Vajahat Sharif

Group Head of Legal

Vajahat is a Solicitor and has been involved in the legal profession for over 25 years.

He was a founding partner in a Piccadilly law practice and acts as a Consultant to leading law firms within the Legal 500.

Tim Crook

Head of Private Client

Tim is a Private Client Solicitor with over 20 years’ experience working with high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trustees and private banks. He has extensive UK and offshore experience across tax, wealth structuring and estate planning. He is a Full Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has been recommended in the Legal 500. He also holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for International Clients

Chelsea Simonds

Head of Estate Planning

Chelsea focuses mainly on planning for passing assets on to future generations.

Her empathetic, understanding approach helps clients feel at comfort when discussing some of the more difficult conversations around their inevitable end of life scenario.

Samantha Walker

Practice Manager

Sam has 37 years of administration experience, starting her career as an Office Junior for a small solicitor in London. Sam has gained a huge, varied level of experience from other professional roles within different business sectors. Prior to joining OCG Legal, Sam spent eight years working for a local High Street Bank, gaining her banking qualifications. Sam joined OCG Legal in January 2021 as a Legal Secretary.  Within a short period of time, she was promoted to Practice Manager. Sam’s main responsibility is running the financial side of the business. As the COFA it is her responsibility to ensure the practice is compliant with SRA guidelines.

Laura Hughes

Probate Executive

Laura is a qualified European lawyer who has successfully transitioned from international commercial law to the field of Estate Planning. She will be assuming the newly created role of Probate Executive, where she will play a pivotal role in supporting our Estate Planning, Probate, and Private Client team. Her expertise will ensure that we remain up-to-date with essential information and documentation, facilitating a seamless transition into the Probate domain.

Lorena Pelea

Estate Planning Adviser 

Lorena has been with the company since August 2021 and she is currently working towards qualifying as a TEP through the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP). Lorena assists the Head of Estate Planning with drafting Wills, Expressions of Wishes, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Business Documents (Shareholders Agreements, Partnership Agreements and Letters of Trust). Lorena is also working towards qualification as a solicitor and she will be starting her training in September 2023.

Rebecca Salt

Paralegal

Rebecca began working at a furniture store in retail in 2007 where she worked as an Administrator, then became a Senior Administrator, managing her admin team and assisting the Regional Manager by becoming his Regional Assistant. Rebecca worked there for 14 years before being made redundant. Rebecca received an invitation to an interview for a position that had become available at OCG Legal in November 2019 and was offered the position. She then joined the company shortly after dealing with Estate Planning. Rebecca returned to work in July 2021 after her Maternity leave and has since been assisting with Conveyancing. Rebecca runs her own caseload under the supervision of Hayley Blackett. Rebecca really enjoys the Conveyancing department and the challenges that she sometimes faces in this role.

Laura Kirk

Paralegal

Laura began her career with another local law firm in 2007 where she worked as a Conveyancing Assistant for 5 years. Laura then moved on to pastures new and worked at another local firm for 9 years as a Secretary in the Wills and Probate department. Conveyancing was something she really enjoyed and so Laura applied for a position at OCG Legal in May 2022 and joined the team within a week! Laura runs her own caseload under the supervision of Rebekah Glenwright-Cook and Hayley Blackett. Laura has worked in law all her adult life and has gained experience in support roles and fee-earning.

Iram Raza

Paralegal

Iram is an experienced Private Client paralegal who specialises in estate administration, Will and Lasting Power of Attorneys.

Lisa Lee 

Legal Administrator

Lisa has worked in Administration for 17 years and joined OCG Legal in October 2022. Lisa works in the Conveyancing Department on the Onboarding Team ensuring files are compliant and ready to be passed onto the fee earner.

Emily Coates

Legal Services Administrator

Emily began her career with OCG Legal Ltd in May 2022. Emily works in a team with her colleague Grace Gouldthorp, drafting Deeds of Trust and altering the beneficial interests in properties for our clients with large property portfolios. Emily also assists the Residential Conveyancing team as and when required. OCG is allowing Emily to gain valuable experience whilst she studies Law at college alongside her role. Emily is very proud to have recently secured a place at Cambridge University for Law, starting October 2023. Emily’s aspiration in life is to become a successful Commercial or Finance Lawyer.

Gina Hudson

Legal Administrator

Gina is an administrator with a background in customer service and legal assistant experience. She works in the conveyancing department and is working to expand their client base.

Suniti Dattani

She is a Specialist Dispute Resolution solicitor with over 17 years of experience in providing professional legal advice on various civil and contentious commercial matters, including property, debt, contract, and probate disputes.

She has an extensive range of litigation experience.

She is highly regarded for her legal ability and her interaction with clients, particularly in explaining complex issues in a knowledgeable, straightforward, responsive and helpful manner.