Partners / Directors

Paul Hughes LLB (Hons)
Head of Company & Commercial
Paul is the legal advisor to a nationwide member organisation representing the interests of small businesses and to a large motor dealer and is proud to have fostered decades-long relationships with many of his clients. He has a wealth of experience over many areas of work and some of his particular speciality areas include the sale and purchase of dental practices, high value commercial leases and advising property developers on the acquisition of sites and sale of development properties.
Paul is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS).He is also an accredited member of the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS).
Paul went to school in Stoke-on-Trent before attending Birmingham University to study law. Paul joined Wallace Robinson & Morgan in 1984 and became a partner in 1986, having qualified with another Birmingham firm in 1981.
From 1998 to 2017 Paul was a Governor at a school in Dorridge, where his children attended. He is chairman of the Family Care Trust, a local charity caring for people with mental illness and learning difficulties though the provision of day care, community support and a farm at Catherine-de-Barnes.
Having refereed football for 25 years Paul now concentrates on supporting Stoke City where he is a season ticket holder. He enjoys travelling and has recently visited Australia and New Zealand, but also enjoys time in Devon with his family. Having completed 7 half marathons for charity he has probably hung up his running shoes, but still enjoys going to the gym regularly.

Tim Langford LLB (Hons)
Head of Residential Property Department
Tim also has considerable experience in dealing with lease extensions for both landlords and tenants as well as acting for clients who wish to sell or purchase land for development.
Tim started his training with Wallace Robinson & Morgan in 1990, qualifying as a Solicitor in 1992. He has been a partner since 1996 and is now a director of the firm and head of the Residential Property Department.
When not at work he enjoys watching all sports and spending time with his family.
He plays league tennis at the local gym, reluctantly accepting he’s not going to be turning pro.
He enjoys live comedy by both going to gigs and being a season ticket holder at Birmingham City!

Kathryn Ferris LLB (Hons)
Head of Family Department
Kathryn is a trained Collaborative Lawyer and passionately believes that the use of this process means clients avoid acrimony giving themselves the best chance of achieving an amicable resolution. She is a member of Resolution and a former chair and active participant of the Collaborative Family Law Group West Midlands.
Kathryn is experienced in all aspects of financial disputes but has particular expertise working with mid to high net worth clients who are separating after a long marriage. These cases often involve more complex legal issues such as how pensions can be retained or used flexibly to realise capital, business interests and identification of matrimonial and non-matrimonial assets.
She also advises on matters concerning children including arrangements following separation, applications to relocate and applications by grandparents and step-parents. Should it prove necessary to involve the court then she takes a robust approach to ensure clients achieve the best possible outcome.
Kathryn qualified as a solicitor in 2000 specialising exclusively in Family Law since 2002. She is now Head of the firm’s Family Department. The most rewarding aspect of her role is helping clients move on to the new phase of their life with confidence and security.
As a working mother she has plenty to fill her time away from the office, but particularly enjoys tennis, cycling, travelling and country walks preferably with a nice pub on route.

Daniel Zakis LLB (Hons)
Head of Dispute Resolution and Employment Law Department
Daniel has considerable experience in advising a wide range of clients including, national and small businesses and individuals on all types of dispute resolution including employment law and civil and commercial litigation. Daniel's most notable cases include:
· Advising the successful applicant Mr Coyne in the reported case of Coyne v Morgan `{`2016`}` B.L.R. 491.
· Acting for Hilary Owens, the only successful Claimant in a 3 week employment tribunal which received significant media interest as our client was incorrectly alleged to have been a part of ``Operation Trojan Horse``.
· Advising a national organisation in an emergency injunction to protect their confidential information and intellectual property. Daniel also provided further advice on steps to enforce the terms of the injunction including committal proceedings.
· Advising a national organisation in successfully defending an unfair dismissal claim from a former Chairman
Daniel deals with cases from small claims up to high value claims across a variety of subjects including, unfair dismissal, discrimination, professional negligence, contract disputes, debt recovery, applications for injunctions and contentious probate matters.
Daniel was appointed as a director of the firm in November 2015 and is Head of the firm's Dispute Resolution and Employment department.
Daniel studied for his Law degree at the University of Birmingham and then completed the Legal Practice Course at the Birmingham College of Law in 2005. Daniel first joined the firm as a trainee solicitor and after qualification joined the Commercial Litigation team at a large Birmingham practice. Daniel returned to Wallace Robinson & Morgan in January 2011.
Daniel is a Birmingham City fan and has a season ticket with his son and twin daughters. As well as football Daniel is a fan of almost all sports and will watch any sport on TV. Daniel enjoys playing football and golf with varying degrees of success. He also enjoys listening to music and attending gigs, his favourite artists include Bon Iver, The National and Death Cab for Cutie.
Associate Directors

Ruth Nolan LLB (Hons) TEP
Solicitor - Associate Director - Wills and Probate Department
Ruth is an Associate Director and solicitor in the Wills, Probate & Trusts team. She is based at the Dorridge office but is able to see clients at the Solihull office if this is more convenient for them.
Ruth is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS). Ruth is the treasurer for the Birmingham branch of the Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE). As well as being a fully accredited member of SFE. Ruth is a full member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP). As such she adheres to the STEP will writing code, a copy of which is available at https://www.step.org/system/files/media/files/2020-02/Will_Code_2016.pdf subject to our term and conditions of acting.
Ruth Nolan qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and first joined Wallace Robinson & Morgan in 2005. She took a career break while her children were very young and re-joined the firm in January 2013.
In her free time Ruth enjoys playing singles and doubles tennis, walking her dog, spending time with the family and going on holiday.

Liam Wdowiak LLB (Hons)
Solicitor - Associate Director - Wills and Probate Department
Liam’s areas of expertise include dealing with the administration of estates, the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, and Deputyship Applications.
He prides himself upon providing a friendly and professional service to his clients and is an accredited member of the Law Society's Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS). Liam joined the firm’s Private Client team in January 2017 and became an Associate Director in January 2022. Prior to this, Liam trained and qualified as a solicitor with a long established Midlands practice, where he worked for almost 10 years.
In his spare time, Liam enjoys walking his Whippet and getting on with various DIY projects around the home. He also enjoys visiting new places and is a keen fan of both football and cricket.
Senior Associates

Mark Baldwin BA (Hons) LLM
Solicitor - Senior Associate - Dispute Resolution and Employment Law Department
Mark provides pragmatic and commercially driven advice to resolve legal disputes in the most cost effective way. This will usually mean exploring alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options and, where this is not appropriate or possible, using his experience and knowledge to support clients through the court process.
Mark was called to the Bar in 2004 and joined the litigation and employment team in a Warwickshire firm in January 2005. He subsequently qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and obtained Higher Rights of Audience as a solicitor advocate in 2009. He joined the firm in March 2018 and is a Senior Associate.
Mark has a degree in Law & Business from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Law from the University of Birmingham.
Away from work, Mark plays rugby for Leamington RFC and is a keen photographer. He will also escape to Devon to go surfing whenever time allows.

Liaquat Malik LLB (Hons)
Solicitor - Senior Associate - Commercial Property and Development Department
Liaquat Malik, known by everyone as ‘Malik’, joined the firm in April 2015 as a paralegal after spending 3 years with a national law firm in Birmingham. He has now a Senior Associate Solicitor, having undertaken his training contract with the firm and qualified as a Solicitor in 2018.
Having worked as a paralegal in the Litigation and Employment team at Wallace Robinson & Morgan, Malik moved to the Plot Sales team, where he helped build the team to its current size, working on a number of large property developments around the country. Since qualifying Malik has developed his role and manages the Plot Sales team on a day to day basis.
He completed his Law degree at Coventry University in 2010 and moved to Birmingham, going straight into his LPC studies at the College of Law.
Malik had already gained two years' paralegal experience working in a busy Commercial Property team in Birmingham before joining our team here in Solihull.
Malik has a small gym obsession, spending the majority of his time eating and training. He also loves football and (for his sins) follows Newcastle United. He even attempts to play every now and then. However, he does admit the running aspect of football puts him off!!

Anna Hobbs BSc (Hons), MSc
Solicitor - Senior Associate - Commercial Property Department
Anna qualified as a Solicitor in August 2018 after completing her training contract with us. She is now working in our Company and Commercial Team and enjoys the varied nature of the work she undertakes. She acts for both Landlords and Tenants in the granting of commercial leases and lease assignments and can also assist clients with the sale, purchase and re-financing of commercial premises whilst also having experience in business sales and acquisitions for small to medium sized companies. Her company work includes general contract reviews, company incorporations and Partnership Agreements. Previously Anna took a leading role in setting up the busy Plot Sales team who handle the apartment sales of a number of property developments around the country and still assists in this area from time to time.
After gaining a 1st class degree in Geography, Anna went on to do an MSc in Climatology and worked for a few years in the environmental sector before setting her sights on Law, graduating from the Legal Practice Course (LPC) with a distinction. She has been at WRM full-time since October 2012, first working as Practice Management Assistant, then as a Trainee Solicitor alongside her part-time study at the University of Law and is now a Senior Associate.
Anna recently took some time off to have her second son, and now enjoys her spare time at home with family, walking and relaxing on an evening by cooking and baking. She is a keen traveller and loves doing anything creative including sewing and painting.
Associates

Michelle Layton LLB (Hons)
Licensed Conveyancer - Associate - Residential Conveyancing Department
Michelle is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS). Michelle qualified as a Licenced Conveyancer in 2008 and after many years’ experience in conveyancing with other legal firms in the West Midlands area, she joined Wallace Robinson & Morgan in July 2016.
Michelle enjoys sports and in particular running, and has participated in several half marathons and some full marathons. She also enjoys travelling, going to the cinema and socialising with family and friends.

Katherine Stratton LLB (Hons) LLM
Solicitor - Associate - Commercial Property Department
Katherine has experience in a broad array of property disciplines and spends her working day dealing with all aspects of commercial property work including acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant and secured lending. Alongside this she deals with all things relating to residential property including freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, re-mortgages and lease extensions.
Katherine undertook her training contract at a Bournemouth firm having graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 Law degree and achieved a Distinction in her LPC and Masters at the University of Law in Birmingham. She then qualified into commercial property in August 2019 having had over 4 years property experience.
Away from work she is a keen albeit slow runner and enjoys being outdoors as much as possible to appreciate the hidden Birmingham beauty spots.
Solicitors

Kirsten Wagner LLB (Hons)
Solicitor - Family Law Department
Kirsten graduated from De Montfort University with a degree in Law in 2015 and gained experience as a Legal Assistant in Civil Litigation at a firm in Leicester shortly after. She then completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law in 2018 alongside working for a national law firm in Birmingham as an Employment Paralegal. Kirsten commenced her training at a niche corporate law firm in Dudley and has undertaken a seat in Corporate Law.
In her spare time, Kirsten enjoys cooking, going to live music events and spending time with friends and family.

Gary Sawyer BEng(Hons) MBA MBE
Solicitor - Commercial Property Department and Wills and Probate Department
Gary’s route into the legal profession has been more protracted than most. After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree, he joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot. After 16 years as a front-line pilot flying the Tornado ground attack aircraft, he completed an MBA and moved into management consultancy, programme management and process improvement. He then decided to pursue an aspiration he had held for a while and completed a Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law in Birmingham.
Away from work he is an enthusiastic, if somewhat unskilled hockey player, is a keen road cyclist and tries to ski at least once a year. Legal studies have taken up much of his time over the last 2 1/2 years but he also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Sarah Kelly LLB (Hons) LLM
Solicitor - Commercial Property Department
Sarah is a qualified solicitor working in the Commercial Department. She deals with numerous aspects of commercial property work on a day to day basis which includes drafting and reviewing various documents such as leases, licences, deeds and more, undertaking searches, dealing with third parties such as lenders and reporting to clients. Sarah has recently started to deal with company matters such as the dissolution of partnerships and the sale and purchase of companies acting for both the buyer and seller.
Sarah also deals with all aspects of residential property work including freehold and leasehold sales, purchases, transfers and re-mortgages.
Sarah also occasionally drafts Wills and has dealt with the administration of several estates in Probate.
Sarah graduated from Coventry University with a 2:1 Law Degree and joined WRM in June 2017 as a paralegal in the Plot Sales Team. She began her training contract in September 2018 and whilst training gained experience in the Residential Property Department, the Family Department and the Commercial Property Department. Sarah achieved a Distinction in her LPC and Maters at the University of Law in Birmingham and qualified into the Commercial Property Department in September 2020.
Outside of work Sarah enjoys spending time with her young son and partner, and enjoys socialising with friends. She also enjoys travelling and has been fortunate enough to travel to many different countries around the world experiencing varied cultures, something she wants her son to experience in the future.

Kirsty Roberts LLB (Hons)
Solicitor - Family Law Department and Wills and Probate Department
Kirsty qualified in April 2020 and joined the Family department in July 2020. She is a member of Resolution and encourages her clients to resolve disputes as amicably as possible with the other party.
Kirsty’s work includes reviewing financial disclosure in order to put forward settlement proposals in financial matters, advising her clients about the options for agreeing child arrangements with the other parent, supporting her clients with applications for non-molestation and occupation orders, and advising her clients about their rights as cohabitees. Kirsty enjoys keeping updated on legal news and recent case law and drafting blogs about Family law issues. Kirsty also undertakes work in our Wills and Probate Department and specialises in will drafting.
Before qualifying as a Solicitor, Kirsty graduated with a 2:1 in Law from the University of Manchester and obtained a Distinction in the Legal Practice Course from BPP University in Birmingham. She then gained experience as a Litigation Paralegal at a Manchester firm and as a Legal Assistant in the Regulatory department of a London firm, before undertaking her training at a local high street firm.
Kirsty enjoys reading, doing yoga and volunteering at her local nature reserve.
Trainee Solicitors

Ciara Cunningham LLB (Hons)
Trainee Solicitor
Ciara started at the firm in September 2020, in 2021 she began her two year Training Contract and is currently assisting in the Dispute Resolution Department.
Ciara graduated from the University of Birmingham with a 2:1 LLB Law degree in July 2020. Alongside her work in the office, she is currently completing the Legal Practice Course along with a Masters in Law at the University of Law in Birmingham.
Outside of work, Ciara enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Ciara has family in both Italy and Ireland, and she loves to visit them whenever she can. Ciara also enjoys listening to music and watching as many TV series as possible.

Parris Ball LLB (Hons)
Trainee Solicitor
Parris started at Wallace Robinson in September 2020 as a Paralegal in our busy Plot Sales Team helping a large developer client in the sale of city apartments and houses from reservation through to completion.
Parris graduated from the University of Law with a 1st Class degree in July 2020. Outside of work, Parris enjoys flying around the UK with her boyfriend who holds a private pilot licence. She also enjoys socialising with friends and family as well as getting stuck into a good TV series.
Paralegals

Laura Owen
Paralegal - Development Department
Outside work Laura enjoys socialising with friends and spending as much time possible with her family. Laura loves to spend her days off shopping and eating out.

Shola Parry
Paralegal - Wills and Probate Department

Heidi Ryder
Paralegal - Residential Conveyancing Department
She gained considerable experience and knowledge in supporting the Residential Property team as a Legal Secretary. As she was keen to develop her career in conveyancing, Heidi started her training to become a Legal Executive in 2015. She is currently working towards the Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), and will then complete her studies with the Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law & Practice.
She provides assistance to the Conveyancing department and manages a freehold portfolio of sales.
Heidi enjoys keeping fit and goes to the gym. She enjoys socialising and taking part in various activities.

Uzma Rasool LLB (Hons)
Paralegal - Wills & Probate Department
Uzma graduated from the University of Leicester with a 2.1 LLB Law Degree in July 2020 and completed the LPC with a Masters with a Distinction from the University of Law in Birmingham in August 2021.
Outside of work Uzma enjoys spending time with friends and family , shopping and watching as many Netflix series as she can.
Cashiers

Douglas Freston
Senior Cashier
Out of working hours Douglas now has more time to spend on his vast collection of clocks – all of which need repairing.

Mike Keane
Senior Cashier
A little more about Mike
He enjoys most sports especially golf and football and has been a supporter of Birmingham City for many years.

Joanne Kitching
Cashier
Joanne has done lots of charity work for the PTA at her sons’ old primary school. She has taken part in various charity runs over the years, including the muddy obstacle ones! She loves spending quality time with her family and friends and visiting new places.

Christine Hughes
Assistant Cashier
A little more about Christine…
Christine leads a busy life outside of work, regularly swimming, walking her dog and trying to keep up with the lives of her four children. As a devoted Geordie she is also loathe to admit she is a supporter of Sunderland Football club.
Support Staff

Laura Lucock
Practice Support Manager
Prior to her career in the legal profession, Laura was a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply with various Procurement Management roles covering national retail companies and the environmental sector.
Laura specialises in supplier management and best practice efficiency.
In her spare time Laura enjoys spending time with her young family and travelling. She enjoys going to the gym, socialising with friends, shopping and listening to Northern Soul.

Rebecca Baker
Practice Administrator
In Becky’s spare time she enjoys going on cruises travelling the world learning about different cultures and tasting the local food with her husband and son Jack. Becky also enjoys films, reading and socialising with her friends and family.

Linda O’Connor
Legal Secretary - Wills and Probate and Commercial Property Departments
In her spare time Linda enjoys spending time with her family, as well as reading, eating out (as much as possible!) and going to the cinema/theatre.

Lisa Ward
Front of House Receptionist
Outside work Lisa enjoys gardening & DIY but most of all spending time with her family and friends.

Jean Pigott
Legal Secretary - Residential Conveyancing Department

Aimee Hopkins
Admin Assistant / Receptionist
In her spare time, Aimee enjoys spending time with her friends and family and attending Zumba classes. She also enjoys listening to music and travelling.

Linda McAteer
Legal Secretary - Residential Conveyancing Department

Fiona Coulson
Legal Secretary - Wills and Probate Department
In her spare time Fiona enjoys reading, cooking, entertaining and as often as she can a visit to Portugal to visit her friends who live there.

Sharon Ionoff
Legal Secretary - Family Law Department
Sharon enjoys walking her dog, Bruce, along the towpaths of the Grand Union Canal where her narrowboat is moored.

Karen Ramsey
Legal Secretary - Dispute Resolution and Employment Law Department
Solihull: 0121 705 7571
Dorridge: 01564 779393