Amy Codd qualified in April 2017. Prior to qualifying, Amy worked in a high street legal practice supporting a private client partner. In January 2021, Amy passed her final STEP exams with a distinction, becoming a STEP: Trust and Estate Practitioner.

Other examples of cases in different areas include drafting Wills, both simple mirror wills and more complex estate planning wills. Amy works closely with our tax advisory team to ensure we are able to offer a wraparound service for our clients. This extends to drafting Lasting Powers of Attorney for our clients to ensure they are also protected through their lifetime. Amy has experience of both simple estates that require us to submit the paperwork to the Probate Registry to obtain the grant of probate and more complex estates that require submission to HMRC and the Probate Registry. Amy also undergoes Trust work, primarily drafting trust deeds alongside the estate planning within Duncan & Toplis.

Amy typically deals with complex estates of high net worth individuals involving Business Property Relief, Agricultural Property Relief and Foreign assets. As well as drafting complex wills as part of the estate planning process and working alongside colleagues to provide a complete service. Amy is supervised by Head of Legal Services, Graeme Hills.

Lesley Harrison qualified with a dual qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive and Solicitor in May 2021.
She is also a STEP: Trust and Estate Practitioner.

Other examples of cases in different areas include drafting Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, obtaining probate and administration of estates, drafting Trust Deeds and Deeds of Variation and Appointment, and Inheritance Tax advice and planning.

Amy typically deals with complex estates of high net worth individuals involving Business Property Relief, Agricultural Property Relief and Foreign assets. As well as dealing with estates of members of Lloyds of London and drafting complex Wills for high net worth individuals and clients with small to medium business and extended families. Lesley is supervised by Amy Codd.

Graeme Hills has been at Duncan & Toplis since 2004 and was part of the Probate Services team when it was formed in 2015. He has been Head of Legal Services since Duncan & Toplis Legal Services was formed in 2018. Graeme became CTA qualified in 2011 and a Probate Practitioner in 2015.

Graeme's experience includes being a Chartered Tax Adviser, six years directorship of several businesses, Head of Private Client and Head of Legal Services. Other examples of cases in different areas include overseeing a number of probate cases and dealing with official complaints addressed to the firm.

Paul Simpson joined the team in July 2020 when it first started trading. He qualified as a corporate lawyer in January 2002.

Paul's experience includes working on management buy-outs and management buy-ins, investor-led buy-outs, trade sales and acquisitions, commercial joint ventures, and reorganisations and reconstructions.

His recent transactions and experience include advising management on the acquisition of the NEC group by LDC, advising the seller on a £22m management buy-out, reorganisation of a family-owned agricultural business, and advising sellers on £12m share sale. Paul's current work is split 80% reorganisations and 20% mergers and acquisitions.