and friendly - emails and phone calls are always responded to quickly." "He understood what was required and made it happen without a fuss". Gary's colleagues, similarly, describe him as the perfect balance of highly approachable and deeply knowledgeable.
Since qualifying as a solicitor in 1984 he has always found his work rewarding, enjoying the "interesting intellectual stimulus and the ability to help people achieve something that is important to them".
Outside of work he loves the creativity of music, both performing and listening
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- HMG in 2019 As a Solicitor
"My role is to let the client feel safe, feel comfortable and know that I understand their dilemma and I will help them obtain a satisfactory resolution."
Irrum joined HMG in 2019 as a Solicitor in our Family Department, having previously changed careers from retail to law, qualifying in 2018 and practising at another small high street firm. She's settled in quickly, finding HMG "more than just a law firm, but rather a family who all strive to make our clients happy by doing what we do best."
She is highly competent in all areas of Family Law including pre- and post-nuptial agreements, divorce, separation agreements, domestic violence, and private child contact proceedings. She has been awarded the Higher Rights of Audience in Civil Law and is a member of Resolution (the body promoting a non-confrontational approach to family matters).
Approachable, empathetic and keen to get results, Irrum believes the key is "first and foremost to listen to the client". "When a client knocks on my door, it is not usually because they desire to do so, but because they are particularly vulnerable or distressed and need guidance to navigate them through this difficult stage in their life. I allow the client to let go of some of their emotional stress as they realise their side of the story is being heard and they do have a professional who will support them and deal with the matter in the best way possible."
Irrum is a fluent Urdu speaker and can assist clients who speak Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. She loves Oxfordshire, describing it as "one of the few unaltered beauties of England. It is rich in history and provides a beautiful backdrop to work in". However, she also enjoys widening her horizons, travelling the world and exploring new places.
Jade is our talented multi-tasking trainee legal executive, assisting in our Property Department whilst working towards qualification as a solicitor. An Oxfordshire native, Jade has worked at HMG for thirteen years since she joined us as an apprentice on our reception before setting her sights on becoming a legal eagle.
She has a real affection for HMG, describing it as "not a corporate firm" but a client-centric organisation with "a personal and caring approach to clients". "We are real people and we have real clients who all have individual needs; we do not treat clients just as a number, we actually care".
Outside of work and studying, Jade is enjoying spending time raising her young family. She also loves the outdoors and enjoys walking, clay pigeon shotting, relaxing in the evenings with a crochet project and is a recently appointed member of Oxfordshire Maternity Voices Partnership where she is a Neonatal Representative.
Joanna is the friendly face on reception at HMG's Bicester office, where she has provided a polite and helpful first port of call for the past two and a half years, having previously worked in administrative roles for the probation, ambulance and police services. She grew up locally and has a real love for the area's history.
Joanna particularly likes working at HMG because the team are so friendly, and she enjoys meeting the variety of clients who come in. She can be relied upon to ensure urgent messages get through to the right solicitor, and believes that communication and team work are key to a happy team.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Legal Executive
Ricky is a Chartered Legal Executive who specialises in Commercial Property. He joined the firm in 2021 after initially training at a national firm where he worked very closely with clients on very specialised large-scale property acquisitions. Ricky then went on to finalise his qualification at a local Oxfordshire firm working in their Business Services team where he was exposed to a wide variety of work and helped a strong portfolio of business clients realise their goals.
Based in our Oxford office, Ricky now specialises in landlord and tenant work, lease renewals, freehold and leasehold acquisitions and sales, overage and promotion agreements, and commercial property management such as licences to assign, alter or underlet. Ricky also assists his clients with their agricultural property and residential property matters.
Ricky prides himself on providing a good service to clients and has been described as "efficient" and a "good communicator" by his clients. "I am proud to be working for a firm which has maintained such a strong reputation since its beginnings in 1788 and I aim to uphold and contribute to the firm's legacy".
Outside of office, Ricky enjoys rock climbing and is a regular visitor of the indoor climbing wall in Oxford. He has been on trips to Snowdonia, the French Alps and Sardinia. "When my feet are on the ground, you can usually find me in my local pub or planning next city break".