Meet our team
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…
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Mark Barrett - Partner
Mark joined Fitzhugh Gates at Head of Commercial Property in September 2017 and became a Partner in July 2019. Having been a head of Commercial Law in Sussex for many years, specialising in commercial property and corporate practice, Mark brings a…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 is currently working in our Private Client department. Direct dial: 01273 666319Email:…
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Martin Davitt - Solicitor
Martin has recently joined FHG in the Commercial property department at our Shoreham office. Martin completed his training with a city firm and qualified as a solicitor in 2016. He joined Fitzhugh Gates in July 2019, after moving to the south coast.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Frances Newbury - Chartered Legal Executive Advocate
Frances Newbury is a Chartered Legal Executive Advocate and joined our family department based in Brighton in December 2019. Full biography and photograph to follow. Direct dial: 01273 666327Email: francesn@fitzhugh.co.uk
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Sonja Rogers - Chartered Legal Executive
Sonja Rogers is a Chartered Legal Executive and joined our family department based in Shoreham in November 2019. Sonja was admitted to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives on 16 May 2003 and joined Fitzhugh Gates Solicitors in November 2019.…
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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…
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Fitzhugh Gates Partners
Julian Cioffi (Managing Partner), Mark Barrett, Nicole Lawton, Moira MacFarlane, Christopher Thomas, Rhiannon Winter and FHG Law Ltd (Corporate Partner).