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.
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.
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.
We are looking for a full time legal secretary based in our Liverpool office, who will be responsible for the completion of various dictations and secretarial tasks.
Jason McKnight is a partner and director of RECOM Solutions, a construction and project management business based in Salford Quays which operates across the north west and beyond.
Shona Jones joined Bermans in August 2023 and is currently a Trainee Solicitor in our Employment team based in Liverpool.
She studied Law at Liverpool John Moores University and has completed the Legal Practice Course. Shona has also obtained a Masters qualification with a distinction at Liverpool John Moores University .
Outside of work, Shona enjoys reading (mostly fiction). She also enjoys staying active, usually running, or hiking up the Welsh mountains and is currently training for her next marathon.
Alex Murray joined Bermans in September 2023 and is a Solicitor in our Employment team based in Manchester.
Alex is involved in a range of contentious and non-contentious employment work, including guiding employers through disciplinary process and redundancy situations, advising clients in respect of settlement agreements, and preparing cases for Employment Tribunals, primarily in claims for unfair dismissal and discrimination.
His clients are mostly SME’s, but he also works with large national and international companies too.
Alex enjoys playing sport and plays rugby for Sandbach Rugby Club. He also enjoys, golf, keeping keep fit and travelling.
Client testimonials
“I contacted Bermans for support during a very difficult time and the service they provided was excellent, we are extremely grateful. We worked with Alex Murray and he is fantastic, very knowledgeable, professional as well as personable, and has been extremely supportive. I would highly recommend using them.”
– Anonymous
“I contacted Bermans to assist with some employment disputes and worked with Alex for around 3 months. In that time, he has provided me with professional and accurate information and advice. He always ensured to explain legal processes clearly and thoroughly to me, informing me of actions and next steps I was required to take as part of the legal process. Alex always responded very timely throughout and delivered on what he said he would and within the timeframes he advised. He kept me up to date regularly and acted compassionately throughout. I would highly recommend Alex’s and Bermans services to anyone and thank you for all of your support and dedication to my case.”
– Anonymous
“Alex handled my case with professionalism and a very thorough approach. I was kept updated by phone and email throughout the process in a very timely manner and all aspects of the matter were explained clearly and in great detail. I am very happy with the service I received and the outcome and my dealings with Alex made the whole process very smooth and clear. I would happily instruct Bermans in any future legal dealings I may have.”
With the new Consumer Duty coming into force it was something of a surprise to many (including us) that the FCA’s revised rules appeared to in effect extend beyond the usual definition of a “retail customer” as “an individual who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business or profession,” so that for the Consumer Duty regulation by the FCA will also now extend to any customer in a regulated activity, in other words encompassing sole traders and partnerships of 2 or 3 who are business customers in a CCA regulated agreement.
In the recent High Court case of Praetura Asset Finance Ltd v S Line Rentals [2023] EWHC 889 (Comm) the court considered the nature and extent of a Lessor’s common law obligation to mitigate its loss when claiming in relation to a repossessed asset.
Lease Agreements will normally always contain express provisions for Lessors to recover costs incurred against the Lessee in a wide variety of circumstances, and a recent case in the Commercial Court gave rise to a novel argument by a Lessor seeking to invoke the right to claim costs under a contractual provision in a situation where the court had exercised its discretion to disallow some of the costs it had incurred and to award some of the Lessee’s costs against it.
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Paralegal
