Our Lawyers

Adam is responsible for client/lawyer liaison, ensuring the provision of best value service from barristers and solicitors at the forefront of motor industry legislation and practice.

He has valuable insight both into the broader efficiencies of current legal institutions and into their application within the continually developing motor sector.  Through this experience, and often in alliance with other representative trade bodies, he has worked to ensure that MILS is actively involved in industry wide issues, particularly regarding group level dealer/manufacturer relationships and the public profiling of specific industry related customer/employee issues.

Amanda is a specialist commercial litigation solicitor within the motor industry providing both legal and commercial advice on all areas of litigation including dealer agreement disputes, consumer credit, sale of goods, supply of goods and services, intellectual property and trade descriptions.  She undertakes advocacy at all level of hearings in both the High Court and County Court and is experienced in all forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Andrew has spent 23 years advising motor retailers on all aspects of motor law.  He is a recognised expert in consumer law, dealer agreements, competition law, trading standards and intellectual property and has considerable experience of commercial litigation in the High Court and County Court, as well as cases in the Magistrates Courts and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Paul is head of the Retail Motor Industry Federation’s Legal Services here at MILS and as such has an understanding of the practical considerations and concerns of the Automotive Sector.  Since 2002 he has practised within the Automotive and Public sectors providing litigation services and legal advice to business and government bodies, including Helphire and the RAC.

Paul is widely respected for his expertise in all areas of the law with a particular focus on insolvency, dealer agreement disputes, block exemption regulations, consumer protection legislation, sale of goods, and supply of goods and services.  He undertakes advocacy in tribunals and County Court matters and is experienced in all forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Andy has significant litigation expertise.  His specialist knowledge in the motor industry includes contractual disputes, consumer rights, goods and services between businesses, insolvency issues and defamation.

Andy has advocacy experience in UK and overseas courts and has successfully represented clients in Alternative Dispute Resolution.  He has lectured in law and previously had a successful business career.

Eden is an experienced Commercial Litigation Solicitor in our busy Commercial department.  He advises on all aspects of motor industry legislation and practice, and handles breach of contract disputes between businesses, consumer disputes, motor finance lending and FCA regulated disputes.  Eden has particular interest and experience in dealing with legal title disputes and claims for damages in the tort of conversion as well as claims involving vehicle mileage manipulation.  He also has experience in dealing with insurance related matters and debt recovery, and provides general advice on sale of goods matters and commercial contracts including Supply Agreements.  Eden represents our clients in both County Court and High Court matters.

Henry provides proactive commercial advice to the motor industry on all aspects of employment law, from the day-to-day management issues such as performance, equal pay, maternity, sickness, wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, discrimination claims and disciplinary hearings through to attendance at tribunal hearings and at the Employment Appeal Tribunal.  As well as drafting a variety of employment related documentation, Henry provides strategic advice on restructures, sales and mergers and negotiating exit packages.

Michael has provided specialist employment advice and guidance on all aspects of employment law for more than 15 years.  He has considerable experience of Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal work on behalf of companies including discrimination, whistleblowing, TUPE and unfair dismissal claims.  He has proven negotiating skills with a good track record in resolving employment disputes including judicial mediation.

He provides commercially focused practical advice on a wide range of employment law and HR issues to the motor industry including disciplinary and grievance hearings, performance management, sickness absence, maternity, equal pay, restructuring, breach of contract and holiday pay.  Michael is also responsible for drafting a variety of employment documents including restrictive covenants, policies and procedures, contracts of employment, and settlement agreements.

In addition, Michael is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Lisa qualified in 2007 and specialised in litigation, working in-house for a variety of leading media organisations including ITV, Endemol, ESPN, Disney and PA Media focusing on intellectual property, commercial law, employment and corporate matters.  Her in-house roles have seen her working on numerous cross jurisdictional projects, across the US and in EMEA.

Christopher has degrees in Philosophy and Law, as well as a Masters in Business Administration.  He graduated from Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge and was awarded a Blue in Boxing.  He was called to the Bar in 1986 and was awarded a major scholarship by the Inner Temple.

Christopher is Head of Legal at MILS and is also a Director of the law firm.  He has more than 25 years’ legal experience in motor industry law.  He is authorised by the Bar Council to conduct litigation and to appear in all courts in the UK and Wales including the Supreme Court.  At MILS he heads the employment and commercial teams.  He is also responsible for putting together specific employment and commercial teams for clients on a case by case basis.

He is a specialist in motor industry law, and he is recognised as the UK’s leading authority on motor industry law, and he is retained on an annual basis by a wide range of motor retail corporate clients including many of the UK’s major retail groups (see the client list on the website).  Since 2007 he has acted as standing Counsel to a number of Government and motor industry trade bodies including the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), Independent Garages Association (IGA), National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), Petrol Retail Association (PRA), National Body Repair Association (NBRA), National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA), Cherished Numbers Dealer Association (CNDA), Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) and Mercedes Benz Dealers Association.

Christopher works closely with other in-house legal teams working with MILS clients and advises HR teams as well as in house solicitors and barristers.

Areas of Expertise

• Commercial litigation – He conducts High Court litigation on behalf of MILS clients.  The litigation involves cases relating to contract/commercial disputes and also relating to franchise and agency agreements and disputes with manufacturers as well as class action lawsuits involving the emissions claims.
• Commercial advice – He advises on all aspects of motor industry law which involves commercial/contract documentation.  The main areas are new and used vehicle order forms and franchise/agency agreements with the manufacturer and agreements with third party suppliers to the motor industry.
• Employment law – He advises on all aspects of employment law and advises MILS clients on all areas of non-contentious employment legislation with particular relevance to motor industry.  He also heads the employment litigation team and represents clients in tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
• Intellectual Property – He advises on the protection and registration of intellectual property rights for motor retailers in relation to their branding and standing in the motor retail market.  Where appropriate he conducts litigation in the intellectual property tribunal to protect those rights on behalf of clients.
• Landlord and tenant – He advises on leases and licences relating to motor industry sites which require particular expertise and knowledge of motor industry requirements and relevant legislation.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution – He frequently engages in formal and informal mediations on behalf of clients.  He is the lead conciliator for the National Conciliation Service for the motor industry and acts as a motor industry arbitrator.  He also conducts international arbitrations for motor retailers engaged in commercial disputes outside the UK.

Henry is the Robins Kaplan Distinguished Professor of Litigation Skills and International Dispute Resolution, a John H. Faricy Professor of Empirical Legal Research, and a Senior Fellow in the Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.  He also holds an appointment as a Commercial Law Professor for the Guildhall School of Business and Law, London Metropolitan University.

Henry has more than twenty years experience in most areas of commercial law, international and domestic dispute resolution, and arbitration.  In addition to having taught and written numerous books and articles on these subjects, Henry maintains a robust connection with practice.  He regularly serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and expert witness, and he frequently represents clients in transactional and litigation matters.

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Educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge.  Richard was called to the Bar and awarded the Certificate of Honour by the Middle Temple in 2015.  Richard is regularly instructed on complex Tribunal cases and is an excellent advocate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.

Educated at Queen Mary University of London and University College London.  Ollie was called to the Bar in 2016.  He went on to assist Berwin Leighton Paisner with a compliance project during their merger with Bryan Cave and then worked as a County Court Advocate before commencing pupillage.

Ollie specialises in all areas of employment law.

Educated at the University of Leicester.  James was called to the Bar in 2005. James’s practice and experience spans a range of Employment Tribunal work including unfair dismissal and sex and disability claims.

Will graduated from UCL with a first-class degree before completing the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Bar Course at the City Law School.  He specialised in Employment Law, placing second in his cohort, and undertook a clinical legal project with Sequentus Criminal Appeals.  He is a mooting/legal debating winner and he has articles published in academic journals.

Will is leading the MILS Criminal Appeals Pro Bono team, undertaking criminal appeal cases across the full spectrum of criminal offences. He works with specialist criminal barristers in reviewing the appeal cases.  He has experience of reviewing murder cases and sexual offences cases for prospective appeals, including to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.  He has demonstrated an “incisive understanding of the criminal appeals framework and an innate ability to understand complex fact patterns and translate these into meaningful advice to the client” – Khaled Hussain-Dupré, Solicitor, Director of Legal Education at Sequentus Criminal Appeals.

Will also assists both the MILS Employment and Commercial teams.  He is a member of the Criminal Bar Association and the Employment Lawyers Association.

Called to the bar in 2004, Crispin advises and represents clients in a full range of civil and commercial disputes.  He accepts instructions in chancery, civil and commercial law.  He appears regularly in courts and tribunals at both County Court and High Court level.

Before qualifying as a barrister, Crispin practised as a certified accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and qualified as a licensed insolvency practitioner.

Crispin’s background and experience makes him well placed to deal with asset recovery, whistleblowing and general employment issues.

Daniel is ranked as a Leading Junior in both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for intellectual property law.  He practices in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trade marks, passing off, copyright, registered designs and design rights and confidential information and commercial disputes involving the same.  He is a contributing author to Terrell on the Law of Patents (19th edition, 2020), the leading practitioner textbook on UK patent law.

Daniel is shortlisted for “IP Junior of the Year” by Chambers and Partners (2023) and was shortlisted for the equivalent award by Managing IP (2023).

Kate graduated from the University of Oxford in 1984 with an MA in Jurisprudence.  She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2011 (previously Queen’s Counsel).  After a 25 year career at the Bar, she is now a Director of MILS Legal Ltd and oversees administration, compliance and regulation.

Clare has been working for MILS since February 2009 and during that time she has carried out various roles, mainly working in the employment department.  Clare has worked in the legal sector for all of her working life, previously working for large firms in Exeter.

Gina has been employed in the Employment Department at MILS since September 2022 and has over 27 years’ experience within the legal industry.

Kristina has worked at MILS Legal Ltd for over 12 years. Kristina supports the Commercial team in all aspects of their work including full preparation for Court hearings and liaising with Courts and Chambers and providing full secretarial support to the team.

Yvonne is an experienced legal secretary and commenced work with MILS in April 2007, where she concentrates on administration work together with assisting in secretarial work for Henry Knill, Head of Employment.

Mark has extensive experience having previously been in the Royal Air Force employed within administrative, HR, PA and recruiting roles, achieving managerial status through successive advancement.  On leaving the RAF he transferred these skills into ‘civvy street’ joining Nationwide Building Society as the administrative assistant to the Director and the South West Region senior team; responsible for administering budgets, expenses, HR, recognition, training, recruitment and customer complaints within the Region.  Mark joined MILS in August 2023 as the legal administrator.  He is married with three grown up children and has recently become a grandfather.  He is a regular runner to half marathon and marathon level and has just run the London and Edinburgh marathons.