Member Profiles

Helen is a partner in the Manchester office and heads up the SHE regulatory team nationally for BLM and is also head of the NW region and the firm’s . Helen is also Head of the Manchester Office. She specialises in defending companies and individuals involved in HSE/CPS/EHO investigations and prosecutions. She advises both individuals and companies in manslaughter and complex HSE cases.

XABIER heads up the firm’s corporate-commercial and sports law departments at our North Row, Mayfair office. Xabier has built up an international practice representing a wide range of clients including  individuals such as a former G20 Head of State, Nelson Mandela’s authorised biographer, a best-selling author with over 170 million books sold, World Cup winning footballers, rugby players, World Champion boxers and a Bake-off Professionals winner to corporates varying from successful insurance or health drink start-ups in the UK to medical insurance companies and auto-industry corporates in France and quoted steel manufacturers and energy sector corporates in Spain.  Xabier adopts a pragmatic and commercial approach to all legal matters and focusses on advising on multi-million Seed, Angel and Series A fund raises, all shareholder and board matters and numerous complex company sales of over $50 million dollars or secondary and tertiary listings.  As part of Xabier’s advice to UK and international corporates, Xabier also advises on IP disputes, numerous High Court claims and mediations and Finance documentation including the issue of Bonds, Notes and other debt and equity instruments.  Xabier speaks and works in French, Spanish and German having previously worked in banking at Dresdner-Kleinwort Benson (later Wasserstein & Commerzbank) in London and Hamburg as well as Daimler Chrysler Aerospace in Munich and law firms Clifford Chance LLP and Allen & Overy LLP in their London, Madrid and Paris offices.  Xabier’s passion for sport also led him to found Division X Sports., a Sports Agency focussing on representation and negotiation of footballer’s contracts from the Premier League, English Football L https:// eagues and La Liga to France, Argentina, Cyprus, Poland as well as advising in Premiership Rugby and World Title boxing contests.

Norman Geddes has been in practice since 1976. His principal areas of expertise are in property conveyancing work with a particular interest in commercial and agricultural property and property development and property investment. He has extensive knowledge of the property market and a keen interest in farms and country property. He lectured at the University of Strathclyde for several years before returning to private practice. He is co–author of the book ‘Hospitality & Tourism Law’ and has contributed to other publications. He is Executive Chairman of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle and has a keen interest in promoting business in Ayrshire.

Gavin is a partner in the Commercial Property Team at independent Scottish commercial law firm Davidson Chalmers Stewart. He has over 30 years’ experience at the top end of the commercial real estate market working with both occupiers and developers/investors in various sectors including business space, commercial and residential development and investment, and retail and leisure, often with a cross-border angle.  Gavin is recognised for providing practical and commercial advice, and is trusted by numerous other professional firms and organisations to manage their own real estate requirements in Scotland.  Recent work highlights include advising a Middle East investor on their first acquisition in Scotland, 31 Princes Street, Edinburgh from Arcadia Group for over £20m and advising London-based developers Stamford Group on their acquisition of Elgin House, Haymarket Edinburgh for over £20m. 

I am a partner of Clarkslegal and I head the firm’s construction and engineering projects group. I love the challenging diversity of my work, ranging from contract drafting and negotiating through to all forms of industry dispute resolution or, more preferably and when appropriate, dispute avoidance. Both I and the wider team are recognised by a number of the legal directories, including Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, as leading construction industry lawyers. I was inducted in 2018 into The Legal 500’s Hall of Fame as an elite construction lawyer, based on their independent research and client testimonials received over many years. I act for all sectors of the industry to include, public and private sector developers and owner/occupiers, main contractors, specialist sub-contractors and professional consultants, whilst our expertise and excellent client service is also recognised through instruction by other law firms, who do not have that expertise, on behalf of their clients.