HARDMAN & WATSON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
His Honour Alan J Blunsdon is a retired Circuit Judge. He joined the team at Hardman & Watson in May 2020 as a Consultant in our Civil Litigation Department.
Alan assists clients in a wide range of civil dispute work excluding Personal Injury Litigation. He undertakes General Litigation both High Court and County Court including Contract Disputes, Commercial and Private Landlord and Tenant Disputes, General County Court Litigation and High Court Civil Work.
Alan was admitted as a Solicitor in 1973 specialising in Civil and Family Litigation until his appointment as a District Judge in 1991. Alan was later appointed a Circuit Judge in London and upon retirement from the Circuit Bench in 2013 took an appointment as a part time law tutor at BPP University. Alan was later appointed Acting Senior Coroner for North East Kent and upon completion of that tenure appointed as Area Coroner until he retired from that post in 2019. Alan now regularly sits as part time Assistant Coroner . Alan`s interests out of the office and Court room include foreign travel, cricket, lawn bowls and gardening.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Conveyancing Solicitor
Ben joined the firm in 2021, moving from another firm based in East Kent. Ben is the head of the property department and accepts instructions across the range of residential and commercial areas.
Ben encourages a straight-talking relationship with clients to ensure that they are able to make the best decisions regarding their transactions. He is especially keen on trying to get matters to completion quickly which is greatly appreciated by his loyal client base.
Outside of work Ben is interested in books, collecting records, sport, travel and tyring to play the guitar. Before being a lawyer Ben has had a number of roles in sales, managing a pub and spent many years teaching scuba diving in Asia.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
Carol joined Hardman and Watson in January 2023.
She began working as a receptionist/legal secretary in 1986 and has worked across most areas of the law since. She had a short break when she worked in a local school as a teaching assistant to fit in with her family commitments and resumed work as a legal secretary in 2010. Away from the office, she enjoys scouring second hand shops for vinyl records to add to her collection, reading crime novels and theatre trips.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Birchington Team
- Receptionist
Dawn joined Hardman and Watson in August 2022 as a receptionist/administrator which she enjoys working as part of the team in reception.
Dawn previously ran her own mortgage brokerage company in London for number of years.
In 2015 Dawn worked for the NHS as administrator assistant in Kent & Canterbury hospital, and few years later went into working in a GP surgery as a Medical Receptionist/Admin Assistant which was busy, challenging but rewarding.
In Dawns spare time, she enjoys walking along the coast, cooking, reading, and gardening. Dawn also loves travelling, but most importantly spending quality time with her family particularly with her grandson.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Receptionist
Dawn has recently joined Harman and Watson as our part time receptionist.
Dawn is a massive cat lover and has her own cat called Simba, she enjoys socialising and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Secretary
Gemma joined Hardman & Watson in May 2019 initially assisting the Conveyancing department and reception staff.
During COVID pandemic, Gemma worked from home alongside home schooling her 2 children. Returning to the office, Gemma worked her way up to assist Jonathan Skilbeck in the Private Client department being his Secretary. Gemma thrives in assisting with the many challenges presented to her within the administration of Estates, Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
When Gemma is not in the office, she is busy attending Gymnastics, Swimming, Rugby and Football with Archie and Pixie, somehow finding time to socialise with family and friends!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Receptionist
Hayley has been with the team since April 2022 on reception and is enjoying the challenge of a busy office, meeting new people, and learning new things every day.
Hayley moved from London in 2013 and has never looked back, she has worked in childcare for many years but decided that a career change was needed and found her passion as a receptionist.
Hayley loves to make things and creates personalised gifts for family and friends. She loves spending time with her Family and has a passion for films, especially Horror films.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Head of the Family Law Team
James is the Head of the Family Law team at Hardman & Watson and now our managing director, James qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and has been with Hardman & Watson since 2004.
James has always lived and worked in Kent having grown up in Worth and attended Sir Roger Manwood's school in Sandwich. After studying for his law degree and his legal vocational training James worked in several other private practices.
James's practice deals with nearly all family law matters arising from the breakdown of relationships including divorce, disputes surrounding children, division of family assets and injunctions - he holds specialist accreditations from the Law Society and "Resolution" (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association). Since 2000 James has regularly sat as a local Assistant Coroner with jurisdiction throughout Kent,
In his spare time James enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children and is has a longstanding interest science fiction (as seen by the number of collectibles to be found in his office!)
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
Jonathan has been with Hardman & Watson since January 2014 and is now head of our Probate department.
Jonathan also deals with conveyancing work, employment law issues and landlord and tenant matters, including possession proceedings on behalf of landlords.
Jonathan originally studied History at Exeter University and Heritage Management at the Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage before turning his attention to the law, taking his qualifications at Kingston University and the School of Law at York before qualifying as a solicitor in 2008.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
Karen joined Hardman & Watson in May 2022 as a Legal Secretary.
Having started her working career in banking, Karen changed direction as she preferred Law and now has many years of experience behind her having worked with various firms, including a large Legal 500 London based firm. She has a wide knowledge of Private Client and Conveyancing. Originally from London, she now calls Kent her home and relocated in 2022.
Outside of work, Karen enjoys entertaining family and friends, is an avid follower of Formula 1, anything on two wheels and travelling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Birchington Team
- Assistant to Kim Marsden
Katie joined Hardman and Watson in early 2022 as a Paralegal, supporting the Birchington office in their conveyancing and private client department.
Previously, Katie worked in law and finance in Kent and London and is now working towards her Licenced Conveyancer qualification. In her spare time, she enjoys socialising with family and friends and walking and exploring with her dog Nellie.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Practice Manager
Kealey is our Practice Manager and a member of The Institute of Legal Finance and Management.
Kealey came to join the Hardman & Watson team in March 2016 as our Accounts Manager following many years as a legal assistant for the Local Authority and other local solicitors. Kealey became Practice Manager, taking on the management of the staff, offices, office managements such as IT, recruitment, and Directors, whilst still maintaining the Accounts.
Kealey was born in Hertfordshire and attended High School in St Albans. Kealey continued her further education within the Kent area, where she has now settled and calls home.
Outside of the office Kealey can be found at the gym, exploring new local restaurants or sunning herself on holiday.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Birchington Team
- Solicitor
Kim G Marsden is a consultant solicitor having joined Hardman and Watson in July 2020 Kim specialises in residential and commercial property, especially leaseholds.
He deals with all areas of property practice, whilst his current workload tends toward commercial work including residential developments (purchase and sale, leasehold and freehold), the purchase and sale of businesses and business premises (leasehold and freehold) including the drafting of leases and other complex documentation.
He qualified in 1983 and can also assist in connection with Wills and Probate/administration matters. He is a former senior partner of a long-established Thanet firm and is now enjoying working as a consultant.
He is a keen walker and enjoys playing the guitar but admits he needs to practice more.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
- Assistant to Ben Stones
Miriam has over 25 years' experience of conveyancing and moved to the area from Hertfordshire four years ago.
Now that she has finished a long-term project of renovating her house, she is enjoying exploring the beautiful Kent coast and visiting English Heritage properties. She also enjoys reading, gardening, travelling, and spending time with her family, husband Phil and daughter Jasmine.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Broadstairs Team
Rebecca joined Hardman and Watson in 2014 and has been an Associate of the firm since 2016.
Rebecca previously worked for the Local Authority and started her career in Law as a Barristers Clerk for a local chambers in Canterbury and became a member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in 2012 and started her SQE training in 2023.
In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dogs and horse-riding.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Birchington Team
- Solicitor
Sarah has worked in the legal profession for over 20 years and joined Hardman & Watson in 2023. Sarah is based at our Birchington Office but does see Clients at our Broadstairs Office.
Sarah is a Solicitor specialising in Private Client Law, dealing with Wills, Powers of Attorney, Probate, Trusts, and various other related matters. Sarah is also an Accredited member of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE).
Outside of the Office Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and going on holiday.