Adina Milleare

Associate Solicitor

+44 (0)1255 254260

adina.milleare@tsplegal.com

Adina, who qualified as a solicitor in June 2015, is supervised by Fiona Ashworth. She joined TSP as a trainee solicitor in July 2013. Based in our Clacton office, Adina advises clients on Wills, Powers of Attorney (Enduring and Lasting), Court of Protection work and Inheritance tax as well as dealing with the administration of estates.

Adina, whose maiden name was Erbicianu, is Romanian by birth (and brings fluent written and spoken Romanian skills to the firm) but has lived and worked in the Colchester and Clacton area all her adult life. She studied for her LLB in Law and Human Rights at the University of Essex, graduating in June 2011, and went straight on to pass her Legal Practice Course (LPC) with Distinction in June 2012.

Thompson Smith and Puxon has, for a number of years, been highlighted by the Legal 500 as a Leading Firm in this practice area.

Thompson Smith and Puxon has, for a number of years, been recommended by the Legal 500 in this practice area. In 2022/23 the Legal 500 said: Thompson Smith and Puxon‘s group is based in Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. During 2021, the team acted for a varied client roster in the business and the agricultural sphere. The firm has long-standing and strong relationships with the regional rural community and has a substantial portfolio of agricultural clients. Fiona Ashworth leads a team, which has strong expertise in lifetime and succession planning work. Clients describe Robert Ashworth as ‘excellent, patient and thorough’, and Aileen Hirst is a key team member. Senior associate Nicola Healy joined from Tees Law in 2022.

In 2021/2022 the Legal 500 said: Thompson Smith and Puxon’s wills and estates practice is highly prominent in the agriculture sector; its recent workload in this space has included advice to clients on farming family successions, high-value estate administrations and tax-related issues. Fiona Ashworth and Robert Ashworth are both members of the Agricultural Law Association, and along with Aileen Hirst, are members of the Tendring Hundred Farmers Association and Suffolk Agricultural Association. Beyond work for agricultural clients, the practice is highlighted for its advice to business owners and high-net-worth individuals on lifetime and succession planning. Elsewhere, the team’s other areas of expertise include Court of Protection deputyship matters, powers of attorney and contested wills.

In 2020/21 the Legal 500 said: Preparation of wills, administration of estates and enduring powers of attorney are all handled by the ‘diverse and knowledgeable’ personal tax, trusts and probate team at Thompson Smith and Puxon. In addition, it provides specialist legal advice to the friends and family of the elderly, particularly in relation to Court of Protection applications. Team leader Fiona Ashworth is a specialist in the agricultural sector and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Solicitors Aileen Hirst and Sarah White are accredited members of Solicitors for the Elderly while Robert Ashworth is recommended for succession planning, with an emphasis on farming clients.

In 2019 the Legal 500 said: “Thompson Smith and Puxon’s ‘impressive’ private client department is ‘very well versed in dealing with complex matters’ which include all aspects of wills, inheritance tax planning and the administration of estates. Led by standout practitioner Fiona Ashworth, who clients describe as a ‘real asset to the firm‘, the team is proficient in handling high-value and often uniquely challenging transfers of inter-generational wealth. The agriculture sector has traditionally been a strong client focus of the firm. Aileen Hirst acts for high-net-worth clients and advises on trust planning and estates. Sarah White and Robert Ashworth are also recommended.”

In 2018 the Legal 500 said: “The ‘thorough, efficient and reliable’ private client department at Thompson Smith and Puxon ‘exhibits a high degree of professional experience and capability’ with ‘a caring and considerate side’ and a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ in order to ‘provide a comprehensive and timely service’. Focus areas include will preparation, probate, trusts, tax and succession planning, registering enduring powers of attorney, and Court of Protection matters, as well as asset preservation relating to long-term residential or nursing care requirements. A large proportion of clients have a business or agricultural background. ‘Sharp-minded, sympathetic and hardworking’ Fiona Ashworth, who ‘has a wealth of experience’, leads the practice from the Colchester office and is a main contact for elderly and farming clients. In October 2017, ‘friendly and persevering’ Robert Ashworth and ‘conscientious, sympathetic and efficient’ Aileen Hirst, who ‘has a practical grasp of problems and solutions’, joined Clacton-based Sarah White at associate level. Clients further recommend ‘exceptionally professional and caring’ solicitor Adina Milleare.”

To find out more about the Wills and Estates services that Adina can offer click here.

Adina is a Dementia Friend, an Alzheimer’s Society scheme which aims to raise awareness of what it’s like to live with dementia and how people living with it can be helped. Find out more about the scheme and how TSP is involved here.