Leo Johnston

Leo is our Senior Partner,who has been with the firm for over 30 years. He deals with a wide range of areas primarily associated with property and business law. This includes domestic and commercial conveyancing - including commercial leases, company law, partnerships and other commercial matters.

Educated in Sunderland, at St Aidans Grammar School, Leo studied law at University College London and then completed his training at Bischoffs Law firm in the City of London before returning from London to work for Hedleys.

Leo has also served on the board of Governors for St Anthony's Girls School for the last 25 years.

Leo is married and the proud father of two young sons and when not playing tennis with them in the garden can be found playing at Ashbrooke Tennis Club. He is also a life long follower of Sunderland Football Club.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666909

Richard Walls

Richard joined the firm in February 2009 and quickly proved to be a highly valued and popular member of our residential conveyancing team.

Richard is a specialist in "new build" property transactions and is a leader in this field in the North East of England.

Richard is a "local boy" and was educated at Southmoor School, Bede College and finally North Tyneside College where he qualified to become a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

Richard is married and the proud father of two young sons.

Another ardent Sunderland fan, Richard also enjoys playing football in his free time.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666908

Malcolm Truscott

Malcolm has been with Hedleys since 1990 and is a diligent member of our residential conveyancing team.

Educated locally, Malcolm is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.

Married with one daughter, Malcolm is an enthusiastic member of Rotary International and also enjoys "armchair" sports and walks in the countryside.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666903

Gloria Spedding

Gloria has been with Hedleys for 14 years and is a hard working member of our residential conveyancing team.

Educated in the Durham area, Gloria is a Conveyancing Executive.

Gloria is married with one daughter and two grand children with whom she enjoys spending her free time. She also has several hobbies including reading,walking,swimming,gardening and cooking.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666906

Nathan Horsley

Nathan joined Hedleys in February 2011 to head up the Firm’s Litigation & Family Departments.

Nathan is an Accredited Litigator of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, member of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates and Resolution.   Having qualified as a Higher Court Advocate (Civil & Crime) he has the same rights of audience as a Barrister and can therefore offer his clients a complete service; being regularly briefed by other Solicitors to undertake advocacy work and provide advice in civil matters.

Having responsibility for our Matrimonial Department- Nathan acts in cases arising from divorce and relationship breakdown, financial matters including asset tracing and cases involving an international element, domestic violence, injunctions, residence/contact disputes and the law generally relating to children.  Nathan adopts a conciliatory approach to Family Law where possible; taking the view that constructive and meaningful negotiation can often achieve better results for his clients then bringing the matter straight to Court.  He is always ready, able and willing to take a robust stance in litigated contentious cases to protect his clients when they are most vulnerable. 

He is also able to deal with all aspects of Civil Litigation including commercial disputes, contractual issues, contentious property matters and general liability work.

Educated in Yarm, attaining his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the College of Law in York in 2006, he chose to specialise in Family Practice and Civil Litigation.  Having worked for LexisNexis Butterworths as an Academic Trainer throughout his time studying Nathan has extensive experience training legal professionals in advanced legal research.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666907

Mobile: 07896 755407 (out of hours emergencies)

Abby Lawson

Abby is our most recent appointment at Hedleys having just accepted a training contract with us in January 2012.  Having joined the Firm originally as a Paralegal in 2011, she has become a valued member of the team with a particular interest in Civil & Family matters. 

Abby will be involved in all areas of the firm as she is training and will be undertaking both contentious and non-contentious work.  She has a compassionate yet realistic approach to the difficulties inherent in family cases.    

Educated in Durham, Abby studied Law at Northumbria University where she also attained her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

Outside of work Abby is a keen competitive equestrian.

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Stuart Lisgo

Stuart attended Northumbria University and obtained his LLB Hons in 2002.

He completed his training contract with Newcastle firm Anderson & Maggie in 2006 and chose to specialise in Wills, Trust and Probate.

Start continued working in Newcastle until joining Hedleys in May 2010. 

A life long Newcastle United supporter (apparently they really do exist!), Stuart enjoys Monday mornings with the Sunderland supporters in the office following the occasional NUFC victory.

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Direct Line: 0191 5666910