Legal Awards 2022 LEGAL AWARDS 2022 Blackfriars Law: Property Law Firm of the Year - West Midlands
Welcome to the Legal Awards 2022 We at SME News are delighted to host the Legal Awards 2022! Since its 2019 inception, the Legal Awards aim to continue to highlight and reward the firms and individuals who have showed true excellence, commitment and determination more than ever over the past year across the UK. After a turbulent year, the UK Legal industry has changed and adapted rapidly and is now stronger with the advancement of use of technology to keep in touch with clients when we couldn’t leave our homes, to, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, a massive 30% increase in revenue compared to 2020. We at SME News recognise now to be the most crucial time to take part in our Legal Awards 2022 being the perfect way to show your employees their efforts are valued by the organisation, whilst also providing the public with evidence of your successes as a business. Notifying stakeholders of your participation in our programme indicates that your business is garnering the attention of third parties, and that word of your expertise and customer service are creating a buzz within this competitive sector. Sif Brookes | Senior Editor
Contents 4. Klarna: Best FinTech Regulatory Compliance Lawyer – Colin Ngan 6. TTS Legal Ltd: Most Innovative Property Firm - East London 8. Blackfriars Law: Property Law Firm of the Year - West Midlands 10. Quegal.com ~ A question of legal ®: Most Innovative Online Legal Services Provider 2022 11. Creative Legals: Best Boutique Auction Law Firm 2022 12. Reid Credit Solutions Ltd: Best Insolvency & Diligence Paralegal 2022: Alison Reid 13. Cavendish Employment Law: Employment Law Firm of the Year 2022 14. Strachan IP Limited: Best Intellectual Property Firm - South Wales 15. Briffa: Most Trusted IP Law Firm 2022 16. Kee Solicitors: Best Specialist Family Law Firm - Scotland 17. Legmark: Most Innovative Legal Marketing Agency - North West 18. Totally ADR: Family Law Consultant of the Year 2022: Julie Blackmer & Client Service Excellence Award 2022 19. Wildcat Law: Legal Industry Disruptor Of The Year - England & Wales 20. V4B Business Finance: Best Legal Funding Provider 2022 & Client Service Excellence Award 2022 21. Btomorrow Ventures: Venture Capital In- House Counsel of the Year 2022: Peter Wozny 22. Daniel & Baker Solicitors Ltd: Best Landlord & Tenants Law Firm - North West & Landlord’s Evictions Attorney of the Year (North West): Shujaat Ali 23. Avery Law: Best Boutique Law Firm - London 24. Seagull Legal Services: Probate Lawyers of the Year - South East 25. Energy Law Unlimited LLP: Industrial Property & Contract Lawyer of the Year 2022: Mark O’Dowd
4 | Legal Awards 2022 Mar22730 Best FinTech Regulatory Compliance Lawyer – Colin Ngan Consumers deserve up-to-date regulation; Klarna’s UK Head of Compliance, Colin Ngan (awarded, Best FinTech Lawyer 2022), discusses whether a combination of smart regulation and onrushing fintech could change the market for UK retail financial services. One of the great financial casualties of the pandemic may be the credit card. Even before the Covid-19 crisis, growth in credit card lending was lagging other forms of credit over the past decade. Its share of global e-commerce transactions is expected to fall from 22.8 per cent in 2020 to 20.8 per cent in 2024, according to Worldpay. Consumers are changing the way they pay and turning away from what many view as a structurally unfair business model. Credit cards have a role to play in consumer credit, providing funds in emergencies and free credit to those able to pay off their balance each month. Issuers, including banks, make money by charging high monthly interest and late fees to consumers who do not pay their bills in full (or at all). These often poorer consumers are effectively subsidising others, who then also enjoy rewards such as loyalty points. Even worse, credit card companies charge higher interest to more vulnerable and ‘higher-risk’ borrowers, making it harder for them to pay off their bills. The ‘fin’ As we have seen with current accounts, the fintech industry has stepped in to offer fairer, more transparent and better-value credit solutions, including ‘buy now, pay later’ (“BNPL”). These services allow users to spread the cost of their purchases over a short period of time in interest-free instalments and, in Klarna’s case, with no late fees. BNPL makes up just a small percentage of online retail sales – but is growing fast. It more than trebled in size as more people did their shopping online due to lockdowns. BNPL differs from the conventional credit card in several ways. Credit card issuers make the bulk of their revenue from interest payments. In contrast, Klarna charges fees only to retailers for offering these services – and not consumers. YouGov polling suggests 70 per cent of BNPL users did so as an alternative to a credit card. The appeal is broad: around half of users were either between 25 and 34 or over the age of 55, according to an analysis by Capital Economics of that YouGov survey. Klarna’s BNPL offers additional benefits for consumers, including the ability to return items before they have to make payment, sometimes called ‘try now, pay later’. This was particularly valuable during the pandemic, when bricks-andmortar shops were closed. The Woolard Review—published by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”)— highlighted that when BNPL is used appropriately, it provides valuable benefits – citing how users like the simplicity which, if repaid on time, can be cheaper than alternative forms of credit. The ‘tech’ Klarna uses technology to perform real-time credit checks on every single purchase using BNPL, so it is a real-time assessment of the suitability of this payment option. Consumers who miss payments lose access to Klarna. This incremental approach is different from the credit card practice of offering large credit lines with just one upfront check. This helps BNPL users to manage their finances – Klarna also offers budgeting and spending insights tools for consumers. As a result, Klarna has losses of less than one per cent on its BNPL lending. Consumers can shop and pay on one app, instore and online; Klarna goes further, offering an interactive virtual experience with a human touch, by connecting online shoppers with in-store experts for advice and inspiration via messaging and video calling – where static images and chatbots are ineffective. To do all this, Klarna utilises the best engineers to deliver a trusted seamless experience for consumers. The regulation As with any credit product, consumers can still run into financial problems. The sector is growing fast, with many new players offering varying standards of service when it comes to credit checks and charging fees. The Woolard Review noted that more than one in 10 consumers of a major bank using BNPL were behind on payments. Regulation crafted in 1974 has not kept up with innovation. That is why Klarna welcomed the
Legal Awards 2022 | 5 Best FinTech Regulatory Compliance Lawyer – Colin Ngan Woolard Review. The BNPL industry needs a modern framework to ensure the highest protection for consumers and foster innovation and competition among providers. With consumers voting with their feet, UK regulators are in a unique position to help them make better credit choices. Increasingly the traditional model looks broken. A 2016 investigation into the banking market by the Competition & Markets Authority (“CMA”) found that banks with higher market share tended to charge more than smaller banks, and that few consumers responded to price or quality, suggesting a lack of effective competition. Many of these banks have dismal ratings on the online review site Trustpilot, with complaints of “diabolical” or “zero” customer service. At the same time, regulators are also pushing for even more competition. Fintech has thrived in the UK in part thanks to a supportive regulatory environment that has promoted innovation. In 2016, the FCA set up a regulatory sandbox to let businesses test new ideas with real consumers. Open banking, which allows third-party apps to access consumer accounts for banking services, has had some success so far – there are three million users in the UK and hundreds of apps in the ecosystem. But as the CMA points out, more needs to be done to loosen the grip of the large banks on the high street. Though many have embraced open banking, the largest may also “have an incentive to slow the further development of the open banking ecosystem, where this conflicts with their own commercial objectives”, according to the CMA investigation. More can be done Fortunately, this has not put off a new wave of fintechs intent on offering consumers a better experience. Although the challenger banks are making some headway and have undoubtedly brought a new level of customer service to the market, people are not yet ditching their traditional bank accounts. Challengers have thus far failed to make a large dent in the core services offered by incumbent banks. People still primarily get their salaries paid into traditional bank accounts and use a challenger account as an add-on facility – spare cash for discretionary spending or the setting of weekly budgets, for example. There is ample room to grow. The UK consumer is already digitally savvy and has embraced fintech, with 71 per cent of the population using fintech products. The highest demand is for money transfer and payment services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”), however, have been slow to embrace fintech, with an adoption rate of just 18 per cent – below the global average of 25 per cent, according to an EY report on the UK fintech landscape. There is also much to do if the UK aims to maintain its lead in fintech, as highlighted by the government-commissioned Kalifa Review of UK Fintech. The review sets out a sensible strategy to strengthen the sector by helping fintech companies scale their technology and list their shares, as well as make it easier to attract and retain talent through visas, among other policy recommendations. Encouragingly, the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed an intention to implement many of these recommendations, putting the UK “at the front of the pack for fintech innovation”. Following the Woolard Review, HM Treasury launched a consultation on the regulation of BNPL, seeking a proportionate approach with objectives to: ensure consumer protection, while at the same time promoting consumer choice; not adversely impact competition and innovation; and not disadvantage SMEs over larger retailers offering BNPL as a payment option. The International Monetary Fund’s 2022 Global Financial Stability Report also argued for proportionality; that even if regulation should deliver a level playing field, “the scalability of technology-enabled business models allows fintechs to grow fast, putting pressure on incumbents” – thereby necessitating enhanced supervision of “less technologically advanced banks, as their existing business models may be less sustainable”. These forces—more competition from fintech, and smart policies and regulation—will shape a better financial system that protects consumers and businesses while giving them choice and access to technology to manage their finances. And the most important part – this will ultimately mean less bank profits and more money in consumer pockets. Since 2005 Klarna has been on a mission to revolutionise the retail banking industry. With over 147 million global active users and two million transactions per day, Klarna is meeting the changing demands of consumers by saving them time and money while helping them be informed and in control of their personal finances. Over 400,000 global retail partners have integrated Klarna’s innovative technology to deliver a seamless shopping experience online and in-store. With over 5,000 employees, Klarna is active in 45 markets and is one of the most highly-valued private fintechs globally, with a valuation of $45.6 billion. For more information, visit Klarna.com
6 | Legal Awards 2022 Mar22040 Most Innovative Property Firm - East London When it comes to the legal industry, innovation isn’t just driven by clever solutions. It can involve change at the very heart of how a company operates. In SME News’ UK Legal Awards 2022, the team at TTS Legal Ltd achieved amazing success through focusing on the needs of their workforce and empowering them to thrive, even in the most difficult of time. We take a closer look to find out more. When the team at TTS Legal first opened their doors in 2015, they only had one office in Ilford. Over the last seven years, the team’s reach has expanded considerably, incorporating a city office in September 2021, and opening a new office in Bath in February 2022. What is clear from this incredible rate of expansion is that there is not only the appetite for the team’s services, but a desire to ensure that the demand is met. TTS Legal is led by six highly experienced partners, each with their own area of expertise within the law. Over the years, the firm has proven itself a powerful force when it comes to working in the Residential and Commercial Conveyancing, Immigration, Litigation and Probate sectors. As the business has grown to match demand, so too have the quantity of people working at TTS Legal. Each partner is backed up by a team of five solicitors, as well as two consultant solicitors and twelve dedicated support staff and legal assistants. This comprehensive approach has gone a long way to ensuring that the service offered to clients is truly exceptional in every respect. With so many staff on hand, it’s easy to see how the team have been able to provide their clients with such inimitable customer service. This service is characterised by a determination to keep them abreast of any developments, no matter how large or small. The quick responses demonstrate not only that the team care deeply about their clients, but that they have the knowledge they need at their fingertips. Nothing is too ambitious for their skills as every project brings its own unique challenges that must be overcome. One of the areas where the TTS Legal team thrive is through their work in the local community. Offering legal services to the wider ethnic community has proven to be incredibly rewarding. Facilitating this is not an easy task for many firms, but the ability of the team at TTS Legal to speak multiple foreign languages
Legal Awards 2022 | 7 Most Innovative Property Firm - East London has proven to be a boon to this side of the business. It is a welcome addition to their more commercial work. The skills applied here, taking the time to get to know the needs of clients, characterises the way in which the rest of the business operates. By taking the time to keep clients, agents and brokers updated the team at TTS Legal have been able to gain incredible trust for their work. The strength of their relationships puts them heads and shoulders ahead of the competition. This has ensured that TTS Legal has been able to secure a lot of repeat business and many new customers by word of mouth. The success of the team’s approach has meant they do not need to market their services. They have, in fact, become synonymous with quality. To provide this quality of support to clients, there is a strong focus on the wellbeing of staff. The workforce in any business is the beating heart of the service that is delivered, and the team at TTS Legal pride themselves on the way in which their team operates. At all times, a friendly, inclusive culture with respect for equality and diversity is championed. This welcoming atmosphere is one where everybody feels encouraged to participate and speak. The impact on this legal firm has been transformative. By promoting such a positive place to work, the team is incredibly tight-knit. An open-door policy means that both partners and supervisors are easily accessible for discussion. Yearly appraisals of performance allow for a space where feedback is given and a 360 degree basis. More than just a place to work, TTS is a place where people are encouraged and empowered to grow professionally and personally. The team have managed to thrive over the last two years, never being slowed by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a need to manage client expectations during this period, whilst adapting to the new difficulties with working from home. A small skeleton crew remained in the office, but it was vital to keep in regular contact with staff throughout. Despite the incredible increase in instructions and chaos of the stamp duty holiday, the level of service never wavered at all. It’s a credit to the commitment shown by all involved to the wellbeing of staff, and how this wellbeing creating a more welcoming environment for all. The firm’s growth, involving the merger with another firm in the City and followed this up by opening up another branch office in Bath, demonstrates their impressive position at the moment. It’s a position that the team are determined to continue in the coming months, with plans to open a new branch office in Manchester during 2022. The team are also in the process of working towards Lexcel Accreditation. Perhaps, however, the most telling sign of success for this incredible team is their plan to maintain excellence in staff health and wellbeing, by completing the programme to achieve the Investors in People Award. Innovation is not just something that is done for profit. For the team at TTS Legal, innovation has come from looking at the service that they offer and working tirelessly to ensure that they deliver something special indeed. By making sure that wellbeing comes first, working from the inside out, the team have been able to achieve stunning results that have benefitted everybody. Company: TTS Legal Ltd Name: Peter Bastiampillai Email: Peter@ttslegal.com Web Address: https://ttslegal.com/
8 | Legal Awards 2022 Mar22381 Property Law Firm of the Year - West Midlands Blackfriars Law, a truly client-first legal firm, has made a name for itself with the personal and charismatic touch it brings to its work. Operating with empathy, a forthright nature, and transparency, its expert staff each bring a depth and breadth of expertise to the table, as well as their own personal backgrounds and perspectives. This allows Blackfriars Law to provide truly comprehensive legal solutions that are fundamentally tailored to the individual, their needs, and their lifestyle. Being a full-service law firm, Blackfriars Law has made itself known for its comprehensive legal services. Serving all manner of clientele from businesses to individuals, its corporate and personal law both have thrust it into pre-eminence in Birmingham where it is based, garnering it a long list of clients for whom it is their one-stop legal solution. Furthermore, the West Midlands market has lauded it as exemplary in its expertise, from residential property to commercial property, wills, probate matters, immigration, and civil litigation, with each of its staff boasting their own unique competencies. Due to the exemplary nature of the experts in its ranks, its clients benefit from a holistic approach to property law, and its peers have seen it become a cornerstone of its market segment as a result. Blackfriars Law, whilst it recognises that pricing is a big part of choosing what law firm to go with, recognises that this is far from the only consideration that must be made. Far from it, in fact. In addition to the competitive nature of the rates and the specific proficiencies of a law firm that would allow it to address the challenges a client is facing; Blackfriars Law has worked hard to embody the importance of a holistic service, one that provides its work with tenacity and diligence in all areas. Right from the first interaction, a client benefits from the single-minded diligence with which Blackfriars Law approaches its work, applying the well-rounded knowledge of each of its staff members. Fundamentally, each team member brings a new perspective to a case, emboldened by their own unique proficiencies, fields of expertise, and areas of interest, understanding that clients can certainly find a similar service elsewhere, but showing them that Blackfriars Law is the best choice due to its dedication to going above and beyond. No matter how in-depth the case or how profound the challenges, Blackfriars Law makes it their mission to see it through to the end in order to secure a favourable result for the client. Its polite, friendly, and charismatic staff take a client’s case right from that very first interaction all the way through to its closure, keeping them up to date and informed throughout so that they know how progress is being made and in what manner. Whether by phone call, email correspondence, or in-person meetings, Blackfriars Law responds quickly and efficiently to any concerns, queries, or comments that a client may wish to put forward, assuaging any fears with the competence that the team behind its services operate with. In addition, it has built its reputation for the great attitude of its staff on the principles of respect, understanding, and empathy. Therefore, a client can always expect to receive fair, just, and helpful service from Blackfriars Law, and they can also expect that it will talk to them on an interpersonal and down-to-earth level, leaving the jargon to the forms and to its peers in favour of simple, honest communication. In this way, it shows how it never wishes to run rings around its clients or to take away their agency in a case; critically, the most important person in a legal case is the client. It delivers its services in a manner that is suitable for their personal and legal needs, matching each client with the relevant professional. Thus, it prides itself on being able to work to the needs of each of its clients – legal or otherwise – in order to put the person, their feelings, and their comfort above all other things, striving to make legal work as stress-free as possible for a client. It recognises that much of the time, the client in question will be amid a tricky legal situation, and the last thing it wishes to do as a legal firm is add to the tumult they might already be going through. Its honesty, integrity, and transparency have set it apart from the rest of its industry in an expert manner, securing it a place as a cornerstone of industry and a stalwart of good operations, bucking the trend of boilerplate legal operations in favour for something more personalised and specialist. This allows it to build a rapport with its clients over time that ensures Blackfriars Law can show the truth behind these lofty claims; after all, it is this way of working that has clients coming back to it for all their legal needs and advice. Due to the principles of transparency that have formed the foundations it has been built upon, it has developed processes through which to look for these in other people, both in its stakeholders and its prospective new employees. Crucially, when interviewing someone for a role within the firm, it will not just look at their professional acumen, portfolio of experience, and education – although each of these things are important – as it gives equal weighting to their attitude, Due to the exemplary nature of the experts in its ranks, its clients benefit from a holistic approach to property law, and its peers have seen it become a cornerstone of its market segment as a result.
Legal Awards 2022 | 9 Property Law Firm of the Year - West Midlands friendliness, and client-facing skills. As a result, it has been able to develop a law firm made up of people who hold similar values to it of passion for law, people, and property. This has helped it over the course of the past 18 months as it has been able to present a united front amongst its staff in direct response to the pandemic, putting its contingency plans to the test as it continued to help its clients throughout such a difficult period. To achieve this, it has streamlined its processes even further, developing an innovative way in which clients can receive expert legal care without the usual irritating roadblocks such as unreturned calls or emails, difficulty receiving quotes, print and sign documentation, or repeating personal and sensitive information repeatedly. At Blackfriars Law, a client will be thoroughly looked after, verifying all information through an app that allows them to take back control over their own legal services, ensuring that all niggling bureaucratic details are taken care of with the greatest ease and in the client’s own time, without requiring them to physically travel to do so. Reducing turnaround, increasing efficiency, and increasing client satisfaction, its app and user-friendly website allow clients to obtain a quote quickly and reliably, and it looks forward to the bright future that it surely on the cards as it continues to operate in this manner. In this way, it hopes to continue to help many clients towards satisfying legal closure in the future, as it has been doing since its inception. Company: Blackfriars Law Contact: Anwar Zeb Khattak Website: blackfriarslaw.co.uk
10 | Legal Awards 2022 Changing the landscape of the UK law industry would be a monumental and incredibly difficult task. However, a small team of passionate and highly-skilled British entrepreneurs are working to do just that. Quegal.com ~ A question of legal ® aims to provide an affordable and accessible solution for legal advice, especially in the wake of the legal aid cuts and resulting advice deserts, based upon a pay-as-you-go system. Quegal.com offers a new take on legal advice. Once it comes to fruition, it hopes to offer the world’s first digital, pay-as-you-go, legal advice service, that will provide on-demand advice across the eight key areas of UK law – employment law, property law, family law (including wills), contract law, motoring law, criminal law, personal injury law, and business law. There are plans to expand upon this range in the future. However, as of yet, the company is gearing up towards opening its crowdfunding campaign which will start on the 5th September 2023 - UN International Day of Charity. The plan is to create a platform that operates seamlessly across high grade, end-to-end encrypted internet portals and free mobile/ tablet applications suitable for both Apple and Android products. Information and advice will be available immediately – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – at a cost of £0.60ppm. Moreover, Quegal.com is unlike any other service, as there will be no tie-in or minimum spend, meaning that the customer will be able to choose exactly how much advice they need. In addition, the company plans to supply numerous free legal guides in each practice area, which will be complimented with regular pro-bono online advice clinics. Of course, such an innovative idea requires a strong backing and an in-depth plan covering how to get to the result. Quegal.com displays its methods on its website, covering each aspect of how it plans to achieve this – it lists five bullet points that detail each step. For example, the company already holds the Quegal trademark Most Innovative Online Legal Services Provider 2022 in the UK, together with the relevant company domain names. Additionally, it endeavours to create and patent its own ‘unique cutting-edge software (with no shared cloud, website flash, tracking cookies, adverts, or robot helpers in sight), and expects a build time of approximately 7 months.’ The company’s transparency surrounding how it plans to use the donations it receives places it in a good light. During the campaign, Quegal.com plans to raise a minimum of £1.5 million, with no upper ceiling. It claims that donators will see an approximate 39% return on their investment within 18 months. Furthermore, legal advice vouchers will be available for specific early levels of investment, and the company has plans to continue updating in this area. Investing in Quegal.com is a no-brainer – it is a service that will make legal advice more accessible, affordable, and understandable for the masses. In a world that is only getting more expensive, this service will greatly impact the people that need it most. Quegal.com is a legal advice firm with a difference. It challenges the status quo, taking aim at the staunch and persistent unwillingness by the wider profession to regulate quality, reduce costs, simplify advice, and offer greater accessibility to clients. Further, the company is backed by a small yet passionate team, who are determined to make Quegal.com a success. Consisting of ‘tech-savvy British social entrepreneurs each team member holds equity in the business, maintaining a shared vision of democratising access to legal help and advice for both people Feb22623 and businesses. Together, they have a diverse arsenal of experience, including expertise in online consumerism, web and app development, and the practice of law. In essence, there is no better team to create a service like Quegal.com Contact: Robert Quaranta Company: Quegal.com ~ A question of legal ® Web Address: https://www.quegal.com
11 | Legal Awards 2022 Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors having won acclaim with the above award, is a property investment law firm that has garnered notoriety amongst peers, partners, and clients alike over the years. With decades of experience under its belt and an exemplary team behind it, each individual on its staff has worked hard to become a legal front-runner in their own right, one outstanding example of this being Julie Condliffe, the winner of the ‘Specialist Auction Solicitor of the Year’ award for 2022. A specialist property auction law firm, Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors is based in London, the only dedicated auction and lease option lawyers of its kind in the country. Helping investors, landlords, and agents, it is an expert in eviction litigation, making the tenant eviction process as easy and efficient as possible despite the turmoil that can often come hand in hand with such a process. Nominally, providing legal packs, property investments, evictions, and lease option lawyers, it invites clients to get in touch with its professionals for a free consultation. The team at Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors is able to talk them through the ins and outs of the legal process and explain how a quote is drummed up, and what they can expect when working with Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors. In essence, Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors makes client satisfaction and comfort its top priority. With an incredible team of professionals behind it who are each experts in their fields, its services focus on helping landlords and tenants in the London metropolitan area and the UK in the broader sense, aiding them with litigation when it comes down the pike in both civil and commercial law. Additionally, its auctioneering legal packs can aid a client on either side of the buying or selling fence, allowing them to navigate these waters faster, smarter, and with great ease, emboldened by over three years of experience in putting such packs together for its clientele. Moreover, its creative strategy services have become widely known across its field for the exemplary nature of them; it has a unique Best Boutique Auction Law Firm 2022 and outstanding ability for empathetic and understanding services, working with a client to pull out the nitty gritty of each case in order to ensure that no detail is left unaccounted for. Its unparalleled lease option advisory service for landlords and tenants in the UK has made it an invaluable legal partner for many clients. Julie Condliffe is one of the experts working hard to make each of these front-running services possible. Winner of the above award title, Julie is the founding and managing partner of Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors with over 20 years of experience in the field of property law. Having made herself a big name and trusted, dependable legal counsel to many over her years in auction conveyancing, commercial lease renewal, and property litigation, she has garnered pre-eminence amongst colleagues, peers, and clients for her continual hard work and dedication. Critically, through this, she has been able to be the guiding hand for thousands of people. A sought-after speaker, writer, and expert on all things property and property legislation. Julie Condliffe has written articles for leading papers and magazines such as the Law Society Gazette, instilling Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors with her own ethos of ‘inspiring, intelligent, and innovation’ legal work in order to make it a jewel in London’s crown. Company: Creative Legal Solutions Solicitors t/a Creative Legals Contact: Julie Condliffe Website: CreativeLegals.co.uk Jan22672
12 | Legal Awards 2022 Credit Solutions team. Over the next couple of years, those who have not taken advantage of the detailed legal protections that they could have access to will begin to struggle. More and more business owners are not being paid for work done, and this will eventually lead to more businesses closing their doors. The future, therefore, seems bright for Alison and her team. Her business is going from strength to strength. More and more people have joined the firm, allowing Alison to establish a learning culture. Her team has gained two new employees recently, with three more planned to join before the ned of the 2022. Her hiring policy depends on potential employees sending a three minute video of themselves, talking about themselves, their goals and their passions. Passion is what proves potential. Whilst this does often take people out of their comfort zones, it has allowed them to grow as people too. The growth of Alison’s team has allowed her to begin considering what she will do as Reid Credit Solutions becomes an established organisation that won’t need her constant attention. Her aim, therefore, is to set up two projects in the next two years focusing on social issues. The first of these is a homeless community for young adults up to the age of 25, and a forum for single mums and dads. Both projects are built on her experience of being a single parent without a job before starting Reid Credit Solutions. It made her aware that there is very little security in the world, but everyone deserves to feel cared for and safe. When it comes to protecting business, there are Many business owners do not understand the incredible protections they are afforded under the law. Alison Reid of Reid Credit Solutions not only knows these protections, but understands how to best implement them to support the needs of her clients. In SME News’ UK Legal Enterprise Awards, Alison and her team were proud to achieve remarkable success. We take a closer look to discover more. When a business undertakes work, they deserve to be paid for it. Whilst many do, there are always some customers who will try their best to avoid it. A well-written contract can go a long way to having peace of mind that if the worst should occur, you’re fully protected under the law. Alison Reid has built her business around protecting other people’s interests. Her success has come from taking the time to really understand what specifically is required, then finding the right solution based on this information. Every step of the process might throw up new additions or alterations to the original plan, but a flexible approach means that the final result is perfect. Working closely with clients sets her apart from the competition, many of whom simply offer an automated service or templates. No two businesses are the same, however, and Alison’s contracts reflect this. She not only creates bespoke terms and conditions, but has expertise in the provision of Non-Disclosure Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, Shareholder and Partnership Agreements to name but a few. The list is practically endless when it comes to making sure her clients are in the best possible position if the worst should happen. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the attitude of many businesses, encouraging them to better protect themselves to secure what work they already had. This created a considerable increase in demand for the skills of the Reid Best Insolvency & Diligence Paralegal 2022: Alison Reid Mar22078 numerous resources that many are simply not taking advantage of. The success of the business, therefore, comes from her ability to offer bespoke solutions that puts satisfaction first and foremost. Her success is something to be celebrated, as is the growth of her business. We cannot wait to see what she does next. Company: Reid Credit Solutions Ltd Name: Alison Reid Email: alison@reidcollectionsltd.co.uk Web Address: www.reidcollectionsltd.co.uk
13 | Legal Awards 2022 Cavendish Employment Law Ltd has an unparalleled reputation for helping clients navigate the changeable field of employment law. Cavendish Employment Law aids clients with the handling of high-value claims for senior employees and executives. Critically, its law advice, case management, expertise, and commitment to diligence has made it a front-running firm for both its industry and the city of London, gaining flawless credibility amongst its peers and market segment as a result. With expert employment lawyers on the team with experience advising professionals in the UK and Spain, it looks forward to helping many more senior employees and executives secure high value settlements in the coming years. Cavendish Employment Law Ltd offers expert advice that is both strategic and timely. Fundamentally, when it comes to working with its clients, it has a reputation for dealing with claims in the financial services industry and for complex and high value claims in employment law, whether this is on behalf of directors, senior management, executives, or employees. Using these principles, it aids clients that occupy all areas of the finance industry’s broad spectrum. Being experts in its field, its outstanding track record of success in contentious cases has secured wins against some of the City’s largest institutions on behalf of its clientele. Nominally, it is this commitment to keeping going and reaching for the greatest heights of success that allow it to reliably come away with outstanding results. In addition to this, Cavendish Employment Law has succeeded in no-win no fee settlements where a client has some of the highest value claims, showing its peers and its market segment how it reliably achieves its results. Operating out of London, this has helped it to stand out in an ever-more competitive region and industry. Often, it works for high-earning professionals who need a lawyer that will match specific and strict expectations regarding professional acumen and knowledge bases. In this manner, Cavendish Employment Law has made itself an indispensable solution, one that specialises in handling complex claims. As it responds swiftly and professionally, Cavendish Employment Law has become a highly reputable company with a myriad of employment law specialists that all have the knowledge and experience to provide the very best service to clients. As it primarily focuses on high value claims, it is apparent that the team’s expertise can achieve the desired outcomes for professionals such as Senior Executives. For the future, Cavendish Employment Law is set to continue on its upward trajectory of success. 2022 looks bright for Cavendish Employment Law, especially with its collection of prestigious accolades including SME News’ Employment Law Firm of the Year 2022. Company: Cavendish Employment Law Contact: Caroline Walker, Managing Director Website: cavendishlaw.co.uk Feb22543 Employment Law Firm of the Year 2022 Nominally, it is this commitment to keeping going and reaching for the greatest heights of success that allow it to reliably come away with outstanding results.
14 | Legal Awards 2022 Therefore, in 2022, the firm is looking forward to growing and learning. Over the next year, it plans to build upon its remote working structure and introduce new team members. Contact: Vicki Strachan Company: Strachan IP Limited Web Address: https://strachanip.co.uk/ Strachan IP Limited is an intellectual property firm with a difference. Indeed, it has moved away from the stale practices commonly used within the industry, instead offering a fresh approach to the management of intellectual property and innovation. The firm is committed to providing an optimal service – one that greatly benefits its clients and, subsequently, their businesses. Taking a unique approach to intellectual property management, Strachan IP Limited acts as a full-service firm, that effortlessly combines an abundance of experience in many different STEM sectors with the highest quality client care. Whether working with an established client that has a vast intellectual property portfolio or an entrepreneur that’s entering the intellectual property sphere for the first time, Strachan IP has perfect solutions that can be tailored towards the client’s needs. Maintaining over 20 years of experience of working in private practice with clients of all sizes, including start-up and spinout companies, universities, SMEs, and multinational corporations, Strachan IP has acquired experience across the science, technology, and manufacturing sectors. Henceforth, it is equipped to help its clients to identify, capture and ultimately manage the intellectual property within their business, with effective solutions informed by such experience. Strachan IP is wholly devoted to gaining a deep understanding of the client’s business, what sets it apart from their competitors, and how the intellectual property within the business maps onto their uniqueness in the market, in turn, ensuring that the right parts of the business receive protection and to make certain that money isn’t being spent on less important or obsolete intellectual property that bears no use in protecting the client’s ‘USP.’ This, in essence, embodies Strachan IP’s approach to client care – it guarantees perfection. Its focus is always on the client, searching to find the best possible methods Best Intellectual Property Firm - South Wales and results to fit the client’s business, and offering options that the client can understand. It is with this firmly in mind that Strachan IP takes the time to explain clearly what legal statutes apply to their business, what that means to them, and what they can do to strengthen their position. Confidence is key, and if the client needs more information, it is willing to provide it. Moreover, the firm states that it ‘works with, rather than for our clients to offer a commercially focused solution that best suits their business needs as well as their budget.’ Additionally, promising that ‘they will always know when we’re doing chargeable work, how much it will cost, what they’re getting for that, and when to expect the invoice.’ Further, this approach is supported by Strachan IP’s highly professional team. The firm’s focus on people is not limited to its clients as it pays deep attention to the wants and needs of its team, cultivating an environment in which people are happy to work to the best of their ability. It takes the time to get to know its employees and potential recruits, as it hopes to offer them the best possible working environment and conditions. Furthermore, it has built a global team due to its full-time remote working option and strives to push its team members to achieve their full potential, whatever their career goals may be. Proving to be a great benefit in an industry that has evolved greatly over the years, the closeness of the team has brought about streamlined communication and transparency. Strachan IP is constantly searching for ways to adapt – be it through technology, innovation, or the way it works with its clients. Simply, it understands that stagnation is not an option. Mar22043
15 | Legal Awards 2022 Being some of the foremost experts in intellectual property law, Briffa has made a name for itself with its team of 23 and its two and a half decades of experience. Having started in 1995, it has cut its teeth on serving its clients with the best work when it comes to intellectual property advice and legal solutions, working with clients of all scales and pursuits. Therefore, over the years, it has created many a return customer out of clients big and small, across creative industries from fashion to product design, tech, food & drink, and more. Fundamentally, this firm prides itself on its communication; Briffa communicates with clients in plain English, one-on-one, and with a deep understanding of their goals, never settling for second best and working hard until the client is totally satisfied. Due to this – and the glowing reviews it has received as a result of both its customer service and case outcomes – it fields over 160 new clients a month and its free initial consultation kicks off these transactions by giving clients a no-obligation way to start. After all, only by way of honest, comprehensive, and empathic conversation can one make a true connection, which is its core goal. Briffa, in essence, works with speed and fixed fees in order to keep the client at the centre of its work, protecting the wellbeing of their creative enterprises without needing them to break the bank. Founded ‘to help David fight Goliath’, it is especially good at helping smaller companies when their intellectual property is infringed upon by a bigger industry peer; however, it also has significant cohort of very large multi-national clients. Thus, its team of expert solicitors are each committed, intelligent, and hardworking. They have all been hired due to their ability to think like a partner from day one, with Briffa deeming the commercial acumen of its professionals Most Trusted IP Law Firm 2022 to be paramount. Therefore, Briffa has been able to build a team of legal experts who are excellent communicators, problem solvers, and commercially minded thinkers. As it moves forward into the future, it will continue to defend original and creative work – as well as being one of the finest choices for SMEs – and it looks forward to serving them out of either its London or Irish office, developing new practices at home and further afield. Company: Briffa Contact: William Miles Website: briffa.com Mar22754 Briffa, both in terms of intellectual property law and customer service, has made itself a trusted expert in its field. Having been in operation for over 25 years, the trust it has cultivated from its clients shows no signs of slowing, with ever more clients coming to it on a daily basis in order to receive the most cost effective aid in navigating the choppy waters of intellectual property law.
16 | Legal Awards 2022 reliable basis, gaining further notoriety with every client they serve. Thus, even though law is still very much a field dominated by a few ‘big name’ firms, smaller firms such as Kee Solicitors are slowly catching up. Moreover, many of their clients keep them on as their one-stop-shop for all things family law after they work with them for the first time, going on to recommend them to family, friends, and peers. They are, of course, incredibly grateful for this and for their clients’ continued trust, which they promises to continue to pay back by bettering themselves, their processes, and their team even further. Never resting on their laurels, they looks forward to their future expansion, reassuring their clients that the personally focused nature of their business will remain a constant throughout. Company: Kee Solicitors Contact: Jonathan Kee, mail@keesolicitors.co.uk Website: www.keesolicitors.co.uk With a true, client-focused, and empathic way of working that has set them apart from their peers, Kee Solicitors allows minor tasks and administration to be handled through their well-developed technology and automated processes. Leaving their team far more time to focus on legal work and connect on a human, personal, and empathic level with their clients. They have developed an incredible capability for comprehensive understanding that lets clients feel taken care of, respected, and listened to throughout the process of helping them navigate family law. Being a modern, transparent, and approachable law firm is where Kee Solicitors excels. First and foremost, their high-level and premium services are provided at an affordable price that ensures everyone can gain access to the kind of representation they deserve without feeling priced out of it. Nominally, this is achieved by embracing the kind of technology that cuts down on human labour and human error, allowing the automated processes it has implemented to take care of the administrative and minor tasks whilst their exemplary and empathic professionals focus on what really matters: the client. Above all else, the client is the most important element of the business to Kee Solicitors, and their team promises to always treat them with the kind of respect and empathy that everyone reaching out for a solicitor should be given. This has resulted in a business that has gained notoriety for not only the excellence of the results, but the relative stressless nature of the processes involved, with Kee Solicitors taking on the brunt of the most difficult aspects so that a client doesn’t have to. They appreciate that family law – one of their specialist areas – can be sensitive, emotional, and upsetting, and promises to help their clients through their difficult periods with an outstanding depth of understanding. Part of this is always keeping the client informed. They abolish any unnecessary red tape in order to always keep clients in the loop, answering their concerns, queries, and comments in good time and adapting their services to what they need over the course of the exchange. Kee Solicitors, in essence, will never be truly satisfied until a client is truly satisfied, and their flexibility thanks to the lack of minor tasks handled by their own team has helped them to achieve this on a Best Specialist Family Law Firm - Scotland Mar22750
17 | Legal Awards 2022 Most law firms struggle with marketing. Yet, whether it’s time, strategy, or understanding of tech, a lack of effective marketing can be the difference that makes or breaks a firm. Thus, emerges Legmark Ltd. Regarded as the Most Innovative Legal Marketing Agency in the Northwest, Legmark offers a range of services to support firms with their marketing – to be found simply on Google, social media platforms, email and more – enriching a brand to enhance customer reach and retention. Established to support other firms to become more successful in their field of business, Legmark Ltd provides fully comprehensive services like SEO (search engine optimisation) to make it easier for places like Google to notice a website and make it more accessible to potential clients. Additionally offered in its range of service is website design, email marketing, social media marketing, PPC (pay per click ads on Google), social media paid ads, SMS marketing, and more. With a better-marketed brand, a firm can help make a name for itself in the act of assisting its clients. Expanding on the legal sector in regard to modernised technology, Director Sam Borrett adds, “The legal profession finally realises they need to embrace digital marketing - if they want to generate profitable work at lower acquisition costs. It seems Covid was a catalyst for this when traditional/offline marketing methods were curtailed. As a result, our business grew rapidly during the lockdowns and continues to see strong growth as more firms realise the potential of highquality digital marketing and SEO.” While the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have shaken a lot of industry sectors to the core, Legmark has been struggling with a different challenge, affecting the nature of its own business, which is the ongoing education for law firms around digital marketing. “The biggest challenge we face is the We still see that law firms struggle with procurement in this area as they often don’t have sufficient knowledge and experience to make the right agency hire,” explains Sam. Because of this, Legmark ensures its success by providing nothing less than exceptional services for the clients it has obtained during the pre and post-Covid days. In doing so, the firm spends a significant amount of time analysing data from several sources to ensure that the plans needed to be put into place work flawlessly. “We tend to focus on the quality of leads to ensure that the law firms we work with get the biggest returns on their investments. Additionally, we have started to put a lot of focus on building our own data tools to help interpret that information more clearly, so it’s more accessible to law firms. Data analysis shouldn’t be complicated; it’s your business; understanding what’s going on should be accessible, and that’s what we’re now working on with these new products,” adds Sam. Moreover, in order to provide the most effective and best possible service to its clients, the company must understand the offering of its clients. That way, Legmark can focus on the most relevant service that needs to be marketed to increase digital reach. Sam expands on this point, stating, “The most relevant and vital area to focus on is what our clients need and what problem they have that we can solve. That’s why we normally start by offering an ‘initial diagnostic’; that way they get to see the full picture of what’s working, what needs improving, and what’s doing them harm in terms of their website and marketing efforts.” Currently, for Legmark, the innate focus at the moment is its overall service – how it can improve and excel in regard to industry standards and personal offerings. Therefore, the firm has decided to expand its team, its marketing audit offering and has created new tools to help clients better understand what impact their marketing is having on their business without all the jargon, tech confusion, and high price tags. Adding his final thoughts, Sam explains an additional focus for the company, saying, “Over the next few years, marketing will continue to shift from service to education, and we want to make sure that the law firms we serve are right at the front of this change so they can benefit from its impact.” With plans to increase its exceptional offerings and its recent recognition as the Most Innovative Legal Marketing Agency in the Northwest, Legmark is successfully leading the industry and paving the way to support other firms to reach the same level of achievement. Company Name: Legmark Contact Name: Sam Borrett Web Address: https://legmark.com/ Contact Email: hello@legmark.com Mar22456 Most Innovative Legal Marketing Agency - North West
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