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WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?
We stand for:
(1) no nonsense, no legalese, no ''ifs and buts" advice and documentation which is understandable;
(2) whenever possible we work to a fixed and agreed fee;
(3) we understand our clients business and their aspirations;
(4) we are at the forefront of legal knowledge in our chosen fields.
OUR PEOPLE
The reason for our success is quite simply that we have the most experienced and able lawyers specialising in this area. All solicitors qualified in the United Kingdom. Our team is:-
John Pratt, Solicitor and Partner
John qualified in 1977 previously head of the Pinsents' franchise team, and managing partner of the Birmingham office, member of the British Franchise Association legal committee and recently appointed Legal Advisor to the British Franchise Association, author of "Franchising: Law & Practice", and a contributor to ''Practical Commercial Precedents'', ''International Sales and Marketing'', ''Commercial Contracts'' and ''International Franchising Law''. Acknowledged by Legal Who's Who as an expert in international franchising, a past president of the Union Internationale des Avocats franchise committee, currently Chair of the International Bar Association's international franchise committee and a frequent lecturer on franchise issues both in the UK and elsewhere. John was previously Honorary French Consul in Birmingham, President of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of the British Chambers of Commerce.
Gurmeet Jakhu, Solicitor and Partner 
Gurmeet qualified in 1996 and after a period in private practice Gurmeet joined one of the UK's leading franchisor's, Amtrak, as a senior lawyer and was subsequently promoted to company secretary. Gurmeet was responsible for all of Amtrak's legal issues but specialised in franchise litigation. Gurmeet is currently responsible for all dispute resolution matters with a particular emphasis on urgent injunctive relief and pre-emptive remedies required to protect franchisor’s interest and their intellectual property rights. Gurmeet is also involved in claims relating to interpretation of franchise agreements, commercial and supporting contracts and pre-contractual statements. He encourages the appropriate use of and has been involved in heavy weight mediations. The 2006 Chambers Guide also describes Gurmeet ‘as an up and coming individual’ and as ‘incredibly thorough and patient’. He lectures worldwide on franchising including, at the invitation of WIPO, in Singapore and Mongolia!
Sue Mann, Solicitor and Partner
Sue is a highly experienced commercial lawyer who joined the Firm in 2007 having previously been a partner in Shakespeare Putsman. In addition to advising on a full range on general commercial matters she has expertise in computer contracts, data protection and charity law. Sue speaks fluent French, German and Spanish.
Barbara Lock, Associate
Solicitor
Barbara qualified in 1978 with the City of London firm, Waltons & Morse. Barbara joined the legal team at Allied Dunbar now part of the Zurich Insurance Group and became a senior legal adviser and at one time had one of the largest franchise networks in the UK.
Felicity Taylor, Solicitor
Felicity is a law graduate of Sheffield University and trained with Hamilton Pratt. She qualified as a solicitor in 2008.
Natalia Shvarts, Solicitor
Natalia is a graduate of Warwick University in Law and European Law and she has an LLM in European Integration from Europa-Institut, Saarbruecken in Germany. She is a native Russian speaker and also speaks fluent German.
James Barrett, Trainee Solicitor
James joined the Firm in September 2008 and is a graduate of Southampton University in Law and Politics. He also has a Diploma in Corporate Risk and Security Management from Southampton University.
Francesca Briggs, Para Legal
Francesca started working with John Pratt in November 1983 and has built up considerable expertise in a large number of franchise related issues.
Alison Hayes, Para Legal
Alison joined the Firm in November 2008.
Hamilton Pratt is a partnership constituted under the laws of England and Wales and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A copy of the Solicitors' Code of Conduct 2007, which sets out the rules of professional conduct which apply to solicitors, is available on the Solicitors Regulation Authority's website, http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/code-of-conduct.page
All the partners of Hamilton Pratt are solicitors, qualified in England and Wales.
In accordance with the disclosure requirements of The Provision of Services Regulations 2009, our professional indemnity insurer is Zurich Insurance plc. Address: Zurich Professional & Financial Lines, The London Underwriting Centre, 3 Minster Court, Mincing Lane, London EC3R7DD. The territorial coverage of our policy is worldwide.
Hamilton Pratt
120 Edmund Street
Birmingham, B3 2ES
Tel: +44 (0)121 237 2027
Fax: +44 (0)0121 233 9686
VAT number: 833 5536 25
Firm SRA number: 004 01522