Our people
John Chesworth
Managing Partner,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Commercial Property
Professional background:
As well as managing strategic development of Harrison Drury, John heads up the firm’s commercial property team. He is a member of the Property Litigation Association and prior to leaving Brabners Chaffe Street LLP in December 2006, he headed up their Liverpool property litigation team which was ranked in the top tier of the Legal 500 for property litigation in the North West. John joined Harrison Drury in 2006 and was elected managing partner in 2007, and has spearheaded the firm’s growth.
Personal interests:
John plays an active part in the running of Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club, still putting his boots on occasionally after retiring from first team rugby in 2003 after 13 seasons playing for the First XV.
Email address:
Andrew Bartlett
Partner,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Licensing / Wills / Residential Conveyancing
Professional background:
Andrew joined Harrison Drury & Co in 1976 initially as an Articled Clerk, then as a Solicitor and subsequently as a partner. Thirty four years on, he has rejoined the firm as a Solicitor and manager of the new Garstang office. In the intervening years he worked for various employers including Lancaster City Council (where he was Licensing Manager) and another local firm of solicitors, Turner Pearson. As one of the few solicitors in the area specialising in Licensing Law, he is ideally suited to advise clients with regard to all aspects of Licensing Act 2003. Having worked and lived in the Garstang area for many years, he is also ideally suited to advise clients (private and commercial) on local matters.
Personal interests:
Andrew is a prominent freemason and a director of Garstang Masonic Hall Ltd. Although a keen sportsman in his younger days, his interest is now strictly armchair.
Email address:
Owen McKenna
Partner,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Commercial property
Professional background:
Owen joined the commercial property department from the Manchester office of national firm DWF in February 2009. Owen qualified as a solicitor in 2004 at Brabners Chaffe Street and spent three years at Brabners before moving to DWF in 2007. Owen has a broad range of experience in non-contentious commercial property matters including freehold and leasehold acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant matters, asset management, secured lending and corporate support.
Personal interests:
Owen enjoys participating in a number of sports including rugby, squash and snowboarding and plays rugby for Preston Grasshoppers RUFC. Owen also enjoys walking, listening to music and fine wines.
Email address:
Roger Spence
Partner,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Employment
Professional background:
Roger qualified as a solicitor in 2001. Most recently he worked for Napthens Solicitors before joining Harrison Drury & Co in 2009 to head up provision of its Employment Law services. He advises businesses on the full range of day to day HR issues and provides Employment Tribunal representation. He also advises on the employment aspects of business sales and acquisitions.Roger is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and regularly presents seminars and in-house training to clients.
Personal interests:
Roger is now a ‘semi-retired’ rugby player but still turns out occasionally for Ormskirk RUFC. His other interests include skiing and travellling.
Email address:
Rachel Conroy
Associate Solicitor,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Wills, Probate, Trusts and Estates
Professional background:
Rachel joined the private client department of Harrison Drury from Smith Sutcliffe in Burnley. Rachel specialises in wills, trusts and probate and has a wide range of experience in Inheritance Tax planning, the creation and running of trusts and administration of estates.
Personal interests:
Rachel enjoys following Burnley Football Club. Rachel also attends pilates classes and has an interest in the theatre which includes both watching and assisting backstage.
Email address:
George Erdozain
Private Client Consultant,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Wills, Estates, Trust and Tax Planning
Professional background:
George joined Harrison Drury from Brabners Chaffe Street where he specialised in trust and estate tax planning, agriculture, landed estate work and work with charities. Whilst a partner at Preston based Banks Wilson, he was one of the masterminds behind the 1990 merger with Liverpool firm Brabner Holden, which ultimately became Brabners Chaffe Street in 2002.
Personal interests:
George is chairman of Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club.
Email address:
Colin Fenny
Associate Solicitor,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Commercial and property litigation
Professional background:
Colin joined the firm as an Associate from Brabners Chaffe Street in Preston in April 2010. Originally from Newcastle, Colin graduated from Manchester University and trained and qualified as a solicitor at Royal Mail Group Plc Legal Services before joining Brabners in 2004.
He is a specialist in all aspects of commercial and property litigation, and has extensive experience of acting for owner-managed businesses and corporate clients on a wide range of high value and complex commercial cases involving breach of contract and negligence claims, as well as partnership and shareholder disputes, construction, intellectual property and insolvency claims. Colin also acts for both landlords and tenants on commercial property matters and advises on real property disputes ranging from adverse possession to boundary disputes.
Personal interests:
When not spending time with his two children, aged four and two, Colin plays cricket for New Victoria Cricket Club in the Southport and District League. Colin is also a committed Newcastle United supporter for his sins and travels to watch them whenever he can. His other interests include music and reading.
Email address:
David Filmer
Associate Solicitor,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Corporate/commercial
Professional background:
David studied law in the UK and France before completing his legal training with Berg Legal in Manchester and then relocating back to the Fylde coast.
Having previously been a partner and head of department at Handley Brown LLP, David joined Harrison Drury in 2010 where he specialises in all areas of corporate and commercial work primarily for owner managers and small-to-medium sized businesses. David also has experience acting for public companies, management teams and lending institutions.
Personal interests:
David enjoys playing and listening to an eclectic selection of music and is an avid supporter of Manchester United, although his sporting participation is now restricted to occasional five-a-side matches.
Email address:
Claire McCraith
Wills and Probate Executive,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Wills and Probate
Professional background:
Claire joined Harrison Drury in 1984 and returned to the practice in 2002 after a break to care for her young children.
Claire specialises in wills and probate and her calm and sensitive approach, coupled with her wealth of experience ensures clients receive excellent service.
Personal interests:
Claire is a keen cook and enjoys entertaining. She loves fell walking in the Lake District and is a member of a local health club where she attends Pilates classes.
Email address:
Jackie Reid
Practice manager,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Professional background:
Jackie is a certified accountant and has spent the last 29 years working at RSM Tenon, formally Bowmans Chartered Accountants, in Preston, before joining Harrison Drury in June of 2010. At Harrison Drury Jackie’s position as practice manager involves financial management, HR, training, premises management and risk management.
Personal interests:
Jackie’s main interests are her young children but she also enjoys fine wine and collectors teddy bears (for herself, not her children!).
Email address:
Rob Salter
Finance Director,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Finance Director
Professional background:
Rob joined Harrison Drury & Co in May 2010 following a 45 year career at regional accountants Moore and Smalley.
Rob’s role within the firm is to develop and implement a growth strategy for the future of the practice.
Personal interests:
Email address:
Edmund Starkie
Litigation Consultant,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Professional Negligence and Commercial Litigation
Professional background:
Edmund acts primarily for corporate and insurance clients dealing with disputes involving professional negligence, construction and other types of commercial litigation. He also acts for claimants in negligence claims against solicitors.
Personal interests:
Edmund enjoys watching Preston North End and St Joseph’s Cricket Club in Fulwood. He is also a keen amateur historian with a strong interest in World Wars I and II and battle sites.
Email address:
Amanda Webster
Consultant,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Commercial Litigation
Professional background:
Amanda joined Harrison Drury following many years as a partner in national and regional law firms. First at Brabners Chaffe Street and more recently at DWF she specialised in commercial litigation and Regulatory Crime.
Amanda is a Deputy District Judge, the Deputy Sheriff of Lancashire, an Independent Member of the Lancashire Police Authority and works as a Consultant to our firm while still carrying out her judicial duties.
Amanda oversees our litigation services and manages major litigation projects.
Personal interests:
Walking; Rugby (watching not playing).
Email address:
Andrew Wilson
Consultant,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Professional background:
Andrew is a leading authority on enforcement of judgments, having run the Sheriffs Office in the Northwest of England for many years. He was a partner in Brabners Chaffe Street until 2000 when he became a Director of Cerberus Group Ltd, a company with national coverage dealing with all aspects of civil enforcement, a subject on which he regularly lectures. In 2004 he was appointed a High Court Enforcement Officer and, as a Board member of their Association, is involved in discussions with the Ministry of Justice on new legislation. He has joined Harrison Drury as a Consultant, while continuing with Cerberus, to provide expertise in this area.
Personal interests:
Andrew plays real tennis and enjoys gardening and walking. He is also an enthusiastic bee keeper with 3 hives in the garden and he avoids both rugby and football!.
Email address:
Heather Wood
Associate Legal Executive,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Wills; probate; Lasting Powers of Attorney; residential conveyancing
Professional background:
Heather has been involved in the legal profession in Garstang since 1975, originally with Buck & Dickson (which became Houghton Craven Dickson and finally Napthens) then with Turners (which became Turner Pearson) and now with Harrison Drury & Co. From 1976 until 1999, Heather was Registrar of Birth Deaths and Marriages for the Wyre area and has dealt with private clients throughout her career.
Personal interests:
Heather has a large extended family and enjoys family holidays and caravanning with her husband. She is an animal lover and is involved with the local dog training group.
Email address:
Shena Baron
Legal Executive,
Harrison Drury & Co Solicitors
Practice area:
Divorce and Family Law
Professional background:
Shena qualified in 1995, starting her legal career with Roscoes Solicitors in Chorley which later merged with Napthens.
Shena joined Harrison Drury in 2011 to head up the firm’s family law team. Shena acts on all aspects of family law, including divorce and separation, children issues and financial disputes. She is a member of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce, separation and other family problems.
Personal interests:
Shena enjoys walking, and sometimes scrambling, in The Lake District and Scotland, as well as foreign travel and reading.