Claire Whitlock founded the practice in 2014, after several years at a larger civil law firm where she found the work increasingly removed from the people behind each case. She wanted to build something smaller: a practice where clients reach the person who actually knows their matter.

Her work centers on family law, where she handles separations, custody arrangements, and questions of support and shared property. She also advises landlords and tenants in tenancy disputes and takes on general civil matters that don't fit a neat category. What connects these areas is their proximity to everyday life: the legal questions that arrive uninvited and tend to feel larger until they're talked through.

Claire is known among clients for being calm and direct in equal measure. She believes a good attorney tells you early whether a matter is worth pursuing, and is honest when it isn't. Outside the office, she sits on the committee of a local community choir and is a reliably slow but persistent hiker.

Mark Ellison joined the practice in 2017, bringing a focus on the areas of law where timing and detail tend to matter most. He advises in inheritance law (wills, estate planning, and disputes between heirs) as well as employment matters and traffic law, both fields where short deadlines reward early, careful action.

Clients often describe his approach as unhurried, which he takes as a compliment. Complex cases, in his view, are rarely helped by haste; they're helped by reading the full picture before deciding how to act. Whether he's helping a family plan ahead or representing a client whose driver's license is at risk, his first step is always the same: understand the situation properly, then explain the realistic options in plain language.

Mark grew up not far from where the firm is based and has a long attachment to the region. When he isn't working, he can usually be found restoring an old road bike that has, by his own admission, been almost finished for several years.