Julie Ann joined CMG Cunningham Dickey in March 2018 as a Partner having worked in two respected rural practices for the previous 15 years. She specialises in all property matters including residential and commercial conveyancing, farms and land transfers, development land purchase and site sales and acts for a number of residential developers.

Julie Ann is also an experienced Trust and Estate Practitioner having completed her STEP Diploma and gained Excellence Awards and the highest marks in her year group. She regularly deals with Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorneys and Controllership Orders.   

As a Trust and Estate Practitioner, Julie Ann can provide specialist advice in relation to Inheritance Tax Planning, care home fee planning and also deals with formation of Trusts and acts as Trustee for a number of clients.  Julie Ann can also provide advice in relation to the operation of Trusts. 

Julie Ann has experience in dealing with Partnership Disputes, especially farming partnerships, and as a farmer’s daughter has an understanding of life on the farm. She is also a member of the Agricultural Law Association and took part in a series of talks in conjunction with Rural Support, providing information to farming families on succession planning.

Julie Ann currently sits on the STEP NI committee, is a member of the Elder Law Group and has recently been appointed to sit on a committee of the Law Society of Northern Ireland.  Julie Ann also sits as a Governor on the Board of Governors for Dundonald Primary School. 

Julie Ann is recognised as one of Three Best Rated Solicitors in Northern Ireland for Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning

Qualified in 1995, Jonathan is a business lawyer and advisor for family businesses, SMEs and private individuals. He offers pragmatic and practical advice on legal matters affecting you, your family and your business, ranging from business structures and premises, to succession matters; Shareholder and Partnership Agreements to Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney, helping you to attain the necessary framework to allow you to concentrate on your business with all your business and private legal requirements in one place. Jonathan is also an expert in commercial property and Landlord and Tenant matters, advising both well-known high street brands and local Businesses on their property acquisitions. 

Jonathan is based in our Bangor Office but is available for consultation in Belfast and Newtownards.

Brian is Managing Partner of the firm. He undertakes work on behalf of housing and property developers relating to housing developments, apartment schemes, site acquisition, option agreements, site development, planning issues and planning agreements, joint ventures and consortium collaboration agreements and site development licences, corporate sales and acquisitions involving property companies and related commercial litigation. He has extensive experience in acting for consortia of landowners in concluding planning agreements under the previous Article 40 regime and now under S76 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.

Brian is regarded as one of the most experienced Solicitor Mediators in Northern Ireland and has pioneered the use of mediation for the resolution of commercial disputes, has lectured extensively in mediation, both locally and internationally and has vast experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

As a consequence of his dispute resolution, commercial and property experience, Brian is often asked to act in negotiating and resolving complex multi-faceted and high value disputes for businesses and in respect of matrimonial disputes involving land and property. He has also been asked to investigate and report on sensitive and complex workplace grievances for various high profile local and international organisations.

Brian has developed a specialist practice area acting for Dentists and Orthodontists in relation to dentist practice sales or acquisitions, having completed many transactions for dentists, either retiring or acquiring, over the last 5 years.  In addition to business sales for Dentists, Brian acts for family-owned businesses in mergers, acquisitions and reorganisations, which requires knowledge and awareness of related tax implications.  Often tax planning will be involved in business disposals and Brian will assist in developing taxation strategies and creating Trusts and wills for business owners and private clients.

Brian has been an active member (and former Chair) of the Education Committee of the Law Society of Northern Ireland (LSNI). Brian is also an elected member of the Council of LSNI and a former President of the LSNI for 2010 -2011. He has been Treasurer of the Law Society of Northern Ireland since 2015. He is Chair of the Law Society Mediation Service.

Brian is the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s nominee to the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) and in Livingstone, Zambia in April 2019 was elected President of the CLA, a position he held for 2 years and in which he devoted considerable time voluntarily to the CLA to assist in its role of upholding the independence of the legal profession, sharing best practice regarding regulation of the legal profession and training and mentoring colleagues and upholding the rule of law throughout the Commonwealth.

In April 2021 he was appointed as the inaugural Chair of the Ethics Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation.