Meet our team:
Gary Verschuur, Managing Director
Gary is our Managing Director. He oversees pretty much everything. Gary’s long and varied career spanning four decades has included setting up several successful start-ups, as well as a one-year spell in Buenos Aires working for Correo Argentino (Argentina’s postal service). Gary’s law firm, FMC Law, has returned over £250 million in missoldAbout PPI to clients since 2016.
In his spare time he’s often got his head in a book, tolerates the gym, is a regular theatre-goer, and a season ticket holder at Arsenal football club.
Aiken Verschuur – Client Service Director
Aiken’s worked in the legal industry since 2016 and has been pivotal in shaping how the company operates today.
When Aiken’s not supporting clients and helping run the company, he can be found on the rugby pitch, at the gym or “enthusiastically” playing the saxophone.
David Keighley, Director & Head of Residential Property
David is one of our directors and head of our residential property department. A solicitor since 1982, he started working here in 2020. Over the last decade David has delivered hundreds of training sessions to solicitors and others working in conveyancing. He’s a specialist in shared ownership property law . He also writes for publications including an annual section for the industry’s flagship guide: the Law Society’s Conveyancing Handbook.
David is the head of conveyancing and the Senior Responsible Officer who supervises all conveyancing matters
After being asked (more than once) for Elton John’s autograph, we can confirm that David bears a resemblance to the flamboyant singer, although his dress sense is a bit more low-key.
Asad Rana – Director & Compliance Officer
Asad is one of our directors and our compliance officer. A solicitor since 2005, he completed his LLB Honours degree at Queen Mary University of London and his Legal Practice Course at the London College of Law. Alongside supervision and compliance, Asad specialises in employment, civil litigation, debt recovery, charity law and commercial leases. Asad has represented both employers and employees in the Employment Tribunal, handling matters such as unfair dismissal, unlawful deduction of wages and discrimination. His employment work amounts to around 30% of his case load. Asad also represents businesses in pursuing debts for their business from letter before action stage to representation at Court. This reflects around 10% of his work-load.
Asad lives in Cambridge with his family. He enjoys badminton and circuit training but most of all he loves travelling to sunny climates.
Sophie Humfrey – Residential Conveyancer & Account Manager
Sophie joined us as a newly qualified lawyer after securing a training contract in 2018 and qualifying in July 2021. She already has five years experience in handling home sales and purchases in a competitive London market. Sophie enjoys getting to know her clients personally, prioritising their timescales and providing the best service she can. She is highly organised and her clients know she’ll always handle their cases with great care and diligence.
In Sophie’s spare time she likes to play netball and watch movies. She’s also the proud owner of a playful Jack Russell-Daschund mix puppy, Pebbles (aka “P”) who she loves taking on long walks. She is hoping to set up a bring-your-dog-to-work day so P can join her in the office. Aiken’s not convinced, yet…
Aansa Hussain – Residential Conveyancer & Account Manager
Aansa’s string of legal qualifications include LLB, FCilex and LLM, amongst others. Since 2005 Aansa has worked in residential conveyancing for a number of large law firms and has built up a wealth of knowledge and experience. She has acted for both personal and corporate clients and is passionate about offering her clients a superb service. Aansa is really good at making her clients feel valued and supported throughout their journey with us.
Aansa’s interests are varied, she loves interior design, nutrition, and walking in the countryside. We can confirm she has the healthiest lunches in the office!
Lauren Jarmain-Chew – Conveyancing Paralegal & Account Manager
Lauren has over 10 years’ conveyancing experience. After landing a role as a legal secretary she steadily worked her way up to a paralegal, continuously adding to her host of qualifications, whilst looking after clients and managing her own sale and purchase accounts. Lauren is a super allrounder, committed to providing a reliable service, not only to her clients but also to estate agents, solicitors and all other parties involved in a transaction. Lauren has recently completed her Cilex Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice (Conveyancing).
Lauren and her daughter both adore horses – most weekends are spent at equestrian events or helping her daughter look after her pony, Twinkle.
Nadeem Qureshi – Conveyancing Paralegal & Account Manager
We welcomed Nadeem onto the team in October 2021, and he’s been an eager and valued Account Manager ever since. Since gaining his law degree in 2018 he has worked solely within the residential property sector. From assisting first-time buyers at high street firms to working on high-value transactions in the city, Nadeem’s solid experience helps clients’ sales and purchases run smoothly.
Away from the office, Nadeem can often be found at Stratford watching West Ham United – he’s convinced their glory days are on the way back (as always)! He’s also a big fan of boxing and plays six-a-side football.
Chirag Thakrar – Residential Conveyancer & Account Manager
Chirag qualified as a solicitor in 2016, after 10 years working in property law and conveyancing. He brings tons of experience and knowledge to all his property dealings and he prides himself on nurturing really good relationships with his clients. He likes to make sure he’s available and responsive throughout every stage of his clients home move.
When he’s not at work, Chirag can be found in the kitchen cooking up a storm and obsessing over new dishes he’s dreamt up. He’s always keen for people to sample his creations – lucky us!
Example template (Range of costs)
Our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal up to the Employment Tribunal.
Simple case: £2000.00 – £3000.00. (excluding VAT)
Medium complexity case: £3,000.00 – £4,000.00 (excluding VAT)
High complexity case: £4,000.00 – £5,000.00 (excluding VAT)
Factors that could make a case more complex:
There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing of £750 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow 2-3 days depending
on the complexity of your case. If we instruct Counsel to represent you at trial, the day rate could vary depending on the seniority of the Counsel
instructed.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on
your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Counsel’s fees estimated between £750.00 to £1,500.00 per day (depending on experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal Hearing
(including preparation)
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim
yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is
resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 3-4 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your
case is likely to take 6-12 weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more
information and as the matter progresses.
Individuals should check their home or motor insurance to establish whether their claim is covered by any legal expenses insurance. At our initial
appointment, you should bring with you any relevant insurance policies that you may have.
Example template (Range of fixed fees) for a business to business debt that is undisputed
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party
disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could
be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
| Debt value | Court fee | Our fee (incl. VAT) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £5,000 | £205.00 | £950.00 | £1,155.00 |
| £5,001 – £10,000 | £455.00 | £1700.00 | £2,155.00 |
| £10,001 – £100,000 | 5% value of the claim | £3000.00 | £TBC |
Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:
Our fee includes:
Matters usually take 2-3 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is
necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed,
the matter will take longer to resolve.
