IBB Law

Managing Partner: Joanna DeBiase

Number of partners: 30

Number of other UK fee-earners: 86
 

Contacts:  

Banking & Finance: Harriet Jones, Gemma Coles

Fraud & Crime: John Milner

Commercial Development: Jeff Elphee

Commercial Dispute Resolution: Paul Kite

Construction: Paul Brampton

Corporate & Commercial: Adam Dowdney

Crime: Joanne Gibbons

Employment: Richard Devall

Family – Matrimonial: Jolene Hutchison

Landlord & Tenant: Jon Mowbray

Personal Injury: Malcolm Underhill

Property Investment & Management: Jeff Elphee

Real Estate Dispute Resolution: Jon Mowbray

Residential Conveyancing: Gary Bunce

Real Estate: Vivien Rimmer

Wills, Probate, Tax & Trusts: Jacqueline Almond

Court of Protection: Jacqueline Almond

Immigration: Richard Devall

Education: Salima Mawji
 

THE FIRM 

IBB is Heathrow’s closest major law firm and a Thames Valley heavyweight. It is a full-service firm, working for clients all over the South East of England. IBB has four offices. One in Uxbridge for corporate, charity, employment, real estate and community legal services. A Reading office which provides a full service offering to Thames Valley clients, a third in South Bucks and fourth in Ascot for private clients. IBB boasts one of the largest real estate teams outside of London and a corporate team working with UK headquarters of multinationals based in the South East. IBB handles complex work with great attention to detail and high-quality client service, making it particularly suited to working with clients who may be used to working with central London firms but who are increasingly questioning the value and commerciality they receive. IBB’s partners are recommended in the legal directories as leading individuals in their fields and there are six accredited commercial mediators and one accredited family mediator within the firm. IBB is also ISO 9001:2000 and Lexel-accredited and a member of LawNet and Euro Juris - a federation of independent law firms in the UK and Europe.

AREAS OF PRACTICE  

Real Estate: 33%  

Private Client: 34%  

Commercial Services: 20%  

Community Legal Services: 13%  

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK 

Corporate & Commercial: 

The corporate and commercial teams cover M&A, corporate finance, corporate advisory, private equity, JVs, partnerships, commercial contracts, competition and regulatory, franchising, outsourcing, business recovery and insolvency, pensions. Clients range from medium-sized organisations who appreciate the firm’s West London location and business links, to public companies and UK subsidiaries of foreign companies looking for business acumen as well as legal advice. The firm has a niche speciality in mobile home parks, hotels, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing and automotive.

Commercial Dispute Resolution: 

This growing team advises corporate and commercial clients, including household names, on a wide range of complex contractual and business disputes. It also undertakes IT and IP dispute work, franchising disputes, debt recovery, professional negligence, commercial fraud and shareholder/ partnership disputes. The team includes a number of qualified commercial mediators and promotes a flexible approach to dispute resolution.

Contentious Probate:  

The growing team, headed by Paul Grimwood, has exceptional specialist expertise in dealing with all types of Wills, trusts and probate disputes. The team has particular experience dealing with high value estates, including those involving complex issues, such as foreign assets and other jurisdictions.

Banking & Finance:  

The firm advises UK and foreign banks and other leading lending institutions on facility agreements, security structuring and secured lending. IBB can also advise on the best way to structure the financing of businesses or particular investment or development deals, whether related to senior or mezzanine debt funding. The firm also has specialist expertise in the creation of the appropriate vehicle for finance deals, including SPVs and various forms of co-investment such as joint venture structures. IBB Solicitors is also one of only a few firms with the specialist knowledge required for the establishment and operation of collective investment schemes.

Employment: 

The team provides employers with advice on HR issues and disputes including disciplinaries, performance management and grievances; outsourcing, restructuring and redundancies; representation in employment tribunal proceedings; drafting employment documentation; and they also deliver in-house training seminars. The team advises many household name clients and tailors its advice to the business and culture of each client.

Real Estate: 

The group has developed an impressive national client base in areas as diverse as commercial development, construction and engineering, residential development, investment, finance and occupational management. With Heathrow on the doorstep, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing make up a significant market. The development team is one of the largest dedicated teams in the South. The construction and landlord and tenant teams continue to grow an increasing share of the South East market. The teams are supported by property tax expertise and specialist real estate dispute resolution lawyers and mediators.

Private Client:  

High net worth private clients form a significant part of the client base for IBB’s private practice. Services including wealth planning, wills, probate, tax, trusts, estate planning, property and financial advice for individuals. Work is also undertaken for institutional clients. The team is particularly strong in its Court of Protection work with three professional deputies, six full SFE and four full STEP members. Other related teams with whom there is a close working relationship provide charities advice, criminal defence, family law advice including children’s cases, employment and personal injury.

Family:  

With a sizeable and talented team, IBB’s collective expertise in family law is huge. Typically, the team handle complex and high value cases for wealthy individuals, including those where there is an international element.

Personal Injury and Medical Negligence: 

The team specialises in complex and high value litigation, with particular emphasis on brain injury, spinal injury, child and adult abuse, industrial disease and clinical negligence. The team are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. The lead partner is an APIL Fellow, and member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel. The team works closely with local Headway groups, supporting victims of brain injury.

Fraud & Crime: 

Ranked in the top four teams in London by fees, the team has a place on the Very High Cost Case Panel. The team advises on a wide range of white-collar crime including the powers of regulatory bodies, both compliance and investigation and any resultant criminal sanctions

Education:  

Set up in 2020, the team has quickly established a strong reputation in the market, largely due to the credibility of team lead Salima Mawji. The team has exceptional specialist expertise in advising clients facing a variety of education law challenges. They can assist with any education law issue that a child, parent or student faces. The team also regularly advises educational professionals, including teachers in schools and college, and university lecturers.