Make the right connections

Cheryl Baxter

Partner

Cheryl is a Partner and the Head of our Commercial Property team having been with the firm for over 10...

Cheryl is a Partner and the Head of our Commercial Property team having been with the firm for over 10 years. Cheryl undertakes a broad variety of commercial work including sales, purchases and financing of the full range of commercial property for businesses and charities including hotels & guesthouses, restaurants & bars, retail units, offices and factories as well as development work and transactions involving SIPPS. Cheryl also acts for landlords and tenants in connection with both new and renewal leases or assignments, and undertakes corporate support work for business sales, acquisitions, mergers and de-mergers. Cheryl is an active member of the local community as a founding member of our successful ‘Women in Torbay & Totnes’ networking group and as a local school governor and sea scout leader.

Kate Barton

Managing Partner

Kate is the Managing Partner at Boyce Hatton and a specialist in Family Law. She has particular expertise in matters...

Kate is the Managing Partner at Boyce Hatton and a specialist in Family Law. She has particular expertise in matters concerning children and acts for parents, grandparents and other family members with a view to achieving the right outcome for the family. A member of the Law Society’s Children panel, Kate is experienced in dealing with the more complex issues that can arise in children proceedings between family members. Kate also has a detailed knowledge of Divorce and financial settlements, issues that can arise between cohabitees and pre and post nuptial settlements and advises clients on these issues. Kate is a member of Resolution and the Association of Lawyers for Children.

Janice Courtenay

Chartered Legal Executive

Janice is a Chartered Legal Executive and an Associate Member of Solicitors for the Elderly. She is a member of...

Janice is a Chartered Legal Executive and an Associate Member of Solicitors for the Elderly. She is a member of the Private Client team and specialises in all aspects of this work. She has experience in drafting Wills including situations where arrangements are required for vulnerable adults and children and a trust arrangement needs to be considered as well as drafting Wills for couples with children from previous relationships. She has experience acting for executors, obtaining Grants of Representation and dealing with the administration of estates. Janice also has experience in assisting clients in entering into Lasting Powers of Attorney, dealing with capacity issues and registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney. In situations where there is a lack of capacity, she is able to assist with Court of Protection applications for the appointment of Deputies.

Tara Hawthorn

Trainee Solicitor

Tara is a Trainee Solicitor. Having achieved a Master’s Degree in Law, Tara relocated to the South West and took...

Tara is a Trainee Solicitor. Having achieved a Master’s Degree in Law, Tara relocated to the South West and took up a Paralegal role with the firm in 2018 and is now training as a Solicitor. Tara is currently a member of the litigation team working primarily alongside Fiona Hannaford and Peter Lewis in various litigation matters. Prior to working on the litigation team, Tara gained experience in our commercial property team; primarily the buying and selling of commercial property.

Rita Hickman

Conveyancing Executive

Rita is a Conveyancing Executive in our Residential Property Department. Dealing with residential property sales, purchases, transfers of equity and...

Rita is a Conveyancing Executive in our Residential Property Department. Dealing with residential property sales, purchases, transfers of equity and remortgages of both freehold and leasehold properties. She has over 15 years’ experience in Conveyancing and has previously worked as Paralegal assisting the Head of the Residential Department.

Helen Handley

Solicitor

Helen is a Solicitor in the Family department. Helen works alongside Kate Barton and Gary Watson in our family team,...

Helen is a Solicitor in the Family department. Helen works alongside Kate Barton and Gary Watson in our family team, supporting families across Torbay and the South Hams. With over 20 years’ experience as a solicitor, Helen now specialises in divorce and relationship breakdown, financial matters, pre-nuptial agreements, cohabitation disputes and children. She is particularly interested in supporting and advising clients with diverse family structures and relationships.

Kate Gillette

Practice Administrator

Kate is our Practice Administrator. She works with our Practice Manager to ensure that policy and procedures are implemented across...

Kate is our Practice Administrator. She works with our Practice Manager to ensure that policy and procedures are implemented across the Practice. Kate also has responsibilities for managing the practice HR administration.