Specialist Wills, Trusts & Probate Solicitor Joins Gainsborough Team at Sills & Betteridge

The Gainsborough team at Sills & Betteridge LLP has recently been strengthened with the appointment of specialist Wills, Trusts & Probate solicitor, Fiona McSmailes. Her arrival enhances the firm’s strong reputation as one of the leading Wills, Trusts & Probate solicitors in Gainsborough, providing expert legal advice to clients across North Lincolnshire and beyond.

Originally from Oxfordshire, Fiona moved to Lincoln to attend university before training and qualifying as a solicitor in 2020 with another large Lincolnshire legal practice.

Fiona specialises in all aspects of Wills, Trusts and Probate law, including the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, obtaining Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration, and managing the administration of estates. She also advises clients on care fee assessments and strategies to protect assets from care home fees.

Department Head, Andrew Durkan is delighted to welcome Fiona to the firm “Fiona is a highly personable, pragmatic lawyer, trusted by her clients and popular with her colleagues. She has already settled in very well and I look forward to watching her career develop with Sills & Betteridge LLP.”

Shan Jaehrig, Gainsborough Branch Manager, said"We are delighted to welcome Fiona to Gainsborough. Our Team works hard to provide the best possible service to its clients and enjoys being part of the local community. Fiona will be a great addition and we look forward to involving her in Gainsborough life."

Fiona will be based at the firm’s Gainsborough office, where she will assist clients with a wide range of Wills, Trusts and Probate matters, including estate planning, inheritance advice, and probate administration.

Fiona wanted to work for a leading Legal 500 law firm with experienced partners from whom she could learn and develop her expertise. She said “S&B has a great reputation for being such a firm, with a strong sense of community within the firm and the areas it serves.“

Gainsborough was the firm’s first office to open in North Lincolnshire and marked the start of its expansion into the north of the county and into South Yorkshire. Sills & Betteridge has since opened offices in Scunthorpe, Grimsby, and Howden, and through merger, acquired offices in Sheffield, Doncaster, Bawtry, Thorne, and Wath Upon Dearne.

Pictured L - R Shan Jaehrig and Fiona McSmailes