Rob Johnson walked away from a head of department role this month to join BRM’s contentious probate team. Twenty-two years after starting as a trainee solicitor, the newly appointed director brings decades of inheritance dispute experience to the Sheffield and Chesterfield firm.
The move marks BRM’s latest recruitment push in a practice area that handles will disputes, trust battles and inheritance fights—some of the most emotionally charged legal work in the profession.
Johnson started his legal career at Malcolm C Foy & Co in 2004, qualifying two years later. He climbed to director and head of dispute resolution, later moving to Bell & Buxton Solicitors before this month’s switch. His background spans estate administration issues, will challenges and the full spectrum of contentious probate work.
“I have previously focused on will disputes and issues in relation to the administration of estates but I have dealt with and have experience in all aspects of contentious probate and I am looking forward to bringing that depth of experience to the team at BRM,” Johnson explained.
The timing reflects BRM’s sustained expansion in this corner of the legal market. Lewis Hastie arrived as head of the Sheffield-based probate dispute team in August 2023. Abbie Culf joined as a trainee solicitor last month. Johnson becomes the third significant hire in under three years.
That growth trajectory mirrors broader demand. Contentious probate work has intensified as family structures grow more complex and property wealth increases—particularly in regional cities where estate values have climbed but don’t attract the London firms.
For Johnson, the appeal was straightforward. “I chose to join BRM for a chance to work in an excellent team with Lewis Hastie and to join a progressive commercial firm that is very successful in Sheffield,” he said.
Leaving a head of department position to join another firm’s growing team suggests confidence in BRM’s direction. “I’m very much looking forward to making a significant impact on BRM’s cases and achieving positive results for our clients,” Johnson added.
Hastie, who now works alongside his new director-level colleague, welcomed the appointment. “I am delighted that Rob has chosen to join BRM. He brings with him a huge amount of experience and expertise and will be a major asset to our growing contentious trusts and probate team.”
Rob Cooke, executive director and head of dispute resolution at BRM, framed the hire as strategic expansion. “Our contentious probate team continues to expand and Rob’s arrival is a significant step in that growth,” he noted. “His experience and strong track record will be invaluable as we continue expanding our capabilities and supporting clients facing some of the most challenging situations.”
Those situations—disputed wills, contested estates, trust disagreements—often arrive when families fracture over inheritance. The work requires technical legal skill layered with sensitivity to raw grief and family conflict.
BRM now fields a contentious probate team with two directors and recent trainee talent coming through. The firm serves both commercial and private clients across its Sheffield and Chesterfield offices, competing with established regional practices and national firms that maintain Yorkshire presences.
Johnson’s two decades of experience positions him to handle the complex cases that tend to define a contentious probate practice—multi-party disputes, estate administration breakdowns, challenges to testamentary capacity.
Whether the team’s expansion reflects captured market share or genuine demand growth remains unclear. What’s certain: BRM is backing contentious probate with senior hires at a moment when inheritance disputes show no signs of simplifying.
For Johnson, the calculation was clear enough to leave a leadership position. By joining a growing team rather than leading an established one, he’s betting on BRM’s trajectory in a legal sector where family wealth and family conflict increasingly intersect.
