Gareth-Lee Smith LLM Commercial Law (Distinction) - Birmingham

Membership Status: Barrister - Full Member

General Information

Gareth specialises in civil and commercial law and private children law. He is based in Walsall and attends courts throughout the Midlands.

Clients appreciate his combination of excellent client care and straightforward, no-nonsense advice. His civil practice is enhanced by his master’s degree in Commercial Law, for which he was awarded a Distinction and came top of his cohort in Banking Law.

As a small business owner himself, he has a level of commercial awareness which gives him a deeper understanding of his clients' needs. His attention to detail and the depth of his research also win plaudits from clients.

Areas of law

Civil Law
Commercial Law
Private Children Law

Civil & Commercial Law

Recent cases include:

A shareholder dispute where two entrepreneurs were offered shares in a company in return for their work and ending their involvement with their own start-up companies. The dispute arose when the company's directors re-neged on the deal.
Enforcement of an oral agreement for a contractor to step back from a property deal and forego ongoing fees for development in return for a percentage of future sale value. Complex issues of partnership also arose within this context.
Defence of a claim to claw back fees paid under a consultancy agreement after termination through no fault of the defendant.

Family Law

Representing parties in private law children proceedings before all levels of the judiciary in the lower courts
Advising and representing parties on appeal from first instance decisions

Personal Interests

Away from court, Gareth makes the transition from barrister to barista as a self-confessed coffee snob. He roasts his own beans and tries in vain to avoid getting the next bit of kit. Gareth also works on his conversational Bengali so that he can speak to his mother-in-law more. Bangladeshi words for foods are a speciality.

Feedback

“I enrolled the services of Gareth for a Family Court Case (2020) and what a difference this man made. His understanding of what was important just by reading the case files prepared for him was excellent. His communication in final preparation was empathic and thorough to the point I believed I would succeed before attending court. His command of the courtroom was a joy to watch and the cross examination of all parties Gareth performed was again superb. Gareth was calm and full of honest application, keeping me informed of all possibilities throughout the day in court. I may be biased as I won the case but this was very much down to the knowledge of law and the application of the law that Gareth brought to my case and it was most definitely money well spent. Very highly recommended!”

FT, Direct Access Client Public Access

“Gareth is beyond amazing. I was assisting a law firm with an issue, requiring relief from sanction on a matter and I needed Counsel. Gareth was recommended to me by Clerksroom. I’d never worked with Gareth before but it didn’t take long to install confidence in me. I would have no hesitation in instructing Gareth again, if anything, I would actively seek him out as a preference. ”

Alec Hancock MJW Law

“Gareth is a dedicated and well prepared Advocate who goes the extra mile to meet the client’s objectives. Would highly recommend in family law cases.”

Jaskaran Dhillon Partner at D & N Solicitors

Publications

Gareth regularly posts articles on his website (https://birmingham-barrister.com/articles) together with summaries of his cases (https://www.birmingham-barrister.com/my-cases).

phone01823 247 247

[email protected]

Qualified in 2014