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Fee Earner Q&A with Jonathan Berkson
Jonathan Berkson, (pictured) joined Bermans in June 2013 and is a Senior Partner in our Asset Based Lending and Litigation teams. We spoke to him to learn more about him and his work.
Author Archive
Zaafir Hasan
Post-Completions Paralegal
Zaafir joined Bermans in March 2024 and is a Post-Completions Paralegal in our Property team based in Liverpool.
He assists Bermans property team with a wide range of property matters, including residential and commercial property acquisitions and sales, residential and commercial developments and acquisitions and redevelopment of buy-to-let properties. Zaafir also liaises with HM Land Registry and other law firms to achieve our clients’ objectives.
Zaafirs qualifications include:
- Professional Skills Course for Legal Practice – School of Law, University of Central Lancashire, Preston (2023)
- Master of Laws, Legal Practice Course – Liverpool John Moores University (2022)
- Master of Laws, Qualifying Law Degree – Liverpool John Moores University (2021)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resource Management – University of Liverpool (2007)
Outside of work, Zaafir enjoys reading, sightseeing, news/current affairs and beach and countryside dog walks. He also has a Golden Retriever who is his constant companion and best friend!
Contact Zaafir:
T:0151 224 0516
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Ajith Prasad
Associate
Ajith joined Bermans in March 2024 and is an Associate in our Litigation team based in Liverpool.
He works with SME’s, business owners, lenders and property developers and his areas of expertise include:
- Contract disputes
- Shareholder/partnership disputes
- Property disputes
- Finance litigation
- Professional negligence
- Debt recovery
Ajith studied Law at Manchester Metropolitan University and The Legal Practice Course at The University of Law.
Outside of work, he enjoys playing and watching cricket, golf and football, as well as reading (historical non-fiction).
Contact Ajith:
T:0151 224 0512
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Freya Wright
Freya joined Bermans in March 2024 and is a Solicitor in our Property team in Manchester.
Currently, Freya primarily works in residential property and deals with:
- Purchases
- Sales
- Remortgages
- Transfers of equity
- First registrations
- Assents
She obtained a first class law degree before going on to achieving a diploma in the Legal Practice Course. She also attained her SQE Qualification in February 2024.
Outside of work, Freya enjoys netball, travelling and dining out.
Contact Freya:
E: freya.wright@bermans.co.uk
T:0161 383 2132
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Sean Quinn
Trainee Solicitor
Sean joined Bermans in September 2023 and is a Trainee Solicitor currently working in our Corporate and ABL teams.
He predominantly works in the Corporate team assisting a variety of clients such as SME’s, private individuals, and institutional clients on merges and acquisitions, corporate finance and investments.
He also assists with asset finance and invoice finance work for a broad range of lenders.
He has a First Class Honours Law Degree, as well as a distinction in The Legal Practice course. He also received the Liverpool Law Society Rupert Bremner Prize in recognition of his LPC grades.
Sean is a former national swimmer, however he now just swims recreationally. He also enjoys playing football, as well as watching his team, Everton.
Contact Sean:
E: sean.quinn@bermans.co.uk
T: 0151 224 0532
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Alex Fryer
Paralegal
Alex joined Bermans in March 2024 and is a paralegal in our ABL team in Manchester.
He assists in asset finance and invoice finance work for a broad range of lenders and has prior experience in both pro-bono work and the inquest sector of the Law.
Alex studied Law at Liverpool John Moores University where he obtained a 2:1 Classification in 2023. He also intends to begin his SQE studies by the close of 2024.
In his spare time, Alex enjoys a variety of activities. As well as being an avid golfer, Alex is also passionate about both playing and watching football. Alex also enjoys travelling, whether it be a beach holiday or exploring new cities abroad.
Contact Alex:
E: alex.fryer@bermans.co.uk
T: 0161 393 7116
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Artificial Intelligence, Lawyers and the Courts
Invoice financiers grappling with the threats and opportunities posed by AI may be interested to learn of the impact AI, and in particular the recent developments in generative AI, are likely to have on their interactions with their lawyers and with the court system.
Continue ReadingRoad freight claims are insulated from set off
One of the most complex and uncertain areas of law which invoice discounters and their lawyers regularly have to deal with is transaction set off, namely the extent to which the customer’s claim arising from defective or late performance of the contract on which the relevant invoice is based can be set off against the value of the invoice.
Continue ReadingLegal and Equitable Assignments; Validity of Notice of Assignment
Readers will be aware that it is very rare for a reported case in the higher courts dealing with invoice finance to emerge, so we were interested to see a report of a recent case in another area of financial services which raised squarely 2 legal concepts which are fundamental to invoice financiers:
Continue ReadingSupporting wellbeing in the workplace – the case of Avanti West Coast
Adrian Fryer
Supporting wellbeing in the workplace is of increasing importance to employers. One hot topic is how those going through menopause or perimenopause can be best supported. Avanti West Coast’s latest attempt to tackle this may have resulted in a bit of an ‘own goal’. They have come under fire after handing out a goodie bag to female employees containing ‘gimmick’ gifts. Avanti confirmed that it had given staff a bag filled with ‘gifts’ including a jelly baby ‘in case you feel like biting someone’s head off’, a paper clip ‘to help you keep it all together’, a tissue ‘if you’re feeling a bit emotional’ and a pencil ‘to write down the things you might forget’. Other items included a fan ‘handy for the hot sweats’.
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