Lawyer in the news: Eleanor Clarke, Myerson Solicitors

Who? Eleanor Clarke, senior associate, Myerson Solicitors, Altrincham. 

Why is she in the news? Successfully defended Susan Pope in contentious probate case Neate v Heselden. Pope was Ray Watts’ former cleaner and carer. Watts left most of his £250,000 estate and stamp collection to Pope. He changed his will to reduce stepdaughter Beverley Neate’s legacy to £1.

Thoughts on the case: ‘It is unusual to have the validity of a will challenged solely on the basis of want of knowledge and approval, unless there are very specific reasons why the testator did not know what was in the document they were signing. In this case, there was clear evidence from the will draftsman and the deceased’s solicitor to show that he gave instructions and fully understood the documents he executed. The deceased then took the unusual step of making his own witness statement setting out exactly why he changed his will and made a codicil reducing the legacy to the claimant.

‘In these cases, I often think that if only the deceased had been able to explain their actions then disputes would not arise and yet here we had comprehensive evidence of exactly what his intentions were in his own words. It was heartening to have so many people, including the deceased’s biological children, willing to support our client’s position and the deceased’s son was able to give evidence in respect of his father’s intentions at trial.

‘Work on the case was a team effort and our counsel, Elis Gomer of 5 Stone Buildings, was brilliant throughout.’

Dealing with the media: ‘Reading about a case I know so well in the press was truly surreal. In this case, the sensational headlines really did not tell the whole story and I know Sue found it difficult that the press reduced her longstanding friendship with the deceased to her being described as just “his cleaner”.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘It has always been about the people and I am fascinated by the variety of cases we see in this area of work.’

Career high: ‘Getting the judgment in Neate v Heselden will be hard to beat! The result was fantastic, but I know that the kind comments from the judge also meant a lot to Sue.’

Career low: ‘Working from home with my (then) five-year-old and two-year-old during the pandemic. Just an endless rotation of Teams calls, homeschooling and park visits. It certainly made me very appreciative of teachers, nursery and being able to see my clients and colleagues in person.’