Our People

Samantha is a Director of Bond Turner. She graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in law and accountancy, joining our team shortly after graduation. Samantha is vastly experienced in both a fee earning and managerial capacity and is a specialist solicitor in clinical/professional negligence and civil litigation including personal injury and credit hire claims.

Samantha also deals with regulatory compliance, client care, complex claims, staff supervision, complaints handling and compliance, and works extensively to ensure the best interests of clients and staff are protected.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, keeping fit and competitive show jumping.

Dawn graduated in 2004 having obtained a degree in law at Liverpool University.

She originally embarked upon a career as a barrister and was called to the Bar Middle Temple 2006. She developed a keen interest in costs litigation from an early stage and joined Bond Turner later that year, heading the Costs department. She was appointed CEO in 2009 and like other Directors is vastly experienced from both a fee earning and managerial perspective. Having headed the Costs department, her experience has given her invaluable insight into the issues the firm and its clients encounter in litigation. In addition to her expertise in the field of costs she has also dealt with appeals and complex claims on behalf of the firm.

Her costs background lends itself to her role as COFA and her supervisory role in respect of the firm’s accounts team. She has an excellent working knowledge of the Solicitors Accounts Rules and works tirelessly to safeguard the interest of clients and ensure the firm’s compliance.

In her spare time Dawn enjoys spending time with her family, travelling and interior design.

Alan practised as a solicitor in private practice until 1991. He was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1991 and has practised as a barrister since that date.

He has vast experience in dealing with civil litigation including personal injury, credit hire claims, clinical negligence and professional negligence.

He is an experienced, effective and practical advocate. In his spare time he is a keen cyclist, and particularly enjoys cycling in the high mountains of France, Tenerife and Spain.

Rachael joined Bond Turner in 2015 and is a qualified barrister who has a variety of other responsibilities within the firm. She regularly attends interlocutory hearings and trials on behalf of clients, ensuring she maintains a constant and personable network of communication with colleagues, clients and peers alike.

Rachael has an excellent understanding of the demands on clients and takes a commercial and client-friendly approach to litigation. Specialising in all aspects of civil litigation including contractual disputes, consumer credit, debt recovery, personal injury, motoring disputes, historical and professional negligence, Rachael has particular knowledge and expertise in credit hire cases. She also has vast experience in dealing with appeals, having been heavily involved in the Autofocus Credit Hire case. In addition, Rachael is often called upon to help sift through the thousands of cases affected by dishonest rates evidence, and thereafter dealing with test cases arising from that litigation. She also assisted with the successful application in the Divisional Court to bring committal proceedings for contempt of court against seven former Autofocus rates surveyors (Accident Exchange Limited v George-Broom & ors).

Notable cases Rachael has been involved in include:

• Accident Exchange v Autofocus Limited [2010] EWCA Civ 788
• Seatory v Oliver et al [2011] EWCA Civ 1374
• Verley v O’Neill et al [2013] EWCA Civ 36
• Bent v Highways & Utilities Construction Limited and Another [2010] EWCA Civ 292 (‘Bent 1’)
• Bent v Highways & Utilities Construction Limited and Another [2011] EWCA Civ 1384 (‘Bent 2’)
• Walker v Veolia Environmental Services (UK) PLC EWHC 2020
• Mendes v Hochtief (UK) Construction Limited [2016] EWHC 976 (QB)
• Cameron v Hussain & LV Insurance [2017] EWCA Civ 366
• Irving v Morgan Sindall Plc [2018] EWHC 1147 (QB)

Generous to a fault, Rachael spends her free time attempting to satisfy her wanderlust by taking regular holidays to warmer climes with her friends and family.

Sara is a qualified solicitor and Head of the Liverpool Clinical Negligence Department at Bond Turner Solicitors. She has over 15 years’ experience in this complex area of law. Her high level of knowledge, skill, and experience has meant her being accredited by the Law Society for her specialism in Clinical Negligence. She has also been a Senior Litigator of APIL for eight years.

Sara was Head of Medical Negligence at a leading medical negligence practice for nine years which at its height was a team of 38. She trained in large and respected claimant clinical negligence firm and has also worked for a large national defendant firm which gives her a unique perspective into defendant practices and the ability to assess cases from both sides.

The Legal 500 has recommended Sara in their lawyer rankings every year since 2016. 2017 – “for her work on cases arising from a delay in diagnosis of cancer and orthopaedic matters including brachial plexus and Erbs palsy injuries”. 2018 her team was mentioned as a “very knowledgeable team that has a wonderful touch with clients”.

Sara has been ranked as Band 2 in the prestigious Chambers and Partners guide since 2017. In 2019 Chambers and Partners Sara Stanger was recognised for possessing “a broad clinical negligence practice, with particular experience in obstetric injury and amputation cases, as well as fatal claims”. In Chambers and Partners 2021 Sara Stanger was recognised for acting “on behalf of claimants on delayed diagnosis of cancer and surgical negligence cases”.

Testimonials

The clinical negligence team at Your Legal Friend was described by Chambers 2017 as “very responsive and on the ball”.

An impressed client praises her for her “good knowledge and understanding of the case,” while sources add that she is “very driven, passionate and fantastic at bringing everything together”. – Chambers and Partners Guide 2019.

“A pleasure to work with Sara Stanger is incisive, to the point, very experienced and works with great common sense”. – Chambers and Partners Guide 2020.

“She is considered to be a fantastic solicitor who has a great grasp of cases”. – Chambers and Partners Guide 2021.

Sara Stanger is “efficient, resolute and perceptive”. Sara has experience in running a wide range of cases and has recovered millions of pounds for her clients. – Legal 500

Tony qualified as a solicitor in London in 1994.

For most of his career, Tony has specialised in high value personal injury claims on behalf of both Claimants and Defendants. He firmly believes working on both sides of the litigation divide brings real benefits for his clients, because of the insight provided.

Most Tony’s claims fall into the ‘serious injury’ category, (they are worth in or above £250,000), but Tony regularly deals with claims in excess of £1million, including brain and spinal cord injury matters, traumatic amputation claim, and fatal accident litigation.

He was most recently in the Court of Appeal (Palmer v Kitley) which involved a calculation of a Blamire award and application of the Froom v Butcher principles.

Tony also has experience of dealing with injury claims in foreign jurisdictions.

In his spare time Tony enjoys reading law and the classics

Hamida is the Head of the  Large Loss Department at Bond Turner based at the firm’s new Bolton Office.

Hamida qualified as solicitor in 2003 and has worked at highly regarded firms in Manchester and Bolton. She has held positions as Team Leader and Associate and brings over 19 years of legal experience. Throughout her Legal career, Hamida has handled complex, high value and high-profile cases. She has represented both Claimants and Defendants in the Court of Appeal and the High Court. A number of these cases have been reported in the Legal Press and Lawtel and been used as case studies / precedents by Law Students and Professionals alike. After qualification, Hamida specialised in Large Loss Personal Injury with a particular specialism in complex brain and spinal injuries. Thereafter, Hamida specialised in Complex Fraud and strategic litigation for over 10 years. Hamida is recognised throughout the legal field as a formidable advocate, a fine legal mind with a highly client focused and down to earth approach.

Hamida’s friendly, client focused department successfully deal with a hybrid caseload of Large Loss and Professional Negligence matters. Hamida deals with cases against Solicitors/Doctors/Surveyors/Architects where underlying claims arise from personal injury, Disputed Wills/Probate, Property/Financial Negligence as well as Divorce settlements. Hamida deals with complex injury cases of the utmost severity and high value including a number of multimillion-pound claims.

Our motivated and friendly team is dedicated to achieving optimum results for Clients.

In her spare time, Hamida enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, gardening, DIY and keeping abreast of legal developments as well as current affairs. She has also attended as guest speaker at the Local University.

Elizabeth qualified in 1997 and has been working solely for claimants sustaining personal injury for over 20 years. She specialises in higher value and complex personal injury claims and has secured compensation for clients who have suffered from serious injury including spinal, brain and multiple trauma.

Recognising her experience, she has been a member of the Law Society personal injury panel since 2001. Her experience extends to all accidents involving personal injury including accidents at work, occupier’s liability and road traffic accidents including claims for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Elizabeth has always fought for the highest compensation for her clients and is completely dedicated to her role and position. She has been with Bond Turner since 2013 and is currently the team leader of the Large Loss department.

In her spare time, she devotes her remaining energy to her two growing children and enjoys travelling with them as much as she can. In between there is just enough time to run the department’s book club and to arrange as many weekends away as work commitments and weather will permit.

Joanne qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and joined Bond Turner in 2014. She has worked exclusively as a claimant personal injury solicitor for over 25 years, and has a wealth of experience in dealing with complex and serious injury motor accident claims.

She is committed to supporting and assisting those who have suffered serious injuries and achieving the best possible outcome for her clients.

When not in the office she likes to attend her local gym to keep fit and enjoys evenings spent with friends at a book club.

Chantal Rabbetts is part of the large loss/catastrophic injuries team headed by Tony Oliver, and routinely deals with complex orthopaedic injuries, traumatic brain injuries and fatalities.

Chantal joined Bond Turner in 2019 and has over 20 years’ experience. Chantal possesses great determination and is a fearless advocate for her clients.

Chantal has a resolute focus on providing the best level of support for our clients. Due to the severity of the cases, good communication with the clients and their families is imperative. Chantal’s empathetic nature, and her ability to explain complex legal terms in a more digestible way, help to ease our clients’ worries about the legal process.

Chantal’s clients often have life altering injuries and she is acutely aware of the treatments our clients require. This provides Chantal with great motivation in her efforts to fight for rehabilitation costs.

Chantal previously worked in defendant law; this experience is invaluable in understanding her opponents’ approach and the tactics they may use. Chantal uses this experience to overcome the opposition and achieve the best outcome for our clients. Chantal has the vital ability to ‘read the room’: understanding which approach is best suited to achieve the best outcome for the case.

Chantal enjoys her role and finds it incredibly rewarding, as she is able to support her clients into a position where they are able to move forward with their lives.

Chantal leads on all of the serious injury cases involving children. Chantal’s empathetic nature helps our young clients and their parents understand the legal process, and reassures them that Chantal will work tirelessly to achieve a positive outcome.

Beginning her career as a paralegal, Chantal understands how difficult it can be to establish a career in the legal profession. Chantal is part of the Training Task Force and one of the leads for the Apprenticeship Scheme. This initiative was set up to support those looking to embark on a career within a law firm. Chantal uses her own experiences to support staff and provides structured guidance on how they can develop and progress in their roles.

Outside of the office Chantal enjoys spending time with her family, enjoying fun-filled activities with her young children.

Rebecca joined Bond Turner in 2016 and qualified as a solicitor in 2022. From an early stage Rebecca was assigned significant responsibility in handling serious injury cases.

This early experience has helped to guide her approach as a lawyer. Rebecca is a driven and determined lawyer who enjoys the rigorous challenges of the cases she handles, and thrives under pressure. Rebecca has shown great adaptability and has developed a legal maturity from navigating a range of cases with their individual complexities.

Rebecca has a very professional approach and understands the importance of frequent communication with a client.  Rebecca believes it is vital to be a good listener, especially at the early stages of interaction with a client; this is a skill she has honed throughout her career. 

Rebecca has a client-focused approach and is determined to achieve the necessary outcome, may that be treatment, rehabilitation or compensation. Rebecca’s goal is to get her clients back to a position where they once were to allow them to get on with their lives, or to provide the support they need in their new circumstances. 

Despite being in a relatively early stage of her career as a trainee solicitor, Rebecca has already managed to secure over £1 million  in compensation for her clients. Rebecca  doesn’t let anything get in her way from achieving her goals and doing the best by her clients. This determination is a great asset to her skill set. 

Rebecca credits her colleague at Bond Turner, Tony Oliver, for the fantastic mentoring he has provided, which she considers a great learning opportunity. The early exposure to cases tested Rebecca’s legal mind and has resulted in significant progress in her development as a lawyer.  

Rebecca is a real foodie, and enjoys experiencing new cuisines and restaurants. She also enjoys going to the gym and reading Stephen King novels in her spare time.

Neil qualified as a solicitor in 2009, having previously completed a genetics degree, ahead of practising as a registered nurse for many years, before deciding to pursue a legal career.

Since qualifying, Neil has worked for several well-respected firms in the North West, dealing with clinical negligence claims. He is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), having previously achieved litigator status.

Neil has considerable experience of dealing with a wide range of clinical negligence claims, including claims against GP’s; pregnancy and childbirth claims; gynaecological claims; medical misdiagnosis claims, including delayed cancer diagnosis claims; ophthalmic claims; mis-prescribing / mis-dispensing claims, and dental negligence claims to name a few. He is used to dealing with high value claims, most notably involving brain injury and birth injury. He has secured many millions of pounds for his Clients, having recently settled a stroke/brain injury case for in excess of one million pounds.

Neil prides himself on doing the very best for his clients, whose causes he champions to secure the best damages settlement possible. Neil joined Bond Turner at the beginning of 2018 and is currently Head of the clinical Negligence Department in our Bolton Office.

In his spare time, Neil enjoys painting, mainly abstract and contemporary works on boxed canvas. He has previously been exhibited online and has sold many artworks. He also has a passion for travel, being fascinated by exotic/ancient cultures. Past destinations have included Mexico, Cairo and Luxor in Egypt, Rome, Istanbul, Malaysia, Borneo, and Singapore.

Sarah is a highly experienced litigator with expertise in a wide variety of work. She joined the Liverpool office of Bond Turner in 2011 and works in the Professional Negligence department.

Sarah qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and worked at a well-known Liverpool firm, handling a vast range of civil litigation work, before joining Bond Turner. Throughout her career Sarah has dealt with complex and high-profile cases, and has successfully conducted litigation as far as the Court of Appeal. She currently specialises predominantly in professional negligence claims against solicitors and surveyors.

Sarah’s caseload is varied and covers claims against solicitors arising out of mistakes made in conveyancing/commercial property transactions, wills and probate, litigation, and personal injury claims, as well as mistakes made by surveyors and architects. Sarah also handles claims for breach of data protection legislation, including claims against public bodies who have wrongfully disclosed personal and sensitive information to third parties.

Sarah is also currently representing over 70 clients in a group claim against the Department of Health, relating to inappropriate treatment which they were subjected to in Aston Hall Hospital in the 1950s-1970s. Sarah was instrumental in negotiating a compensation scheme to provide compensation for the survivors of Aston Hall.

Sarah is passionate about all aspects of the work that she does and prides herself on developing good relationships with her clients and always striving to achieve the best result possible for every client.

Sarah is a keen foodie and enjoys cooking, eating out and going to food festivals with family and friends. She also enjoys walking and sightseeing breaks, classical music and losing herself in a good book

Tony has specialised in high value professional negligence cases for over 25 years. He has a high level of expertise which, combined with exceptional client care, means that Tony is one of the leading litigators in this sector.

Tony has practised at international commercial law firms for the majority of his career at the most senior levels. He has worked on claims with values up to £50m in acting for a variety of commercial and individual clients.

Tony has developed a depth of experience across a wide range of professional negligence claims involving construction professionals and all aspects of legal and financial negligence: notably solicitors, brokers and accountants.

In his spare time, Tony enjoys spending time with his family and following his local football club who play in blue. He is also a keen reader of modern and classic fiction.

Laurence qualified as a solicitor in 2022 and works in the professional negligence department in Liverpool. Having already gained experience in the field at a large Defendant firm, Laurence brings a wealth of knowledge to the team.

Laurence obtained his Law Degree in 2014 and has thrived in the legal industry since. More recently, he completed his Legal Practice Course with a Masters in Professional Legal Practice. He still shows a constant hunger for development.

He joined the professional negligence team in 2019 and enjoys assisting clients on a variety of cases including claims against Solicitors, Barristers, Surveyors & Architects. As well as professional negligence, Laurence also assists in breach of data protection and historic abuse cases at Bond Turner.

In his spare time Laurence enjoys keeping active, going to see live music and travelling. He is also an Ambassador for a large charity and spends time fundraising for meningitis research

Lee is the Head of the Housing Disrepair Department at Bond Turner based at our Liverpool office at The Plaza.

Lee began his legal career back in 1987 and has been an experienced litigation lawyer for over 30 years. He qualified as a Legal Executive in 1996 and became a Chartered Legal Executive when the Institute of Legal Executives attained royal charter status in 2011.

Lee has held positions, in a number of prominent Liverpool law firms, such as team leader, associate, head of department and Partner.

Lee has a friendly client focused style but with the drive to ensure his client’s wishes to achieve a reasonable standard of living and have their landlord deal with the issues of disrepair are met. He has had numerous successes before the Courts obtaining orders that landlord complete the repairs.

Lee’s spare time is spent between his family, playing amateur football on a Saturday afternoon and following Liverpool FC.

Jessica is a solicitor and Team Leader within the Housing Disrepair Department.

She joined Bond Turner in 2009 as a newly qualified solicitor and has successfully managed other departments within the firm.

Jessica has acquired a wealth of varied litigation experience in her career, her background initially being in debt recovery and enforcement of judgment debts, she now specialises in housing disrepair. Jessica always strives to achieve to best possible outcome for each of her clients.

Previously Jessica was Head of the firm’s Enforcement department for nine years and subsequently Head of the Court Fee Remission Department. Jessica is a well-respected team leader within the firm with a friendly and approachable nature.

Outside of work Jessica enjoys spending time with her family, holidays, weekend breaks, yoga and cycling. She is also a keen amateur photographer.

Lashay has 11 years’ experience, having recently joined Bond Turner in May 2021. Lashay works as a team leader in the Housing Disrepair Team. Lashay concentrates her time on supporting her colleagues with the day-to-day challenges they face. Using her excellent  knowledge of case law and her experience, Lashay is able to quickly solve problems for her colleagues and clients. 

Lashay is a friendly and approachable manager who is well respected by her colleagues. Her helpful nature and desire to get ‘stuck in’ are of great benefit to the Housing Disrepair Team. Lashay is also actively involved in the Bond Turner Training Task Force which has been set up to review the training needs and progression of employees

Lashay possesses great determination to resolve problems for her clients; she is very aware of the difficulties her clients face. She is driven to succeed by the fact she would never wish to see one of her own loved ones residing in substandard living conditions.

Lashay is an ambitious and determined lawyer who has a great eye for detail, and is highly skilled in dealing with complex and technical issues. Lashay is tenacious in her approach and has a firm focus on achieving successful outcomes for her clients. Lashay gains great satisfaction from making a positive difference in her clients’ lives. Getting their property back to a suitable living condition is at the forefront of her motivation. 

In her spare time Lashay enjoys adventure holidays and exploring different cultures. She has a keen interest in cars and enjoys track day experiences.

Jenna leads the operational activities of the Housing Disrepair Department, focusing on improving efficiencies, strategic planning and supporting her team’s progression.

Jenna is target driven and gains great satisfaction in helping staff members excel and fulfil their potential. Jenna enjoys working with people and has a great ability for solving problems, which directly improves the performance of her department. Jenna is motivated by being able to add real value and make a positive difference to her team.

The client is at the forefront of Jenna’s mind when implementing changes and processes. This focus helps progress cases as swiftly as possible in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the client. This is aimed at enhancing the overall experience of the client so that they can move forward with their lives.

Jenna takes great pride in the training and development plans she has implemented. These are aimed at supporting her team members’ progression in their roles and careers.

Jenna’s approachable nature and ability to adapt greatly benefit her role. Jenna has great drive and organisational skills. Jenna’s experience and expertise help her formulate appropriate strategies to achieve her goals.

Outside of the office, Jenna enjoys spending time with her young family. She also enjoys travelling and has a passion for cycling.

Neil joined the firm in 2001. Specialising in negotiation of large value quantum disputes with an emphasis on credit hire, his wealth of experience has allowed him to progress rapidly within Bond Turner.

With an in-depth understanding of both civil litigation and the firm itself, Neil is adept at imparting his knowledge to his colleagues who, in turn, often cite Neil as both an influential teacher and inspiration to grow and develop within the firm. Neil is held in high regard by everyone at Bond Turner and enjoys considerable respect from his opponents at trial.

A good-humoured and kind-hearted character, Neil spends his time away from the office attending the gym and spending time with his family.

Mike is a seasoned litigator with over 15 years’ experience working within the legal sector. He has been with the Bond Turner since 2005 and currently heads up the liability/complex claims team, dealing with cases involving complex issues such as fraud/LVI/multiple vehicle collisions. A specialist in credit hire, Mike and his team have successfully recovered several million pounds in credit hire charges on behalf of clients. Through their passion and persistence, they regularly secure maximum damages for their clients and take pride in their success.

Throughout his time at Bond Turner he has built up a good rapport and formed positive relationships with Third Party Insurers/Solicitors meaning he garners great respect within the field, which often leads to swift and lucrative settlements for clients when negotiating.

Away from the office, Mike enjoys spending time with his family and is a novice golfer.

Aimee Harris joined Bond Turner Solicitors in 2004. Aimee started her role in Bond Turner as a paralegal, assisting fee earners with a variety of litigated matters before moving on to run a caseload of her own. Aimee’s practice is predominantly made up of fast and multi-track matters involving complex credit hire arguments.

Whilst working within the firm Aimee also undertook an ILEX course which she successfully completed in 2015, qualifying as a Chartered Legal Executive.

Her loyalty and length of service to the firm means she understands Bond Turner’s business model and expectations, and also the interests of our clients. Aimee has acquired a wealth of credit hire knowledge experience owing to the caseload she runs and the complex credit hire arguments that often accompany such cases.

Her experience means she is a sounding board for her colleagues who are dealing with procedural and technical issues. She is tenacious in her handling of matters and in dealing with defendant solicitors, yet also takes a personable approach to secure the best possible outcome for her clients.

Outside of work Aimee enjoys travelling, experiencing other cultures and cuisines, and sport.

David is a Senior Litigation Executive and joined the firm in 2002 from another highly respected claimant orientated personal injury firm and has over 40 years’ experience in dealing with claimant litigation including personal injury claims, libel, and professional negligence.

David regularly appears before District Judges on interlocutory matters and he deals with high value claims, often with difficult legal issues. He has been extensively involved in many high profile cases including Callery v Gray’ (ATE insurance premiums and percentage uplift on fees) and Kearsley and Klarfeld (low value LVI claims to multi track).

In his spare time, David follows his favourite local football team and enjoys time holidaying in the UK with his family.

Craig, a Chartered Legal Executive, qualified in 2009 and has been working in the insurance and personal injury sector for over 20 years. He has worked for both claimants and defendants and has a good understanding of the strategies and tactics used by defendants and their insurers in compensation claims and litigation.

He has vast experience in handling complex disputes, both in terms of value and liability, covering a wide scope of claims including road traffic accidents, employer’s liability, occupier’s liability, and counter-fraud and fraud allegations.

He previously worked as a manager and partner in a defendant-focused practice specialising in organised fraud and group actions and currently manages a team handling complex liability and causation disputes. Most of the work he covers involves claims from victims of road traffic accidents consisting of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling and sports

Abi joined the firm in March 2008 as an office junior. With the firm providing her the opportunity to progress, she advanced to become a legal assistant in one of the firm’s litigation teams within six months of her employment. With her drive and determination, Abi has continued to progress, and has worked in various departments of Bond Turner, gaining a wealth of experience in multiple legal areas. She has dealt with all aspects of personal injury from small claims and fast track matters through to multi track cases and managing her own case load.

Since 2014, following the expansion of the MOJ department, Abi heads up the Stage Three department of the MOJ team. Abi consistently obtains excellent results at final hearings, ensuring she secures the best possible outcome for our clients. She has an excellent rapport with clients and colleagues alike due to her approachable manner.

In her spare time, Abigail enjoys spending quality time with her family, particularly her nieces and nephew, holidaying in exotic places, and likes to attend music concerts and socialise.

Michelle has over 15 years’ experience in handling litigated personal injury (Employer’s Liability and Public liability & Motor) cases for both Defendant and Claimant practices.  She joined Bond Turner in 2018 as one of the first recruits of the new Bolton office and has become an integral part of the team.

Michelle joined the legal profession to further public good and have an impact on the way the world runs. She is extremely passionate about supporting her clients: “I love the feeling of accomplishment I get from helping others fight.” Michelle relishes the mental stimulation of working through complex legal theories, statutes, and case law.

Michelle’s areas of specialism include: credit hire, liability, indemnity, fraud, road traffic accident insurance, client care and management. Michelle uses her creative thinking and problem-solving skills to outmanoeuvre opposing parties and find solutions to legal questions.

Michelle is currently studying CILEX Level 6 – Professional Diploma in Law & Practice. Michelle’s inner desire to further herself and continually progress her qualifications will tangibly enhance the support and success that she will bring to her clients.

Michelle has a resolute focus on securing a positive result for her clients. She enjoys tackling the more complicated cases where issues such as fraud have been raised, fighting hard against spurious and unsubstantiated allegations to ensure genuine claimants are fully compensated.

As an experienced and passionate litigation supervisor, Michelle has considerable qualities and skills that will surpass client expectations, accompanied by a dedication to her clients.

Away from the office, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family and going on long walks and hikes. She is also a lover of animals.

Graham Kershaw joined Bond Turner in 2013 and has over 23 years’ experience in the legal system. Graham works as a court clerk, and leads a team of three who determine the counsel best suited for each case. This process ensures that our clients receive the best representation from the wealth of talent at Bond Turner.

Graham manages the court diaries for the majority of teams in the firm, booking counsel for more than 70 trials and interlocutory hearings every week. Graham is a highly organised person, who has fine tuned this skill to manage the large volumes of court hearings the firm deals with.

Graham began his career working as a filing clerk in the court service working his way up the ranks to managerial roles. In this time, Graham has accumulated a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of courtrooms, which is greatly beneficial to Bond Turner and our clients.

Throughout his career, Graham has built and maintained strong relationships within the legal system which helps our clients receive high level counsel which is greatly beneficial to the outcome of their case.

Graham is an approachable and friendly member of staff, who helps his colleagues with advice and passes on his wealth of experience and knowledge to those in his team. Graham has created a good team dynamic, which is highly efficient in dealing with the large number of case files they are given.

Outside of the office Graham enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading and listening to music.

Vinanti has 15 years’ legal experience in both claimant and defendant work. She joined Bond Turner in 2018 and as a Litigation Supervisor has responsibility for leading a team in our Credit Hire Department.

Vinanti is actively involved in her team’s cases, providing expert technical advice to colleagues, to ensure high levels of performance as well as supporting her team’s individual and collective developments.

Vinanti is a highly driven and determined solicitor whose positivity and hard working approach is reflected by the many successes of her team. Vinanti is a resilient individual who perseveres through the complexities of cases to ensure a successful outcome.

Vinanti’s approachable nature and guidance has created a diligent and determined team. Vinanti strives to create an environment for her colleagues which will help them succeed in their roles. Vinanti really enjoys helping her team progress in their professions. Vinanti is very supportive to her colleagues and offers guidance to ensure there is a pathway for progression. This approach helps to form a team which is highly motivated and has a focus on achieving justice for our clients.

From the start of her career, client care has been at the forefront of Vinanti’s focus. Providing support and providing a high level of service to the client is a top priority for Vinanti – “The client is the reason for what we do”. Vinanti always makes sure a job is seen through to the end, ensuring the best level of service is provided. The client’s best interest is central to Vinanti’s decision making and her approach to each case.

Outside of the office, Vinanti is very family oriented and enjoys spending quality time with her children, as well as relaxing with her favourite Netflix series.

Kelly Smith works as a solicitor in our Court Team department, with over 18 years’ experience working in Law. Kelly initially joined Bond Turner in 2005 and was one of the first trainees to qualify with the firm. Kelly returned in 2015 and has worked in various departments within the firm.

Kelly currently leads the Court Team, which involves dealing with procedural issues and preparation of files so that each case is in the best possible position for the litigated teams to progress the claims to a successful conclusion. Kelly strives to make her department a high performing one, and to make a significant contribution to the successful outcome of each case.

Kelly possesses great attention to detail and is renowned amongst her colleagues for her excellent memory. These skills are highly beneficial in preparing a case, ensuring that every aspect of cases has been covered. This meticulous approach puts our clients’ cases in a strong position to achieve the best possible outcome.

Kelly enjoys the challenge of her role and the variety her role offers. Kelly is keen to continually learn and progress. She shows an incredible ability to adapt to the challenges and circumstances which each individual case presents. This skill allows Kelly and her team to produce the best results for our clients.

Kelly has a hardworking and motivated team who have a resolute focus on ensuring each case is handled with great care and every issue has been investigated. Kelly works well in her time sensitive environment, with a high volume of cases.

Kelly is known for her approachable and friendly manner; her colleagues are guided by her expert technical knowledge and her experience. Kelly is always willing to help with any issue that her team may face.

In her spare time Kelly enjoys exercising, finding a recent passion for boxing, along with spending quality time with her family

Having graduated in 2005 with a degree in law from the University of Liverpool, Neil joined the firm in 2006. He brings a wealth of experience in the field of costs and heads up the busy Costs department.

With a particular specialism in civil costs, Neil deals with a multitude of cases ranging from fast track road traffic accident claims to high value multi track claims involving catastrophic injury, professional negligence, clinical negligence and defamation. Neil also has a keen interest in group litigation and has had the opportunity of dealing with substantial high value group actions, some involving over 60 claimants.

Having worked in the rapidly evolving costs sector for over a decade, Neil has in-depth knowledge of civil costs and has been involved in several high profile and widely-reported appeal cases such as O’Beirne v Hudson [2010] EWCA Civ 52.

Neil is on hand to provide both technical and practical costs advice to the fee earners at Bond Turner, and has extensive knowledge of costs budgeting and the costs management process.

Away from the office, he enjoys keeping fit and watches Liverpool FC whenever the opportunity arises.

Jon Blakemore works as Costs Supervisor in our Bolton offices. Jon’s attention is focused on recovering costs incurred by the firm during the life of the claim. Jon began his career at Bond Turner and now has over 11 years’ experience.

After graduating from Staffordshire University, Jon joined Bond Turner in 2010 as a Costs Paralegal.  He developed his career in the Liverpool offices, establishing himself as a key member of the Costs Team. Jon credits the help and guidance of the firm for his career development, which has led him to move to our Bolton offices where he leads the costs team.

On a daily basis Jon provides support on all cost related queries at the Bolton office for personal injury and clinical negligence claims.

Jon thrives under pressure, working in a fast-paced environment. With frequent time constraints and pressing deadlines, Jon works tirelessly to ensure that costs schedules are filed in time and in advance of the deadlines set.

During his time at Bond Turner, Jon has enjoyed having the opportunity to undertake a variety of roles within the costs team. Jon has fine tuned his skillset, becoming a proficient negotiator along with developing an expert eye for detail, ensuring high levels of accuracy.

In his spare time Jon enjoys playing football, going to the gym and is a keen ‘DIYer’.

Malcolm Lewis joined Bond Turner in 2021 and has over 25 years’ experience in law. Malcolm’s areas of specialism include: personal injury, clinical negligence, civil litigation and group litigation.

Malcolm leads the team which is representing 12,500 clients in their emissions claim against VW Group. Malcolm is highly organised, which is vitally important for group action cases when having to examine vast amounts of evidence and legal documents. Malcolm is also meticulous and thorough when devising legal arguments and strategies for cases. Malcolm’s expertise and knowledge are highlighted in the procedural and tactical legal aspects of a case. 

Malcolm is very conscious of the importance of communication with a client. This is a considerable task, given the large numbers of claimants in group action. Despite the challenges, Malcolm and his team strive to keep clients up to date on the progress of their claim and explain what they are doing and why.

Malcolm focuses on holding every defendant to account, and ensuring that every reasonable avenue is investigated for his clients. Using his expert knowledge and experience, Malcolm develops strategies and tactics which benefit the entirety of the case. Malcolm has high standards; he tries to put himself in “their’ shoes” to understand and surpass their expectations for the handling of their cases. 

Outside of work, Malcolm is a keen sports fan (mainly from the armchair these days since the knees gave out!) but he continues to cycle, undertaking a number of coast-to-coast and other long-distance challenges over recent years. He also enjoys other outdoor activities, especially hill walking, and good food and good beer – ideally a day involving all three!

Linda has over 15 years’ experience, having joined Bond Turner in 2019. Linda is Head of our First Response Department, which is responsible for all initial client contact and case initialisation processes. Linda’s areas of specialism include first response, customer service and operations.

Linda puts the client at the heart of everything she does, focusing on providing a high level of customer service by investing time and resources into improving the customer’s experience. A key component of this is to ensure we get back to clients in a timely fashion. 

Linda strongly believes that to progress a company it should develop the people within it, and she is proud that Bond Turner strives to do this. 

As Head of our First Response Team, Linda leads the team with supporting our clients with Emissions claims. Linda strives to support each client individually and providing them with access to justice.

Linda is a team player who is keen to assist and support other members of staff to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. Through supporting her colleagues Linda and her team have developed an improved client experience.

Outside of the office, Linda enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. Linda is an outdoor adventurist with a keen interest in hiking, rock climbing as well as being an avid gardener.