See Newcastle’s Top Divorce and Family Law firm’s article in the Tyne Valley Express:
Traditionally, January is a time for fresh starts, new ventures, and putting into effect those New Year’s resolutions. The New Year invites a retrospective, reflecting on what the previous year held as well as looking forward to what the coming year may promise.
Last year featured a number of professional highlights for me: the latest edition of the Legal 500 – the definitive clients’ guide to the top solicitors’ practices in the country – named Major Family Law as a top tier practice once again. It also named me as a Leading Individual in the field of family law, the only family law lawyer in the North of England to be singled out in such a way.
Then, in October in the opulent surroundings of the Grand Ballroom at the Park Lane Hilton in London, I was shocked and honoured to win Most Innovative Family Lawyer of the Year at the Jordans Publishing annual Family Law Awards. The award recognised that Major Family Law’s effective and creative use of social media has allowed them to “apply the most innovative solutions to promote and enhance their practice and lead the way for other practitioners to follow”. I was the only lawyer and practice from the entire North of England to win an award. Needless to say, the champagne flowed that night, and then again on my return to the office with award in hand!
In between that, I had organised and hosted the second Family Law tweetup in London. The first of its kind, the tweetup allowed members of the family law profession from across the country, both legal and non-legal, who had only ever connected using Twitter, to meet up and put faces to names, creating new professional relationships. I had conceived the idea in 2012 as a result of the number of connections I was making with other professionals on Twitter, and its success demanded a second and bigger event.
I am a great believer in team strength, and my team all contribute heavily to the success of my business. I was delighted, therefore, to announce recently the formal appointment of my long-standing colleague and Office Manager, Jane Henderson, as my first co-director in the business. Over the course of the year, I have also added another senior solicitor, Lucinda Connell, a Business Development Consultant, and a Family Consultant to my team.
As you can imagine, we are now bursting at the seams, and therefore, one of the priorities for 2014 is for the extension of our business premises to be completed. I am very excited to have our additional facilities completed, having watched the work progressing over several months.
I am also working on new business projects for which I have great hopes for 2014. As changes are made to the way family law is practised and funded, we as lawyers have to continue to adapt and find effective ways to ensure quality advice and representation continues be available to all who require it.
I am excited to know what 2014 will bring and hope that new challenges will present ever better opportunities. Whatever you are hoping for in the coming year, I wish you success and prosperity and I thank everyone who has shown support to me and my business thus far.