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Quastels Announces New Partner Appointments

Quastels LLP is pleased to announce that Nargiz Abdullayeva is now a partner, and the arrival of Ben Gale and Charlotte Vallins as partners, marking an important step in the continued growth and strengthening of the firm’s real estate and corporate practices.

These appointments reflect Quastels’ ongoing commitment to recognising exceptional talent from within the firm while also attracting highly regarded lawyers who bring depth of experience, strong market reputations and a client-focused approach.

Nargiz Abdullayeva, Residential Real Estate

Nargiz Abdullayeva is now partner following an exceptional career progression at Quastels. She joined the firm’s Residential Real Estate team as a solicitor in 2018 and brings over 10 years’ experience advising on high-value residential transactions for UK and international clients.

Nargiz has played a key role in the development of the firm’s Residential Real Estate practice and leads on Turkish client transactions, combining deep market knowledge with strong commercial insight. In her new role as partner, she will continue to strengthen the firm’s real estate offering, heading Turkish client transactions and supporting clients on complex, cross-border matters. Her promotion reflects both her technical expertise and her significant contribution to the firm’s growth.

Her appointment reflects both her technical expertise and her significant contribution to the firm’s growth.

If you’d like to discuss how Nargiz and her team can assist you in residential real estate matters, whether UK-based or international, please contact her via her email, nabduallyeva@quastels.com or call +44 7799 277084.

Ben Gale, Corporate

Ben Gale has joined Quastels as a partner in the Corporate team, bringing extensive experience advising a broad range of clients, from entrepreneurial businesses to established corporates, on UK and cross-border matters.

His practice covers mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, joint ventures, restructurings and general corporate advisory work. Ben has particular sector expertise in retail, hospitality and leisure, the testing, inspection, certification and compliance (TICC) sector, and the fast-growing online prize draws and competitions (PCD) space. 

Ben joins the firm from Irwin Mitchell and is highly regarded for his commercial focus, responsiveness and ability to drive transactions forward under demanding timeframes. He was recently shortlisted for Corporate Lawyer of the Year at the Insider Media South-East Dealmakers Awards, reflecting his strong market standing and dedication to client service.

If you’d like to discuss how Ben and his team can assist you in corporate matters, please contact him via his email, bgale@quastels.com or call +44 7341 590470.

Charlotte Vallins, Commercial Property

Charlotte Vallins has joined Quastels as a partner in the Commercial Property team. Specialising in commercial real estate for private and institutional investors in relation to freehold and leasehold acquisitions, disposals and financings of all complexity, she brings more than 15 years’ experience.

Charlotte joins Quastels from a large regional firm and is known for her proactive, pragmatic and client-focused approach. She is recognised for her attention to detail, clear communication and ability to deliver timely, commercial results. Charlotte is also listed as a Next Generation Partner in Legal 500, where she is praised for her professionalism, depth of knowledge and outstanding client service.

Her appointment further strengthens Quastels’ Commercial Property offering and reinforces the firm’s commitment to delivering high-quality, commercially focused advice.

If you’d like to discuss how Charlotte and her team can assist you in commercial property matters, whether UK-based or international, please contact her via her email, cvallins@quastels.com, or call +44 7351 590460.

Looking Ahead

The promotion of Nargiz and the appointments of Ben and Charlotte represent an exciting chapter for Quastels as the firm continues to build depth across its core practice areas. Together, they enhance the firm’s ability to support clients with complex, high-value and strategically important matters, both in the UK and internationally.

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A Welcome Relief

Ever since they were announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government’s reforms to Agricultural Business Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) have been a source of great concern to many owners of farms and family businesses. This has been particularly the case for farmers, who worry that an Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill may be unaffordable given the combination of small farming incomes and high land values, and therefore that succession to the next generation may become unviable.

However, in a rare bit of good tax news, the Government announced a pair of changes late last year that will both save tax and somewhat simplify planning.

The changes

For a full explanation of the reforms as originally proposed, see our previous article. In brief, they mean that from 6 April 2026 a cap will be introduced on the total value of property on which APR and BPR can be claimed at the rate of 100%. Anything above that threshold will be limited to 50% relief.

The first change to the proposed reform came at the 2025 Budget, when it was announced that the threshold would become transferable between a married couple or civil partners. In other words, if the person who died first did not fully utilise their own 100% allowance (for example, because they left the assets qualifying for relief to their spouse/civil partner), the person who died second would then be able to claim a double allowance.

Significantly, the Government confirmed that this would apply even where the first person had died before the reforms were announced. This will therefore avoid one of the significant points of unfairness that had been identified with the original proposals, in which a person who had been widowed before Autumn Budget 2024 would have missed out on the opportunity to take advantage of their deceased spouse/civil partner’s allowance.

The second change was slipped out in a press release on 23 December 2025, although no doubt will have come as a welcome Christmas present for many families. This increased the allowance for 100% relief from £1 million to £2.5 million.

What it means for you

These changes will clearly be good news for owners of family businesses and agricultural land. Two key benefits are:

• the transferability of the allowance means that it will no longer be as necessary to structure estate planning in such a way as to utilise the allowance on the first death (for example, by giving a share of the land/business to children or a trust); and
• the increased thresholds can reduce IHT bills for anyone with a farm or business worth more than £1 million, and for some may mean they no longer have an IHT bill at all.

However, despite these changes, careful planning and expert advice will still be very important.

For one thing, many families will still find themselves with a sizeable IHT bill even with the increased threshold. They may benefit greatly from proper estate planning advice. The best strategy will of course depend on their particular circumstance, but could for example include lifetime gifts of land, company shares or partnership capital, or redirecting assets into a trust (which will still benefit from their own separate £1 million allowance for 100% relief).

Moreover, it is important to remember that the conditions for claiming APR and BPR have always been very strict and full of traps for the unwary. Very small details may result in a loss of relief (and therefore a vastly-higher tax bill) if not spotted in time.

If you are planning to rely on APR or BPR as part of your own succession plan, please do contact the Private Wealth and Tax team at Quastels, who have a great deal of specific experience in this area. We can review your current arrangements and identify the risks and opportunities you need to consider.

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Removal of the Unfair Dismissal Compensation Cap: Rethinking Board Strategy

The UK employment tribunal compensatory award cap has until now limited financial exposure for unfair dismissal claims. That certainty is soon disappearing. Once the cap is removed, tribunals can award losses reflecting an executive’s actual full earnings including base salary, long notice periods, discretionary bonuses, and long-term incentives. For senior executives, claims could easily reach seven figures.

This change will fundamentally affect how Boards manage senior exits. Informal processes, limited performance documentation, and reliance on ‘loss of confidence’ are no longer safe. Tribunals will examine whether dismissals were reasonable and evidenced, and may ask what would have happened if the employer had acted fairly, considering potential performance outcomes, bonuses, and incentive awards. Even discretionary bonuses could now become part of claims.

The implications are Board-level, not just HR. So, what do Boards need to consider going forward?

• Performance oversight: Boards must ensure clear, measurable, and documented expectations for senior executives.
• Exit strategy: Settlement ranges and notice periods need to reflect potential uncapped liability.
• Bonus design: Timing and clarity of discretionary awards are critical.
• Governance discipline: Decisions must be evidence-based, documented and defensible.
• Board capability: NEDs must be confident in managing C-suite performance and challenging executive peers.
• Risk assessment: Employment litigation exposure and insurance coverage should be reviewed and well in advance of any conversations with the senior executive.

Boards which are unprepared for this shift risk material financial exposure, reputational harm, and potential for high-stakes litigation. The removal of the cap is not just a legislative change but a call for Boards to elevate performance management, governance discipline, and deeper risk assessments.

With significant experience in advising Boards on people-risk, executive remuneration, and governance, I see this as a pivotal moment for leadership accountability. Boards that act now will safeguard both people and organisational reputation, while strengthening confidence in making difficult but necessary leadership decisions.

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