OUR PARTNERS...
Richard Cunningham
Managing Partner
“The answer is ‘yes’, now what is the question?”
Richard trained at a medium-sized, regional firm in Wimbledon where he gained his first exposure to property work. Upon qualification, he was recruited by a firm in Cheam Village to undertake a mixed case load of both residential and commercial property work. After acquiring several high profile clients from the worlds of sport and light entertainment he soon found himself being asked to deal with “this really simple sale of a business” or “this little estate” and before long he was working with several business, some local and some City-based, as a valued and respected commercial advisor.
Richard now divides his time between dealing with complex property transactions, commercial and residential, offering advice and assistance to businesses wanting to expand, acquire, contract or protect and running the commercial operations of the firm. Richard is always busy but he believes passionately in the firm and what it stands for and so is unrelentingly willing and happy to help whoever calls.
Richard has acted on a number of local developments over the years. His work can range from the mundane to the frighteningly complex but, if the client needs it, Richard will be there with a smile on his face and a merciless desire to achieve the very best for his clients on every occasion. It is a cliché, but there really is no job too big or small and his mantra of “big enough to cope, small enough to care” is regularly heard echoing around the offices.
Christine Eves
Senior Partner
Christine attended Woldingham School having previously lived in Canada and the UAE. A childhood spread across 3 different continents was due to the fact her father worked for the UN and Christine became aware at an early age of the far reaching impact the law can have.
Insprired to weild this power for good, Christine trained at a boutique firm in Berkshire and specialised in Family work. She spent 2 years advising people in the most dire need of assistance but the changes to Legal Aid proved challenging and Christine, not ever being one to compromise, felt she could not reconcile these constantly increasing restrictions with her instinct to go the extra mile for her clients.
After a brief stint in Litigation during the 2008 Credit Crunch, she arrived in Guildford ready for a new opportunity and met Richard. Property offered the perfect combination of variety and challenge whilst also being of huge importance to the clients. Christine immediately knew she had arrived where she was meant to be and set about revolutionising the experience of moving for hundreds of people across Surrey.
Christine now leads an expert team of property specialists in dealing with all manner of dealings. Her expertise ranges from sales and purchases to auctions and developments. There is nothing in the world of property that Christine cannot help you with and she will do so with her own inimitable sense of humour which has become her trademark.
She is fierce when she needs to be but always adored by her clients and her staff alike.
Diana Riedl
Partner
Residential Property
Diana lives in Surbiton and began her legal career at a firm in Hampshire where she was ultimately appointed Head of Department.
If your property is south of the Watford Gap, she’s probably done it before and, even if it’s not, it is unlikely to be anything new. After a short career break and relocation, she joined up with Christine, Richard and Cara in Bookham and East Horsley before becoming a founding partner of Cunningham Eves Solicitors.
She knows the local intricacies and occasionally quirky arrangements typical of properties in Bookham, Horsley, Ashtead, Dorking, Leatherhead, Guildford, Kingston and throughout Surrey’s wide array of locations and property types, as well as being well equipped to spot the nuances of plots in less familiar settings.
Cara Osborne-Hughes
Partner
Private Client
Cara lives in Godalming and began practice with a large regional firm, working primarily from its Wimbledon office. She joined Richard, Christine and Diana in Bookham and East Horsley and is a founding partner of Cunningham Eves Solicitors.
It is easy to confuse Private Client work with Wills, Probate and Powers of Attorney but the best solicitors offer so much more. Cara takes a big picture view of your circumstances without charging you by the hour to do so. She is an expert at asking the crucial questions at the right time to ensure nothing is missed and you get the solution that best fits you, in the shortest time possible and for a fee that has already been agreed with you and is fixed. Unfortunately, many firms seek to place the solicitors they employ under huge pressure to achieve billing targets meaning they will prioritise their own self preservation and promotion over providing you the right service at the right price.
To be a great Private Client solicitor, you have to care and no one cares more about the well-being of their client than Cara and her team. Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to work quickly as time may be running short for the client. Cara doesn’t hesitate in offering home visits or even attending clients in hospital at no extra cost to ensure those who most need protection get precisely that.
With offices in Dorking and Leatherhead, Cara is well-placed to offer her unique brand of legal advice to all those in the surrounding areas but the firm is modern in everything it does and so is able to act for clients all over the country. Our online ID checking systems and comprehensive safeguarding protocols mean that even if you can’t get to us, we can still provide you with everything you need.