People

David Grindrod LL.B (Hons)

Senior Partner

David has spent all his professional life at Roebucks having been articled to the firm, admitted in 1978 and made a Partner in 1979. On Tony Redhead's retirement in 2002 he became Senior Partner and is head of the Property and Private Client Department. David specialises in private residential, commercial and agricultural property transactions. He is a member of the Agricultural Law Association and acts for many farmers and allied organisations. When not working, he is a Salmon fisherman of some renown, shoots enthusiastically and has three children, two of whom are following in his footsteps into the law.

David has a Law Degree from London University and is also a member of the Probate Group of the Law Society.

As with several other members of the firm, he has had a season ticket at Ewood Park for more years than he cares to remember!

Julia Watson LL.B (Hons)

Partner

Julia has a Law Degree from Nottingham Trent University and joined Roebucks in 1988 after having time out bringing up her two children following training in Blackpool where she qualified. She became a Partner in Roebucks in 1989 and is head of the Family Law Department.

Julia sits as a Deputy District Judge in the Civil Courts and is Legal Advisor to the Blackburn Diocesan Adoption Agency. As well as her public and private children law work, being a member of the Law Society Children and Family Law Panels, she specialises in high income financial settlements and is a Resolution Accredited Specialist.

Julia is very involved in the local community, being Secretary of a very active children's charity and a committee member of the Blackburn Law Association. She has a busy family life but manages to find time for swimming and playing golf and gardening under supervision.

Robin Phoenix LL.B (Hons)

Managing Partner

"Gamekeeper turned poacher" would best describe Partner Robin Phoenix who heads up the Criminal Department based at our offices in Accrington and Blackburn.

Robin is a former Police Officer with the Lancashire Constabulary who changed direction some years ago.

Having been a Custody Sergeant and specialist Road Traffic Officer and Advanced Driving Instructor, he has seen life on the other side and now specialises in serious Crime and Road Traffic Law, often travelling outside the area to represent clients on motoring matters. He has been a Duty Solicitor for many years.

A Ribble Valley resident, with two children, Robin spends his spare time shooting, fishing, keeping poultry, sailing and riding his K1200RS motorcycle! He is a former member of Clitheroe Round Table and Past Chairman of Clitheroe 41 Club.

Robin joined Roebucks in 2001 from another local firm having graduated from Lancaster University and the College of Law at Chester.

Robert Hall LL.B (Hons)

Partner

Graduating from the University of Staffordshire, Company and Commercial property are Robert's speciality. He handles a wide and varied portfolio of complex property transactions and has clients ranging from Cricket Clubs to Churches as Robert is also Deputy Registrar of the Diocese of Blackburn, and an Ecclesiastical Notary.

Mancunian by birth, after graduating from the University of Staffordshire and working in Lancashire and Manchester, Robert defected to Yorkshire and was a Partner in a large firm in Leeds and Bradford before joining Roebucks in 2002. Robert is married with two children, one of whom at least is thinking of going into the law, and commutes to Blackburn from his home near Skipton.

Victoria de-Mel LL.B (Hons)

Partner

Trained in Preston and Lancaster and qualified in 2001, Victoria was a criminal specialist until she took a brave step to re-train in 2006 since when she has become a specialist Probate & Trust Solicitor. She is a graduate of the University of Central Lancashire and is now proceeding towards her qualification as a specialised Trust & Estates Practitioner. She has a wide variety of private clients and is heavily involved with Age Concern and Help the Aged to which Charities the firm are appointed Honorary Solicitors. Tax-planning and wealth management is a large part of Victoria's workload and she and Tom regularly give talks to various groups on tax- efficient giving to charities and tax-planning to leave personal affairs in good shape.

Thomas Hoyle LL.B

Consultant

A graduate of Southampton University, Tom trained in Preston and joined Roebucks as a Partner in 1989. He is a member of the Ecclesiastical Law Association, and is a former President of both the Blackburn Law Association and the Association of North West Law Societies. As well as litigation work, Tom is a specialist Ecclesiastical lawyer and is Diocesan Registrar, Legal Secretary to the Bishop of Blackburn and Chapter Clerk at Blackburn Cathedral.

He also sits as a Tribunal Judge on Mental Health Review Panels and on the Doctors & Dentists Appeal Tribunals.

A keen and active sportsman, playing squash and Real Tennis and shooting, he is a member of Blackburn and Fylde Rugby Clubs, a keen follower of Blackburn Rovers and a member of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

He is a past President of The Notaries Society of England & Wales necessitating travel far and wide giving papers on modern notarial practice.

Kate Hamlin LL.B

Consultant

Kate has been at Roebucks since 1989. For many years she was a Partner in the Practice but is now a Consultant specialising in Ecclesiastical conveyancing, church schools, property and trusts. She handles all sorts of Landlord & Tenant and property problems including everything from leases on Scout huts in churchyards to large commercial transactions involving the Blackburn Diocesan Board of Finance and the Board of Education for whom the firm act. Still a keen skier, she also shares her husband's love of sailing, but perhaps not so enthusiastically these days.

She is another graduate of Leeds University and trained in Leeds before moving with husband Bill to Blackburn.

Peter King B.A.(Hons)

Consultant

Peter joined the firm in 2007 when Roebucks set up their Accrington office, taking over part of another firm of Solicitors in the town in July 2007. He specialises in crime and has done since he was admitted, having trained with a specialist road transport firm in Blackburn. He is a long standing Duty Solicitor. Yet another supporter of Blackburn Rovers "through thick and thin", Peter is still active in the golf world, being a member of Pleasington Golf Club where for many years he was a renowned single handicapper.

Peter is a graduate of Leeds University and was admitted as a Solicitor in 1982.

Alison Nolan LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Alison is a Liverpudlian who graduated from Leeds University in Law and qualified as a Solicitor in 1990. Virtually exclusively throughout her career following qualification she has worked in Family Law. She trained in Liverpool and then worked locally prior to joining our Family team in 2009. Good, experienced Solicitors do not "come on the market" very often and when we learnt of Alison's availability, we snapped her up as we knew what an asset she was. She has a strong following of clients who are recommended to her by other clients as Alison is certainly a lady who "gets on with it". More importantly, she is also recommended on a regular basis by other local Solicitors who appreciate her professionalism, her ability to get results and her fairness to all parties in tricky divorces.

Alison lives in Clitheroe with her two children who occupy a lot of her time and when she is not driving them hither and thither she enjoys travelling, the cinema and socialising with her large circle of friends.

Emma Morrissey LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Crime has always been Emma's speciality since admission as a Solicitor in 1993. She trained in Burnley and is another graduate of Leeds University.

She is a long standing Duty Solicitor and has a wide range of practice including some high profile white-collar money-laundering cases with which she has been involved.

A fluent French speaker, Emma also lives in the Ribble Valley and enjoys travelling, fine dining, ballet and opera when not successfully overseeing clients' acquittals.

Vicky Wadsworth LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

A former qualified RGN, Vicky trained at Alexander Harris specialising in Mental Health Law, Vicky joined Roebucks half way through her training contract and completed it successfully, qualifying in 2004. She has a degree from the University of Central Lancashire.

She is a member of the Law Society Mental Health Review Tribunal Panel, a specialised body of Solicitors who represent detained patients in both restricted and non-restricted capacities in hospitals ranging from very high secure institutions such as Ashworth and Rampton to low secure units in and around Blackburn.

She is head of the Mental Health Law Department and is well respected throughout the profession especially by members of Tribunals before whom she represents patients.

Vicky is very heavily involved in local and national charities involving Autism and when she is not working she indulges in a highly dangerous sport, motor cross!

Imran Hussain LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Born in Blackburn and fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, Imran trained at Roebucks and is a specialist criminal lawyer. He has a law degree from the University of Mid-Glamorgan. He is a Duty Solicitor and is a regular at Police Stations around the Country but on the correct side of the counter.

When not ensuring clients are acquitted, Imran enjoys fast cars and socialising and is a regular medium pace bowler for Ribchester Cricket Club where he is currently captain.

Sarah Robson LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Sarah is a law graduate of Leicester University and was admitted as a Solicitor in November 2005, having trained in Blackpool and joined Roebucks in 2006 as part of the expanding Family Law Department. She is a member of Resolution and handles a wide variety of family cases concentrating on financial settlements, divorce and separation. Sarah lives on the Fylde. She is a very keen tennis player and regularly plays in competitive matches. As well as tennis, she is an accomplished musician and enjoys foreign travel.

Louise Neville LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Louise joined Roebucks recently from Burnley where she trained. She is an important member of the Employment Department and whilst handling a variety of litigious cases, she now specialises in employment, mainly for Claimants, although she acts for several of the firms represented by Roebucks on matters of Human Resource Management and procedures and complex transfer of undertaking matters.

She is a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University and when not working enjoys swimming and socialising.

Louise is also an accredited Police Station and Duty Solicitor Representative.

Karen Wade LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Karen trained in Manchester and qualified in 2007 after graduating in law from Hull University. She joined Roebucks Family Law Department in 2009 and works primarily from the Accrington Office offering advice in family law including children matters and divorce.

Karen lives in the Ribble Valley with her partner and away from the office enjoys combat aerobics, swimming, travel and shopping (and has a penchant for shoes and handbags!)

Colleen Dickinson F.Inst.L.Ex.

Colleen is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. She is a criminal specialist and is an accredited Police Station and Duty Solicitor representative. She joined Roebucks in 2000 as a secretary and subsequently embarked on the long and hard road to qualifying first as an Associate and then as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives. In addition, Colleen is one of few Legal Executives with full Rights of Audience before the Criminal Courts as an Advocate and conducts all her own trials in the Magistrates Court. She is also a Commissioner for Oaths.

Outside the law, Colleen is married to Tony. Together they enjoy visiting the theatre as often as possible and weekends away. In particular, Colleen enjoys Murder Mysteries and visiting sites of historical interest.

Kellie Fielding LL.B (Hons)

Solicitor

Kellie is an enthusiastic young Solicitor who comes from Darwen. She is a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Following successful completion of her training contract at Roebucks, she is now undertaking Residential Conveyancing and Private Client work under the supervision of David and Victoria. Out of office hours, Kellie is a feared First Dan (Black Belt) in karate and enjoys travelling.

Stephen Crossley M.A.

Solicitor

A History graduate of Leeds University with a Masters in Modern History, Stephen is a very enthusiastic member of Whalley Golf Club and plays whenever possible. Stephen is a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club although he lives in Blackburn!

Stephen has extensive experience in business and previously worked in the motor and travel industries before deciding to embark upon a legal career. Stephen is still an accomplished footballer and after leaving QEGS, played football whilst at University but golf is now his main sporting love.

Stephen is very much a hands on Solicitor and, following completion of his training contract with Roebucks, he is now a Civil Litigator, specialising in personal injury litigation and tricky litigation in the County Court. He is an extremely able Advocate and has a very warm relationship with his clients who frequently recommend him to their friends and so he is kept extremely busy.

Gina Steele LL.B (Hons)

Trainee Solicitor

Gina is Blackburn born and a graduate of Leeds University before joining Roebucks in 2007. She has been trained in the Family Law Department and is currently enjoying a seat in the Mental Health Department, conducting her own Tribunals with the supervision of Vicky Wadsworth.

Gina is advanced in spoken Spanish and is very keen on all sports. In particular, she and her family play tennis very enthusiastically and until recently played netball for Lancashire up to Under 18 Squad and attended England Training Camps.

Keith Adamson LL.B(Hons)

Trainee Solicitor

Born in Edinburgh Keith studied law at Birmingham City University. He joined Roebucks from a firm in the Midlands where he had been specialising for some time in Mental Health Law. Before turning to the Law, he had a previous career as a lecturer in further education. Keith is now a trainee in the Mental Health Department working under the supervision of Vicky Wadsworth.

Outside of work, Keith has many interests including surfing, gardening and camping but his biggest passion is for motorcycles.

Joanne Lewis LL.B(Hons)

Trainee Solicitor

Joanne is a local girl born in Blackburn. Joanne has a First Class Honours Degree from the University of Glamorgan. She is a trainee in the Criminal and Family Law Departments and is currently a probationary Police Station Representative.

Outside of work Joanne enjoys reading and socialising with friends but also finds time to raise money for Cancer Research.

Mahua Jana LL.B(Hons)

Trainee Solicitor

Mahua was born in Calcutta, India and grew up in Saudi Arabia before coming to the UK in 1998. She lives in Bolton and is a graduate of the University of Newcastle. Prior to commencing her training contract, she has experience of voluntary work for the Citizens Advice Bureau and also at Womens Aid in Bolton. Mahua is currently a trainee in the Family Law Department.

Outside of work Mahua retains her interest in good causes having recently undertaken the Great North Run for the charity Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Amanda Thompson

Practice Manager

Amanda is the Practice Manager and was previously in the same position with Singletons who merged with Roebucks in 2000. Amanda is a very keen sports enthusiast with gymnastics as her main sport when she was younger and used to train with members of the England Commonwealth Games and Olympic teams. She lives in the Ribble Valley with her husband Peter and when not working they travel the world visiting exotic places.