Our People

Simon Wagner is a Senior Partner at Martin Kaye Solicitors with nearly 20 years' residential property and private client experience. He has been instrumental in the development of Martin Kaye's property department whilst ensuring customers receive a highly personalised experience. Simon also has broad experience across a range of private client services including wills, powers of attorney, and estate administration.
As a co-founder of Equishield, Simon has been a long term supporter of equity release, having led a team to successfully complete a large number of cases over the past few years. He has a pragmatic and balanced approach to equity release and is a firm believer in meeting all clients face-to-face to be absolutely sure that they are comfortable with the product.
Simon is always happy to spend time to discuss equity release with borrowers or their advisers without obligation. He covers most of the Midlands, mid and North Wales extending as far north as Leeds and east as far as Nottingham.

David Bridge is a co-founder of Equishield. After training in London with Winward Fearon, David qualified as a solicitor in 1994. He joined South Coast firm Glanvilles in their conveyancing department becoming a senior associate. He moved to join regional firm Battens to modernise their conveyancing department in 2001. He became a partner in 2003. In 2005, he co-founded BPL Solicitors and now acts as managing Director following the restructure in 2008.

Mark Stimson is a solicitor of 30 years calling. After Oxford, Mark trained and worked in Lincolns Inn. He is a former partner with Bond Pearce and now specialises in development, landlord and tenant and enfranchisement matters. His clients include a number of significant commercial and residential developers and investors and in the past he has acted for a number of governmental and public institutes including The Crown Estate (Marine Division), the National Trust, English Heritage, Associated British Ports and St John Ambulance.

Gill Foster qualified as a solicitor in 1991 after training with Clarke Willmott in Yeovil. She remained with them until 2000 as a senior associate. Gill initially specialised in family law before moving into the conveyancing field in 1997. After a short career break to look after her four children, Gill joined Battens in Yeovil in 2003 and moved to bpl when the firm was founded in 2005. Gill has more than 16 years experience in property law, specialising in Transfers of Equity, Declaration of Trust deeds and Equity Release Lifetime Mortgages, acting for clients nationwide.

Hardip Basra has an LLB (Hons) from the Nottingham Law School. Following her qualification as a solicitor in September 2005, Hardip joined GTC Law in April 2006, where she quickly proved herself a meticulous lawyer, becoming Partner in September 2010. Fully experienced in all aspects of residential conveyancing, including equity and equity releases, Hardip continues to develop a rapidly growing department as Partner for Cavendish Legal Group following the merger of GTC Law and Cramer Pelmont. Hardip is extraordinarily capable of accelerating work for tight deadlines, ensuring her clients' objectives are met. The results of this approach are the proven and consistent trouble-free transactions, the growing list of loyal clients and the ability of the team to respond to increasing volume demand. Languages spoken: English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and French.

Geoff Hall has been with Gordon Brown Law Firm since 1988. His specialist areas are Residential Conveyancing, Equity Release and Operations Management. Geoff Hall has 30 years Conveyancing experience; is a Director of the Conveyancing Association and sits on the Management Committee. Having trained initially with a high street firm of Solicitors in Gateshead, he joined Gordon Brown Law Firm in 1988, and specialised in Residential Conveyancing working initially at the Stanley office of the firm, and later moving to work in the Low Fell and Chester le Street offices. In 2003 Geoff Hall left the firm to work in a large regional firm to pursue experience in volume cases and the systems behind them. He left in 2006 and came back to Gordon Brown in order to set up a new conveyancing department within the firm where the emphasis was on the use of systems and technology to enhance the client experience. The Department started with Geoff Hall and a paralegal and now the Gordon Brown Law Firm have been fortunate enough to grow this to a size where it now employs 35 people.

Mark joined Glanvilles in January 2011 having previously been an Associate and a Manager of a Residential Property Team with a local top legal 500 firm. He became an Associate on 1 May 2013. Mark is Head of Department for the Property Services Department on the mainland and became a Senior Associate in April 2015. Mark qualified in 1988 and began his career in civil and criminal litigation and subsequently specialised in Land Law & Conveyancing. Mark specialises in all aspects of Property work to include buying and selling, new build development purchases, remortgages, leasehold matters, buy-to-let investment work, equity release work and maintains his interest in the subject of Land Law and lectures extensively outside the office to local business on land law and conveyancing practice, and has recently been on local radio presenting on the subject. Mark is a member of the Portsmouth Property Association and actively involved with the Institute of Legal Executives and is currently education officer for the Portsmouth & District Branch of ILEX, having previously been Chairman.

Cheryl is an Associate Legal Executive Lawyer specialising in all aspects of residential property work to include freehold and leasehold sale and purchases, remortgage work, investment buy-to-let property, new build developments and equity release property work. Cheryl extends her legal and communication skills to local property professionals in helping with a smooth transaction and is highly recommended by property professionals and clients alike. Cheryl maintains her interest in Land Law and Conveyancing and is an active member of the Portsmouth Property Association.

Kelly-Jayne Steel is the Managing Director of Gilroy Steel Solicitors with offices in Northampton, Brackley and Buckingham. Kelly-Jayne qualified as a Solicitor in 2002 and has over 15 years experience in property law specialising in Equity Releases, Residential Conveyancing and Wills. Kelly-Jayne built her reputation and experience in both national and local practices prior to becoming a founding Partner at Gilroy Steel Solicitors - opening the Northampton office in 2007. Kelly-Jayne has driven the company forward through her natural enthusiastic approach, dedication and first class service to clients. This has lead to the expansion of the company with a third office opening in Buckingham in 2010 and the diversification into additional areas of law including Commercial, Family, Matrimonial, Wills and Probate.