THAT’S the headline from an advert relating to some of the developments at Wilson Browne Solicitors, and it encapsulates the spirit of the last 12 months.
How do you review the last 12 months without it sounding boastful? The honest answer is that when it has been such a great year, it’s hard!
Some impressive numbers
The firm dealt with 540-plus family law matters, helped over 3,000 people move home, drafted 2,500-plus wills and trusts; has a 100 per cent success rate in contesting wills; won over £23m for victims of medical negligence; helped 260-plus cases in Court of Protection (for people that lack mental capacity); acquired 200-plus plots of development land; handled litigation claims worth £45m; completed 260-plus matters in advising, acquiring or disposing of businesses.
Growth
The biggest story was the acquisition of Friday Legal, making WB the largest commercial law offering in the county. The deal was driven by the rise in reputation and profile of WB, reflected in awards, recognition from peers, and brand presence. This gives the firm 6 offices and over 160 employees.
Northamptonshire-based HR Solutions and WB teamed-up to provide a comprehensive range of employment advice and HR advice for every size of business, strengthening their respective offerings.
Expertise
Wilson Browne Solicitors maintained its place in the Legal 500. For 32 years, the Legal 500 has been highlighting those at the top. This year the comprehensive research programme confirmed expertise in nine areas and teams highlighted include Corporate & Commercial, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence, Family (and Childcare), Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate including Court of Protection (our Wills & Trusts team), Commercial Property, and Social Housing.
For a third successive year, the Marketing Team was shortlisted for the National Law Society Awards. Wilson Browne’s clear and compelling style of communication, professional approach, and quality of their campaigns has been recognised. This matters – how a business communicates with clients is a vital part of any business. This year also saw Wilson Bear become a popular figure on social media and at networking events!
In the logistics sector, the team was recognised for its expertise and commitment, being presented with the Team of the Year award at the Northamptonshire Logistics Awards.
Community.
Moving away from ‘business’, the firm continued its record of putting something back into the community. As well as being headline sponsors for the upcoming seasonal productions at the Kettering Lighthouse Theatre and the Corby Cube, the firm was pleased to sponsor Silver Screenings and Dementia Friendly Screenings at the Northampton Filmhouse.
There are many ex-servicemen and women who need help to get back into ‘Civvy Street’; there are reservists who get involved in combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian work – they need support from employers to give them the flexibility to perform this vital role; then there are cadets who have much to offer from what they have learned. They all have transferrable skills and qualities and the firm is proud to support them and to have been awarded a Silver status in the Employer Recognition Scheme, by the M.O.D.
Employee Welfare.
Healthy people are happier, more engaged and more productive, which is why Partner Jennifer Laskey and Practice Manager John Whitehouse both hold Mental Health First Aider qualifications. This qualification helps people to spot the symptoms of mental health issues, offer initial help and guide a person towards support. This imitative is in addition to a range of benefits and other employee welfare activities undertaken.
So much has happened in the last 12 months, there’s simply not enough time or space to list it all. The firm is rightly proud of everything it has done, and these are just some of the highlights.