David Lawrence

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

• Admitted as a Fellow of The Institute of Legal Executives, July 1985
• Admitted as a Solicitor, December 1991
• Became Partner of the firm, April 1994
• Compliance Officer for Legal Practice, April 2013
• Senior Partner, January 2017 to April 2024
• Member of the Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme
• Solicitor-Advocate, as holder of the Higher Courts (Criminal Advocacy) Qualification
• Director of The Merriman Partnership Limited (trading as Merriman Solicitors), June 2023

Experience and Expertise

• Over 42 years of working in law, initially as a Legal Executive, then as a Solicitor
• Drafting Wills of all types, from simple low value estates to more complex higher value estates, with inheritance tax considerations and involving the creation of trusts
• Preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney, including those for business owners
• Registration of Enduring powers of Attorney
• Preparing Declarations of Trusts as between property owners
• Advising and assisting in relation to the post death administration of estates, from the registration of death to obtaining a grant of representation (with or without a will) and distribution as between beneficiaries
• Advising on the taxation aspects of estate administration (Capital gains Tax, Inheritance Tax and Income Tax), including the preparation of Deeds of Variation
• Departmental Supervisor
• Advising as to anti-money laundering and bribery practices
• Wide experience of different areas of High Street legal practice including, Dispute Resolution, Family law, Crime, residential conveyancing and commercial property work.