Solicitors for Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea

Partners: Christopher Thomas, Rhiannon Winter, Julian Cioffi, Moira MacFarlane and Nicole Lawton.

Fitzhugh Gates Solicitors are one of the longest established legal practices in the area, serving both commercial and private clients from our offices in Brighton, East Sussex and Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.

The practice has a total team of 36 professionals comprising 5 Partner Solicitors, 6 Solicitors and a large team of support staff, both full and part-time. Each of our solicitors are experts in their respective fields, enabling the firm to offer a broad range of legal services to a high standard, at competitive rates.

No matter what your needs are, the Fitzhugh Gates team are the people you really want on your side.

The Fitzhugh Gates Solicitors Team

Julian Cioffi - Managing Partner

Julian Cioffi is the firm’s managing partner. He also oversees the litigation and dispute resolution department. He has been a partner in the firm for many years. Working from both our Brighton & Hove and Shoreham-by-Sea offices, Julian has… Read more

Nicole Lawton - Partner

Nicole was admitted as a Solicitor on 1 October 1996 and has been a Partner in FitzHugh Gates since 5 September 2003. Nicole is a member of the Adult & Children Panel and also an advanced member of the Family Law Panel, which are accreditation… Read more

Moira MacFarlane - Partner

Moira has been a solicitor since 1996 and became a Partner in FitzHugh Gates in 2003. Based in our Brighton Office she has substantial experience with all aspects of residential conveyancing and has a diverse client base with the majority of her… Read more

Christopher Thomas - Partner

Chris qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and joined Fitzhugh Gates in 2004, becoming a partner in 2008. Chris is based in our Brighton office and advises on a range of private client issues: Will drafting, powers of attorney, probate, trusts and… Read more

Rhiannon Winter LLB (Hons) - Partner

Rhiannon qualified in 2000 and has been with the Firm as a Senior Solicitor since 2009 and became a partner in 2016. She now heads up the Fitzhugh Gates Probate Department in Shoreham-by-Sea, specialising in Wills, Probate, Inheritance Tax, Powers… Read more

Mark Barrett - Head of Commercial Property

Mark joined Fitzhugh Gates in September 2017, having been a Senior Partner and Head of Commercial Law in Sussex for many years. He specialises in commercial property and corporate practice and brings a wealth of experience to Fitzhugh Gates’… Read more

Sian Butler - Solicitor

Sian is an experienced family law practitioner who was admitted as a solicitor on 15th March 2001. She has extensive range of family law experience. Her expertise includes care proceedings, divorce, finances, prenuptial agreements, co-habitation and… Read more

Bridie Iveson LLB Hons - Solicitor

Qualifying as a solicitor in 2007 and joining Fitzhugh Gates in 2008, Bridie is a family solicitor in our Brighton office and has experience in a range of family matters including divorce, separation, children matters, care proceedings, domestic… Read more

Joanne Lawrence-Hall - Solicitor

Joanne Lawrence-Hall joined Fitzhugh Gates as a senior solicitor in 2015 and is based in our Shoreham office. She has over 20 years experience in the fields of family and employment law. Prior to joining the firm, Joanne has spent her career in the… Read more

Claire Raitt - BA (Hons) MPhil - Solicitor

Claire qualified as a solicitor 18 years ago and has been a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel for the last 11 years. Claire specialises in representing children and parents in care proceedings and other complex public law matters. She is… Read more

Georgina Bennett - Conveyancing Executive

Georgina has recently joined Fitzhugh Gates and is well qualified as a Conveyancing Executive. Georgina deals with both freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, lease extensions, deeds of variation, transfers of equity and remortgages. She has… Read more

Carla Brunning - Conveyancing Executive

Carla joined Fitzhugh Gates Solicitors in early 2019 bringing her wide experience to our busy residential conveyancing department in Shoreham-by-Sea. She is now a Graduate Chartered Legal Executive having completed a Law and Criminology Degree at… Read more

Sarah Dummett - Family Executive

Sarah has been a Family Executive with Fitzhugh Gates since 2007 and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. Based in our Shoreham-By-Sea Office, she has substantial experience in family matters including matrimonial proceedings,… Read more

Kayleigh Davies - Trainee Solicitor

Kayleigh joined the firm in April 2017 as a Family Executive and in July 2018 became a Trainee Solicitor. Based in our Brighton office, Kayleigh deals with a variety of family matters including care proceedings, domestic violence and other children… Read more

Ursula Tanner - Trust and Estate Executive

Ursula is a Trust and Estate Executive based in our Shoreham-by-Sea office and advises on a range of Private Client issues such as Will drafting, Powers of Attorney, Probate and Trusts. She specialises in all areas of taxation relating to… Read more

Michelle Hardstone - Chartered Legal Executive

Michelle joined the firm in February 2018 and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. Michelle has worked in family law for many years with firms in Sussex and Kent and has experience in matrimonial proceedings, finance and… Read more

Fitzhugh Gates Partners

Julian Cioffi (Managing Partner), Nicole Lawton, Moira MacFarlane, Christopher Thomas, Rhiannon Winter and FHG Law Ltd (Corporate Partner).