ALEP Management & Team
ALEP is run by its two Directors, an Advisory Committee and an Executive Committee.
A team of communications, finance and administrative staff works alongside the Directors, Executive Committee and Advisory Committee to help manage ALEP’s daily operations.
Directors
Mark Chick
Director & Committee Member
Mark Chick is a solicitor specialising in leasehold enfranchisement and a senior partner at Bishop & Sewell LLP where he is the Joint Head of the firm’s Landlord and Tenant department.
Mark has experience of advising on a wide range of issues relating to Landlord and Tenant, including property litigation, and is on the FtT frequent user panel. As ALEP Director and Executive Committee member he provides strategic input, particularly in the area of governance.
In addition to writing and speaking on leasehold enfranchisement and Landlord and Tenant matters, he writes blogs considering leasehold reform issues: www.leaseholdreformnews.com and www.leaseholdinfo.com. Mark regularly appears in News on the Block’s annual “Hot 100” list, which includes a mix of professionals, politicians, property owners and investors.
John Midgley
Director & Committee Member
John is a partner in the Property Disputes team and heads up the specialist Leasehold Enfranchisement team at Seddons. He is a leading practitioner in the field of collective enfranchisement, lease extensions and Right to Manage claims, having been involved in numerous highly contentious cases. John was instrumental in pioneering the Leasehold Reform Amendment Act 2014 and continues to work with parliamentarians on issues within the leasehold sector.
John writes regularly for specialist publications on a variety of enfranchisement and Landlord and Tenant issues.
He has been identified as one of the top 100 influential people in the leasehold property sector, appearing for several years in the ‘News on The Block’ “Hot 100” list.
Senior Management
Clare Grove
Head of Communications & Strategic Implementation
Clare is a chartered marketer with more than 20 years’ experience and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Clare has supported the development and implementation of marketing and communications initiatives for ALEP since her appointment as Marketing and Communications Manager in 2013.
Henrietta Hammonds
Non-executive director & valuer committee member
Henrietta Hammonds is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, an RICS Registered Valuer, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is Partner at Beckett and Kay, a firm specialising in landlord and tenant valuation, including in leasehold enfranchisement. Henrietta has a wide experience in leasehold reform, acting for freeholders, intermediate landlords, and tenants. Her experience includes appearances before the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), County Court and High Court, and she is a regular speaker at ALEP and other sector events.
Henrietta was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of ALEP in 2025.
Executive Committee
An Executive Committee deals with the day-to-day running of ALEP and is made up of Mark Chick and John Midgley. The Executive Committee meets monthly. One visiting member of the Advisory Committee, on a rotating basis, attends each meeting.
Henrietta Hammonds was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of ALEP in 2025.
Advisory Committee
Damian Greenish
Honorary President
Damian Greenish has been a solicitor for over 40 years. Until his retirement as a partner in 2016, he was senior partner and then chairman of Pemberton Greenish LLP. He is now a senior consultant to the leading Mayfair firm Forsters LLP.
Throughout his career, he has taken a close interest in the subject of leasehold reform, advising both landlords and tenants on all aspects of residential leasehold law, with a particular interest in enfranchisement. He has been involved in many of the landmark leasehold reform cases in the Supreme Court, House of Lords, Court of Appeal, High Court and the valuation tribunals. He has been the joint editor of Hague on Leasehold Enfranchisement since 1998. He is a speaker at and acts as a regular chairman of the leading conferences and seminars in this specialised sector of the law.
He is chairman of the Trustees of the Sloane Stanley Estate (a mixed-use Estate in west Chelsea, London); a Vice-President (and former Chairman of the Council) of the Chelsea Society; a member of The Law Society; a member of the British Property Federation’s Residential Property Management Committee, and a member of the Commonhold Council.
Colin Cohen
Managing Agent Committee Member
Having worked in residential block management for major managing agents, Colin Cohen set up his own business over 20 years ago. Possessing much expertise and knowledge in all areas of property management, Colin is a Fellow member of the IRPM, of which there are only a select few throughout the country. He regularly attends seminars and conferences to keep fully updated with changes to all aspects of the property industry.
Additionally he has been a committee member of ALEP since its inception representing managing agents on matters concerning leasehold enfranchisement. He is always on hand to give advice and assist where needed particularly in regard to property management issues.
Ellodie Gibbons
Barrister Committee Member
Ellodie is a specialist leasehold barrister at Landmark Chambers with particular expertise in leasehold enfranchisement, service and administration charge disputes, right to manage and rights of first refusal. She also deals with related areas of law such as easements, restrictive covenants, property related professional negligence and commercial landlord and tenant.
Mike Somekh
Project Manager Committee Member
Mike Somekh is the founder of The Freehold Collective, with the idea originating from his own freehold acquisition in the infamous Barrie House case. For over 15 years since then, Mike has been guiding thousands of leaseholders in exercising their collective rights in freehold acquisitions, delivering over 50 enfranchisement projects and building a strong partner ecosystem of industry experts, including ALEP members along the way. Mike has a strong background in Project Management in the Global software services industry, is one of the few people invited by MHCLG to advise on the practicalities of leasehold reform and is a regular speaker at industry events and Government forums.
Mike was appointed to the ALEP Advisory Committee in December 2025.
Eleanor Murray
Solicitor Committee Member
Eleanor, a partner at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, is an expert in all aspects of residential disputes, specialising in enfranchisement and Right to Manage instructions where her primary role is as the principal legal adviser to The Wellcome Trust Limited.
In 2016 she successfully led the Trust’s legal team in the landmark Upper Tribunal decision on relativity.
Eleanor also acts for other residential landlords in Prime Central London, as well as large institutional clients and investors such as RBS and Clydesdale.
Katherine Simpson
Solicitor Committee Member
She is a recognised expert in this specialist field and is particularly renowned for her expertise in the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
She also advises on non-contentious landlord and tenant matters.
Katherine’s in-depth knowledge of the enfranchisement legislation and the complex legal and valuation issues that often arise in this technical area uniquely place her to achieve the best possible and most cost-effective outcomes for her clients. She works closely with valuers to ensure that her client’s expectations and commercial objectives are met.
Over her career Katherine has acted for several of the London landed estates as well as for property developers, investors, trusts, charities and private individuals in all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement. Whilst her focus is on prime central London, she acts for property owners in all parts of the country.
Whilst Katherine’s aim is always to avoid court and tribunal proceedings, she is experienced in handing contentious matters in such forums and has been involved in many of the most high-profile enfranchisement cases on behalf of several major landlords.
Katherine regularly gives lectures and seminars on the legislation and writes for both the general and specialist press in this niche area.
Katherine joined Edwin Coe as a partner in September 2018 and was appointed to the ALEP Advisory Committee in December 2025.
Katie Cohen
Solicitor Committee Member
Katie is a property lawyer who specialises in all aspects of leasehold enfranchisement, a niche area of residential property law. She acts for both landlords and tenants, advising them on a range of real-estate issues including the sale and purchase of residential property, all aspects of voluntary and statutory lease extensions, and freehold purchases and sales under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. Katie also assists clients with the sale and purchase of freeholds under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (Right of First Refusal) as well as the acquisition of freehold ground-rent investment portfolios and statutory collective enfranchisement claims.
A keen contributor to many leading specialist publications, Katie is often approached to provide comment on the topic of leasehold enfranchisement.
Most recently Katie has been asked to present a webinar on ground rent for a leading legal CPD provider.
Katie was appointed to the ALEP Advisory Committee in December 2025.
Vanessa Griffiths
valuer Committee Member
Since qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 2012, she has developed her knowledge and experience in Leasehold Reform work acting on behalf of landlords and tenants and was made Partner in 2018. Vanessa is also an Accredited RICS Valuer, APC Assessor and iSurv Author. Vanessa currently advises a number of landlords, including Church Commissioners for England, Bourne Capital, Derwent London and The London Borough of Wandsworth.
Vanessa was appointed to the ALEP Advisory Committee in December 2025.
Mark Wilson
Valuer Committee Member
Mark Wilson is a Chartered Surveyor, RICS Registered Valuer and a Director of myleasehold, having set up the business in 2004. Mark maintains an active and focused interest in the enfranchisement sector dealing with all property types, including the valuation of houses under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
As a business owner and specialist valuer, Mark has a breadth of experience to bring to the Advisory Committee and the ALEP membership. He supports collaboration and transparency and is a firm supporter of the underlying principles of the legislation allowing tenants to extend their leases or buy their buildings as of right. And, on the future of the sector with the prospect reform, Mark describes himself as ‘thoughtfully neutral’.
Daniel Walmsley
Valuer Committee Member
Daniel Walmsley advises and represents both tenants and landlords, from individual leaseholders and freeholders to national organisations including pension funds, public bodies and social housing providers. He has over 17 years’ experience specialising in leasehold enfranchisement valuations and negotiations and leads the leasehold enfranchisement team at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).
Based in central London, Daniel practises across England and Wales and has extensive experience advising on enfranchisement matters across all markets, from regional locations to prime central London. He understands the varied perspectives of the wide range of stakeholders impacted by leasehold enfranchisement, particularly during a period of significant legislative change.
Daniel has contributed to national policy discussions, including preparing JLL’s written evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, and has been in direct communication with the Minister for Housing and Planning. Alongside his professional practice, he chairs a charity trustee board and has acted as a lead valuation expert for the Ministry of Defence on the UK’s largest ever real estate transaction.
Daniel was appointed to the ALEP Advisory Committee in December 2025.
Join ALEP
If you would like to join ALEP and are a barrister, managing agent, project manager, solicitor or valuer meeting our membership criteria, then we welcome your application.
Discover the benefits of ALEP membership and find out more about the application process.
- Stringent vetting process ensures quality control for practitioners and clients;
- Invitations to informative events, seminars and training sessions to share expertise;
- Numerous opportunities for networking and social events throughout the year.