Her practice includes complex development projects, acquisitions and disposals and real estate finance. In particular, Sarah has a great deal of experience acting for both landlords and tenants in leasing matters and has a specific interest in offices, retail and social real estate.

Widely recognised within her team for her excellent technical ability and sharp commercial acumen, Sarah has an exceptional talent for quickly grasping new and complex concepts and, importantly, applying and developing these concepts effectively to the matter at hand. Her ability to think critically and find innovative solutions has made her an invaluable asset to her clients. Sarah joined Penningtons Manches Cooper in 2020, having qualified as a solicitor at a global law firm in January 2018.

The types of medical negligence claims that Richard deals with include orthopaedic, spinal, brain and psychological injuries arising from medical negligence by private clinicians, GPs and NHS trusts. He also assists with claims for personal injury resulting from road traffic accidents, including uninsured and untraced drivers through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, accidents at work, occupiers liability, public liability, including defective products, Highways Act claims, and criminal injuries involving the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Richard also supports and promotes the team in terms of risk and compliance. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2007, he has years of experience, particularly in relation to complex and high-value claims for serious orthopaedic and spinal injuries, and will go above and beyond to achieve the best possible outcome for his clients. Richard joined the firm in January 2025, having previously worked for a south coast law firm for almost 20 years where he had been a director.

She is equally comfortable handling claimant and defendant claims and has managed a wide range of high value cases both in the UK and abroad. These include claims against tour operators, foreign insurers and local authorities and a significant number of ski accident and road traffic accident claims. She has also developed a particular niche for handling accident claims in Spain and representing minors.

Joanna joined Penningtons Manches Cooper in 1999 and was promoted to the role of senior case manager in 2005 before qualifying as a solicitor in 2010. She is involved with the supervision of junior members of the team to help them widen their experience and achieve their goals.

Her work spans key regions in the South and North West of England, where she has built a reputation for delivering strategic and commercially sound guidance. Lyndsey is also skilled in negotiating and managing strategic option agreements and conditional contracts, representing both landowners and developers. In addition to her development expertise, Lyndsey has a wealth of experience in landlord and tenant matters. She acts on behalf of both landlords and tenants across the office, industrial, and retail sectors, offering tailored advice and comprehensive portfolio management services. Her ability to navigate complex lease structures and property management issues makes her a trusted advisor in the commercial property space.

Lyndsey is also a founding member of the South East Women’s Property Network, an initiative she is deeply passionate about. Through this platform, she actively supports and connects women working in the real estate industry in the South East, fostering collaboration, mentorship, and professional growth.

He has experience running international arbitrations seated in London, Singapore and Hong Kong. He also regularly represents clients in English Commercial Court proceedings. Ed regularly acts for both owners and charterers in charterparty disputes, including in relation to off-hire, demurrage, unsafe ports, speed and performance, port fines and bunker quality disputes.

Ed has also advised on and acted for clients in disputes arising under bills of lading, transhipment agreements, ship management agreements, and shipbuilding contracts and sub-contracts. He has particular expertise in charterparties for offshore support vessels and regularly advises owners on the drafting and negotiation of commercial terms. Ed has worked from both the London and Singapore offices during his time with the firm. He also has spent time on secondment at an International Group P&I club in Tokyo.

She advises on a wide variety of commercial and financial services disputes, most of which have a multi-jurisdictional or international element. Harriet regularly deals with banking and financial litigation, contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, intellectual property, freezing injunctions, jurisdictional issues and overseas enforcement. She also brings her expertise to the firm’s corporate, commercial, employment, tax and private wealth teams.

The Legal 500 names Harriet as a ‘leading associate’, and as a recommended lawyer. Clients have praised Harriet for her ‘can do attitude’ and her ‘uniquely brilliant writing style, enabling her to provide first class legal advice’. She has also been described as a ‘superb lawyer’. Harriet qualified as a solicitor in 2012 and spent four years at a nearby City firm, before joining Penningtons Manches Cooper in 2016.

Lauren’s role involves advising clients on complex real estate transactions and ensuring smooth property dealings for businesses across different sectors. Her journey at Penningtons Manches Cooper began in 2014 when she joined as a paralegal. During this time, she played a crucial role in developing the firm’s post-completion team, offering guidance on stamp duty land tax and Land Registry requirements for lawyers across the firm’s UK offices.

Since then, she has continued to build her expertise in commercial real estate law, contributing her knowledge and experience to a wide range of commercial property transactions and helping clients navigate the intricacies of commercial property law, reinforcing the firm’s strong reputation in this practice area. Lauren is recommended in Legal 500 for her work in the real estate sector in the Thames Valley area.

She is experienced in dealing with a variety of trust, wills, and estate disputes including handling breach of trust claims against trustees and executors, applications to remove and replace trustees and executors, blessing applications, and challenges to wills. Her expertise includes handling complex multi-jurisdictional disputes with cross-border components.

Before joining Penningtons Manches Cooper, Sarah practiced in New Zealand and the Cayman Islands to gain international and offshore legal experience. She has acted as lead counsel in the High Court and junior counsel in the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. In the Cayman Islands Sarah has appeared as junior counsel in the Grand Court and Court of Appeal. She is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and, additionally, admitted to practice in the Cayman Islands. Sarah is an active member of the Contentious Trusts Association and is currently working towards a STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates, which includes an advanced certificate in trust disputes.

Her diverse clientele includes investors and occupier clients in the retail, office and industrial sectors throughout the UK. Sam advises and supports clients with acquisitions and disposals of freehold and leasehold investment properties, landlord and tenant matters, and commercial and residential development projects, bringing a multi-disciplinary approach to her practice.

Sam is particularly experienced in portfolio management and advises key retail clients of the firm, including a national food retailer and fashion retailer, and has a proven track record in managing portfolios of retail shopping centres and retail parks, including for a leading Midlands-based property investor and individual investors with high-street portfolios. Her deep industry insight allows her to consistently achieve great results for her clients. Sam joined the firm in 2024 from another leading Midlands law firm, and is a member of the Midlands branch of built environment networking group, Women in Property.