Darlington

Ben attended Northumbria University from 2006, and was part of the University Honour Roll, before graduating in 2010 with a First Class Honours degree in Law. Ben joined the firm in February 2011, and became a Partner in December 2014. He is based at our office in Darlington, but also sees clients at each of our branch offices.

Ben specialises in all forms of dispute resolution, including commercial and civil litigation, contentious probate, personal injury and employment law litigation. His main focus is on complex and high value disputes, where he has helped clients to achieve multi-million pound settlements. Ben’s clients include professional sportspeople, high net worth individuals, SME’s and Large businesses.

In April 2022 Ben obtained accreditation as a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited Mediator. Ben is able to offer mediation services to his own clients, as well as third parties.

He is responsible for the overall supervision of our Litigation and Employment Law teams.

Alistair joined Hewitts in 1991 and worked in all aspects of private practice, finally specialising in Private Client work. He was appointed the role of Senior Partner at Hewitts in June 2021.

For the last twenty years he has worked solely in the Private Client department of Hewitts, becoming the head of the department in 2007. Alistair is a Trust & Estate Practitioner being a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP). STEP is a global professional body comprising specialist lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners with recognised levels of expertise and experience.

He specialises in Wills and Probate, Trusts and Court of Protection. Within his caseload he advises clients on Inheritance Tax planning, succession planning for family businesses, club constitutions, trustee arrangements and trust management.

He works closely with Hewitts Litigation Department to advise on Contentious Probate issues and he advises on Will drafting to avoid future disputes.

Kerri joined Hewitts in 2017 and became a Partner of the Firm in 2019. She has a vast experience of preparing Wills, dealing with the Administration of Estates, creating and administering Trusts, preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection work. She is a full accredited member of Solicitors for the Elderly, a specialist group of Lawyers established in 1996 to support and assist older and more vulnerable clients.

Kerri is also Trust & Estate Practitioner being a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP).

STEP is a global professional body comprising specialist lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners with recognised levels of expertise and experience.

Kerri also has a solid property background and deals with all the Transfer of Equity and Equity release matters for the firm.

Alicia joined Hewitts Solicitors in 2015, completing her training contract with the firm in October 2017. Since then Alicia has practised as a Solicitor at our Bishop Auckland office, moving to our Darlington office in December 2024 and specialising in all matters involving Wills & Probate, including Lasting Powers of Attorney and the Court of Protection.

She is also an Associate Member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers which is an organisation offering additional support and assistance to older and vulnerable people and is a Dementia Friend.

Beth graduated from the University of Nottingham with an English Language and Literature degree in 2021. She joined Hewitts in January 2022 and worked initially in the Firm’s Residential Property team whilst completing a law conversion course.

Bethany then joined the Dispute Resolution team, where she gained experience dealing with all areas of dispute resolution, including personal injury, contentious probate and employment law. Bethany qualified as a Solicitor in March 2026 and continues to work within the Dispute Resolution team.

Karen joined Hewitts in 2004. She is a Conveyancing Executive working in the Residential Conveyancing department at our Darlington Office and has over 20 years experience working in the legal profession.

Rachel joined Hewitts in 2019 and is the firm’s Head of People. She has been a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development since 2017 and has had a wealth of experience across the discipline of HR in a number of sectors. She specialises in advising on employment contracts, implementing policies and procedures and assisting with discipline and grievance issues. Rachel had a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing and is a qualified mental health first aider.