Equity Release Solicitors' Alliance

Goldsmith Williams, Equilaw LLP,  Ashfords, Birchall Blackburn, Gywn James & Lees Lloyd Whitley  met for the first time on 3rd June to officially form and launch the Equity Release Solicitors’ Alliance (ERSA). 

The members are all specialists in the field of equity release, providing independent legal advice from a borrower’s perspective.  They wanted to demonstrate their commitment to the sector by forming a group that will meet regularly, debate industry issues and work together to ensure that financial advisers have access to lawyers who share the same vision for the future.

ERSA will be an incorporated body, with its own logo and website and members will abide by the terms of a written constitution.  They hope to form affiliations with trade bodies, such as SHIP, the Law Society and AMI and to help put equity release firmly on the map. 

Chairman, Claire Barker commented: “For many solicitors, equity release is still something to be wary of.  Costs can be high and cases take months to complete.  I am delighted to form an alliance with five like-minded firms to show that there are solicitors out there who have taken the bull by the horns and committed to equity release as a specialist area of legal practice.”

ERSA members will meet again in early July to take the concept forward.  In the meantime, full details of all member firms are listed below:

Edward Goldsmith - egoldsmith@goldsmithwilliams.co.uk - 0845 373 3737

Michael Foxford - mjfoxford@birchallblackburn.co.uk - 0161 238 5609

Claire Barker - claire.barker@equilaw.uk.com - 01242 541462

Peter Barton - p.barton@ashfords.co.uk - 01884 203037

Jon Wilkey - jon.wilkey@gwynjames.co.uk - 01594 833042

Stuart Rathe - smr@llw.co.uk - 0151 737 5607