Lee Bolton Monier-Williams

LBMW has been providing high-quality legal advice and services since 1855, representing businesses, individuals, families, and not-for-profit organisations across multiple sectors in the UK and internationally. The firm is known for building long-term client relationships founded on expertise, integrity, and responsiveness, navigating clients through complex and significant legal matters. Based in Westminster, LBMW combines a proud history with its evolution into a modern, diverse, and dynamic law firm, recognised by the Legal 500 as a “leading firm.”

The firm’s lawyers are specialists in their practice areas, offering technical excellence, practical solutions, and personalised client service. LBMW covers a broad spectrum of legal services, including commercial and corporate matters, disputes, education, employment, family law, GDPR and data protection, intellectual property and technology, not-for-profit and charity law, private client work, and real estate (residential, commercial, and Islamic finance).

The commercial and corporate team advises on mergers and acquisitions, business structuring, fundraising, private equity, joint ventures, and corporate governance for both domestic and international clients, including start-ups and private equity investors across sectors such as technology, food and beverage, education, healthcare, and retail. The team also drafts and advises on business contracts, shareholders’ agreements, and distribution agreements.

The disputes team handles property litigation, contested trusts, estates and wills, and contentious matters for charities, not-for-profit organisations, schools, universities, and faith-based institutions. It has extensive experience with judicial review claims, administrative court proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution.

LBMW’s education team supports the creation, expansion, reorganisation, and governance of academy trusts, charities, and trading subsidiaries. The team has particular expertise in the church education sector, advising dioceses, faith education providers, and other educational institutions on a wide range of issues, including admissions, exclusions, data protection, statutory guidance, staffing, and governance.

The employment team provides strategic and practical advice to businesses, advising on regulatory compliance, drafting contracts and policies, defending employment tribunal claims, and managing contentious and non-contentious employment matters. It also advises on discrimination issues and represents clients across diverse sectors, including large corporations, SMEs, schools, multi-academy trusts, and religious organisations.

Family law services cover financial remedies, divorce, dissolution, annulment, child residence and contact, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption, cohabitation agreements, non-molestation and occupation orders, and separation agreements.

In GDPR and data protection, LBMW advises organisations on policy reviews, handling subject access requests, data breaches, privacy notices, and full data audits. The firm’s intellectual property and technology team manages trademark applications and disputes, copyright, IT contracts, software licences, database rights, and related matters.

LBMW is nationally recognised for advising faith and religious organisations, including multiple Christian denominations and other faith-based institutions. The firm acts as legal officers to several diocesan registries and is home to the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its private client team offers services in estate planning, wills, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney, and applications to the Court of Protection, addressing tax and administrative complexities.

The real estate team provides advice on residential and commercial transactions, development, leasehold enfranchisement, property management, and Islamic finance. The firm also offers expertise in burial, cremation, and cemetery management, including acquisition and disposal of burial grounds, granting and extinguishing exclusive rights of burial, churchyard regulations, disinterment, infrastructure works, and related legal matters.

LBMW actively engages in corporate social responsibility, supporting local communities, fundraising, pro bono initiatives, and environmentally responsible practices. The firm maintains partnerships with organisations such as St Andrew’s Youth Club, Westminster, and the Wine and Spirits Benevolent Trust.

Languages
English

Memberships
MSI Global Alliance
Solicitors Regulation Authority
Resolution
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Charity Law Association
Charities’ Property Association
Association of Legal Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP)
Ecclesiastical Law Association
Ecclesiastical Law Society
The City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society