Lester Aldridge Solicitors

Lester Aldridge, a law firm with national and international practice

Lester Aldridge is a law firm that presents itself as a practice with specialist teams able to advise both businesses and individuals on their legal matters, regardless of borders. Its stated areas of operation cover the south coast of England, London and internationally.

Practice areas for individuals

The firm structures its offering for individual clients into several blocks. In the area of community care and education, it handles community care and special educational needs (SEN), education law and SEND, social care, NHS Funded Care, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Court of Protection & Capacity, powers of attorney, deputyship, statutory wills and elderly or vulnerable clients.

In employment matters for individuals, it covers whistleblowing, employment tribunal claims, termination of employment, parental and family friendly employment rights, and cases of discrimination, bullying and harassment at work.

The family area includes divorce, divorce financial settlements, children, cohabitation and unmarried couples’ rights, child adoption and surrogacy, nuptial agreements, alternatives to court divorce and domestic abuse.

It also provides international probate & estates services, marine law (marine finance, yachts and superyachts, houseboats and inland waterways, and vessel registrations), medical negligence (birth injuries, brain injury, Court of Protection, fatal accidents, spinal injuries), personal injury (including burns, criminal injury compensation claims – CICA, fatal accidents, medical negligence and military injury claims and compensation), probate & estate administration, deed of variation, professional regulation & disciplinary proceedings, residential property & conveyancing (buying a property, selling a property, remortgage (and mortgaging) or equity release, transfer of equity), and tax & trust planning (tax planning, trust planning & asset protection, wills, declaration of trust, elderly & vulnerable clients, Court of Protection).

It also handles wills, trusts & estates disputes: contesting a will, trust disputes, disputes between executors and beneficiaries, Inheritance Act claims, challenging a lifetime gift, proprietary estoppel (promises made about inheritance) and protecting charitable legacies.

Services for businesses

On the corporate side, the firm advises charities & non-profit organisations (setting up an organisation and protecting charitable legacies), corporate & commercial (agency & distribution agreements, buying a company or business, selling a company or business, borrowing, lending & security, contracts, outsourcing agreements, partnerships, articles of association & shareholders’ agreements, artificial intelligence, software development & licensing, company secretarial services, terms & conditions, data protection & GDPR), and dispute resolution & commercial litigation (commercial litigation, litigation funding, property litigation, professional negligence).

In employment & HR, it covers employment contracts, employment data protection, day-to-day employment issues, disputes & employment tribunal claims, immigration, redundancy, restructuring and reorganisation, and retainer services.

In the healthcare sector, it works with care homes, children’s homes, fostering and other Ofsted regulated provision, community care & SEN, coroner’s inquests, criminal investigations & prosecutions, GP’s & medical practices, judicial review, problems with registration authorities, regulatory advice, regulatory due diligence, safeguarding, supported & assisted living, and unpaid care fees litigation & recoveries.

It also offers consumer credit advice, insolvency, advice & monitoring, litigation, asset & debt recovery, and services to small business.

Sectors and marine practice

The firm organises part of its activity by sector: aviation, charities & non-profit, construction & building, health & social care, marine, planning, private wealth and technology and artificial intelligence.

In the marine and energy field, it covers shipping, logistics & energy, yachts & superyachts, ports & marinas, marine finance, workboats, houseboats & inland waterways.

In real estate, it works on care homes & retirement living, construction & engineering, development & regeneration, distressed property realisations, hotels & leisure, landlord & tenant, planning, infrastructure & environment, plot sales, ports & marinas, property litigation, real estate finance, the Renters’ Rights Act, residential development & strategic land, and social housing.

Regulation, business crime and insolvency

The firm advises on regulation & business crime: fraud, bribery & money crime, health, safety and environmental, trading standards, data protection & directors’ disqualification, and professional regulation & disciplinary proceedings.

In restructuring & insolvency, it offers advice to businesses in distress, to insolvency practitioners and to secured lenders and other stakeholders. It also works with the Solicitors Indemnity Fund and SRA Interventions.

International practice

The firm’s international dimension includes international probate & estates, Medallion Signature Guarantee, North American estates, assets & shares, resealing foreign grants of probate, Jersey, Guernsey & The Isle of Man, Australia & New Zealand, South Africa, the EU Succession Regulation, unclaimed property and escheated assets, US estate tax, the IRS & Form 706-NA, international wills, wills, trusts & estates disputes, and notary services.

Structure and team

The firm’s internal organisation is structured around a team of partners and directors, a senior leadership team and the group of professionals serving the different areas. The firm publishes information about its history, its environmental responsibility, its community and charitable support, and its diversity, equity and inclusion policies. It also maintains a careers section with vacancies and training contracts.