Leeds Solicitors specialising in property and litigation. Find out more about how we can help you by going to our Legal Services page and selecting Property for a competitive conveyancing quote if you are buying or selling your home, Motoring Offences for representation at court if your driving licence is at risk, or Family Law for expert advice on divorce, or Immigration for expert advice on all personal and corporate immigration matters. You can also receive specialist advice on Wills, Probate and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
*For a quotation involving a sale or purchase over £1,000,000.00 or a remortgage over £500,000.00 please contact the property department on 0113 2432288 or email property@henryhyams.com . .
50 Years at Henry Hyams!
Congratulations to Derek Hallam who reached the incredible milestone of 50 years’ service with Henry Hyams on 29 September 2025.
A Liverpool University law graduate, Derek started at Henry Hyams in 1975 as an articled clerk to Neville Bush. Our offices were located on Park Square, Rod Stewart was at number 1 in the charts with ‘Sailing’ and Harold Wilson the Labour Prime Minister.
Upon qualification as a solicitor, Derek took on a varied caseload in crime, personal injury and property. He later specialised in regulatory work and for many years combined prosecuting for West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service and Leeds City Council with his duties as managing partner at Henry Hyams
Derek retired as a partner in 2018 but has continued to work part-time as a regulatory lawyer – when not on one of his (many!) cycling or sailing holidays.
We all raise a glass to you Derek and look forward to another of your legendary wine tasting evenings when we get to celebrate the 50 years together!
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Jane Cooper
All at Henry Hyams are deeply saddened to announce that after a courageous fight against breast cancer, Jane died peacefully surrounded by her family, on Saturday, 30 August 2025 at St James Hospital in Leeds.
Jane joined Henry Hyams in 1996 as an assistant solicitor in our Criminal Defence Department. Her courtroom presence and sharp intellect was immediately apparent, and she was soon recognised as one of the best criminal law solicitors in the region. In 2002, Jane became a partner and was integral to the shaping and development of our legal practice for over the next two decades until her retirement in 2024 due to ill health.
During her time with us she met fellow criminal defence solicitor Tim, and their relationship turned into a very happy marriage. Together, they had two sons, William and Matthew, who are both now at university. The family lived in Chapel Allerton where they had many friends.
Jane will be sadly missed by all at Henry Hyams. She was not only a respected colleague, but also a friend. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all who were touched by her kindness and grace, and, in particular, with Tim, William and Matthew.
Rest In Peace, Jane.
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Conveyancing Quality Scheme
For another year running, in 2025 Henry Hyams is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme
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Our Offices
We are located at Oxford House, Oxford Row, Leeds, LS1 3BE, opposite the Leeds Combined Court.
David Bower retired as IT Manager on 19 December 2025, after an amazing achievement for 25 years of service at Henry Hyams.
We want to honour David’s service and time by sharing his final leaving email to the business.
After 25 years of wrangling servers, chasing down rogue cables, pretending to understand printer errors, and asking the age-old question, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”, it’s now time for me to power down and retire.
I’d like to thank you all for the banter and laughs along the way and for keeping me entertained over the years with your IT issues, whether it was your creative IT requests or your ability to break things in ways I never thought possible. You’ve kept me on my toes, and also given me job security for decades, and for that, I’m truly grateful!” 😂
I’m excited to begin this new chapter, stepping away from all the emails, phone calls & WhatsApp messages. Instead, it’s time for fresh air, total freedom, and best of all… no more rude awakenings from that alarm clock.
Promotions
We are delighted to announce that Hannah Bray and Mandy Arkell have accepted offers to become Directors at Henry Hyams, and Chantelle Stapleton will commence her training contract, all effective from 1 January 2026.
Hannah Bray
Hannah joined Henry Hyams as a paralegal in 2002, working initially in housing law before completing her training contract to concentrate on criminal defence work. Her busy caseload takes her from the police station to the magistrates’ court where she has built up a specialism acting for youths and manages that part of the department.
Mandy Arkell
Mandy joined Henry Hyams in 2019 as an experienced care lawyer and has expanded this practice ever since. She taken on the mantle of juggling this caseload with managing a busy set of family lawyers.
Both promotions are richly deserved for two hard working and talented individuals.
Chantelle Stapleton
Chantelle joined Henry Hyams just two years ago and, in that time, has established herself as an important member of our criminal defence team, quickly qualifying as an accredited police station representative. She will continue to focus on criminal law during her training, with an emphasis on crown court case working alongside her police station representation. The training contract is a deserved reward for the hard work she has put into the past two years.
Meet the Team
We want you to feel confident in the legal advisor that deals with your case.
My case was dealt with by Jane Cooper and Hannah Bray and I can safely say that I was very satisfied with the service that they delivered. I could not have asked for more genuine people to have helped me with something that caused a lot of personal stress and worry. I would recommend anyone seeking legal assistance to consider Henry Hyams and these Solicitors in particular.
0113 2432288
info@henryhyams.com
