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About Us

Accreditations & Professional Memberships

As a firm and as individuals, we have a number of Accreditations, additional qualifications, and professional memberships demonstrating our expertise and dedication to continuing our professional development and improving our client services.

Law Society Accreditations

Children Law

The Children Law Accreditation is awarded to legal professionals with significant knowledge and experience across issues and challenges in child law matters. It enables those legal professionals the specialist ability to act as representatives in legal proceedings involving children.

Amongst our family law team, Halina Patecka, Emma Stanbanks, Gemma Curtis and Mandy McCrory are accredited Children’s Law specialists.

Family Law Advanced

This Accreditation is awarded to firms who undertake work in complex, specialist areas of family law, including:

  • Private children law
  • Cohabitation
  • Child abduction
  • Domestic violence
  • International issues
  • Complex assets
  • Ancillary relief

Emma Mitchell is an accredited specialist for her finance and children expertise.

Conveyancing Quality Scheme

We are recognised for our high quality residential conveyancing services, including helping you buy or sell your home, remortgaging, transfer of equity, buying or selling leasehold and new build property. We can also help with buying and selling commercial property, leases and lease extensions and buying or selling small businesses.

Criminal Litigation

This Accreditation has been awarded for our expertise across all types of criminal law work.

Our criminal law team includes a number of qualified Police Station Representatives and Duty Solicitors. So, whatever stage of the criminal justice system you are dealing with, whether you’ve just been arrested, facing investigation by the police, local authority, or HMRC, or you’ve been charged and are due to appear in the Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court, we are on hand to help.

Lexcel

The Lexcel Legal Practice Quality Mark recognises firms which demonstrate exceptional levels of client care, compliance, and legal practice management.

We are continuously working to enhance client satisfaction and improve the quality of our services, including strengthening our efficiency, legal knowledge, risk management, and general case management.

Professional Memberships and Qualifications

Resolution

Several of our family team, including Emma Mitchell and Victoria Chamberlain are members of Resolution, which is an organisation devoted to promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution methods, such as mediation and collaborative law instead of court proceedings. 

Alternative Dispute Resolution is beneficial in family law cases, particularly where children are involved, to avoid the distressing and sometimes confrontational nature of court proceedings.

Collaborative Law

Collaborative law is a method of Alternative Dispute Resolution which allows families to resolve family law matters, such as divorce, financial settlements and living arrangements for children, in a neutral, cooperative environment under the guidance of qualified collaborative lawyers.

Our team includes one collaborative lawyer, Emma Mitchell, who can accompany you to collaborative law meetings, negotiate on your behalf, and provide friendly but practical advice.

Lifetime Lawyers

Lifetime Lawyers is an organisation of legal professionals with particular expertise supporting older and vulnerable clients through the specific legal matters and challenges facing them. Jane Hinds, Senior Associate Solicitor, is an Accredited Member of Lifetime Lawyers and Kirsty Gasson, Associate Solicitor, is a member of Lifetime Lawyers.

Alzheimer’s Society

Several of our Wills and Probate team, including Jane Hinds, is an associate member of the Alzheimer’s Society, with an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by people with dementia and their loved ones.

The following members of our team are Dementia Friends (an Alzheimer’s Society Initiative):

Association of Lawyers for Children

Emma Stanbanks and Gemma Curtis are members of the Association of Lawyers for Children, an organisation dedicated to promoting justice for children and young people in family law matters.

Duty Solicitors

Amongst our criminal law team, Helen JohnsonMichelle Harding and Rachel Diorio are accredited Duty Solicitors, able to provide expert advice and representation under the Duty Solicitor Scheme, whilst you are at the police station or court.

Higher Court Advocates

Helen Johnson and Michelle Harding are solicitor advocates with rights to appear in the Crown Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Accredited Police Station Representatives

The following members of our team are Police Station Representatives, able to represent you at police stations in relation to all types of criminal offence:

Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA)

Helen Johnson and Michelle Harding are members of SAHCA, an organisation which promotes the highest standards of legal practice in solicitor advocates across England and Wales.