Tag Archives: Tameside

News

Quartet promoted at Bromleys Solicitors

Four solicitors have been promoted to senior associate at Tameside law firm Bromleys.

The quartet are Anthony Theakston, Kate Allsop, Rachael Frankland and Francesca Rigby.

Senior and managing partner Mark Hirst said: “This round of promotions reflects the acknowledged expertise of each individual in their respective fields as well as recognising their dedication, the success they have achieved for their clients and their contribution to the growth of the firm.

“Anthony, Kate, Rachael and Francesca all have a great future here with Bromleys and are integral members of our growing team. Their promotions are very well-deserved.”

Anthony, who joined Bromleys in 2018, works in the care proceedings and children services team. He specialises in child care work and deals with private and public law matters, representing children, parents and other family members where there are disputes within families or involvement with social services.

He is a member of the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation Scheme, which independently recognises and accredits specialists in children and family law work.

Kate also works in Bromleys’ care proceedings and children services team. She mainly acts for children, parents and other family members in care and adoption proceedings and in private law proceedings relating to children and special guardianship cases and advising parents involved in social services disputes. She also has expertise in the field of domestic abuse and forced marriage protection cases.

Kate has held the Higher Courts Rights of Audience qualification since 2012, when at the age of 27 she became one of the youngest solicitors in the UK to achieve this accreditation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority due to her expertise. She is also a member of the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation Scheme, Resolution and Child Concern.

Rachael splits her time between dispute resolution and employment work. She has a broad practice in relation to disputes, advising on contractual and commercial matters, neighbour disputes, contested wills, landlord-tenant matters, professional negligence claims, insolvency and bankruptcy, debt collection and credit control.

Her employment expertise covers contentious and non-contentious work, including drafting contracts of employment, staff handbooks, employment policies and advice on TUPE transfers.

She also has wide experience of contested claims on behalf of employers and employees in the High Court and County Courts for injunctions to enforce restrictive covenants and money claims, and in employment tribunals for unfair or wrongful dismissal, discrimination and unlawful deductions from wages.

Rachael’s litigation work includes representing clients in cases involving injuries at work, road accidents, public liability claims and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority claims. Rachael, who has been at Bromleys since joining as a trainee, is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Francesca joined Bromleys last year as the head of its Wills and Probate and Court of Protection teams. She specialises in all private client matters, including wills, probate, lasting powers of attorney, Court of Protection work, trusts and elderly client administration.

She is a member of both the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), a global professional body comprising lawyers, accountants, financial advisers, trustees and other practitioners who help families plan for the future. Her memberships recognise her as an expert in the field of wills and probate.

Meanwhile, several non-legal staff at Bromleys have also been promoted. Hailie Applegate has been promoted to associate in the accounts department, where Jackie Brindley has been promoted to legal cashier. Caroline Renshaw, a law costs draftsman, and practice manager Louise Nolan have also become associates.

They are the first non-legal members of staff to be promoted under the firm’s career path, which was recently amended to recognise people’s expertise in specialist areas, not just in the legal field.

Appointments, Law, News, North of England

Bromleys Solicitors strengthens its ranks with four recruits

Law firm Bromleys has welcomed four paralegals to its ranks as part of its ongoing expansion amid a period of rapid growth.

Claire Billington and Sophia Khan-Iqbal specialise in domestic violence, divorce and children matters as part of Tameside-based Bromleys’ family and divorce team, which is headed by Keith Bull.

Claire has nearly 10 years’ experience in the field of family law. Sophia, who graduated in 2019 with a law degree from the University of Leeds, previously worked at a Manchester city centre firm where she specialised in cases of historic child abuse.

Olu Balogun and Sadaf Idrees have joined Bromleys’ Court of Protection and Powers of Attorney team, which is led by Francesca Rigby.

The pair are working with clients and their families to support them in managing the financial affairs of those who lack capacity due to illness or injury.

Sadaf has more than five years’ experience in Court of Protection work and is undertaking the Solicitors Qualifying Examination this year.

Olu graduated in law at Durham University in 2019 and completed her legal practice course at BPP University in Manchester, achieving a merit. She has been awarded a training contract at Bromleys.

Bromleys’ senior partner Mark Hirst said: “The arrival of the four paralegals shows the upward trajectory of the firm.

“Our family and divorce team under Keith’s leadership is going from strength to strength and the addition of Claire and Sophia mirrors this growth.

“Similarly our Court of Protection and Powers of Attorney team has made positive progress and the appointments of Olu and Sadaf will give us a platform for further expansion.

“We are excited that Olu has accepted a training contract with us, reflecting her hard work and dedication.

“She and Sadaf are great assets to the team and we look forward to them and Claire and Sophia developing their careers with the firm.”

Bromleys is continuing to recruit further in line with its growth across several other areas of the firm, including commercial, litigation, care and wills, as well as Court of Protection.

Mark added: “It is truly an exciting time for the practice and to be a part of the Bromleys’ team.”

Charity & CSR, Law, News

Law firm Bromleys backs Reuben’s Retreat as its charity of the year

Staff at Tameside law firm Bromleys have chosen Reuben’s Retreat, which provides support to families bereaved of a child and those with complexly poorly children, as their charity of the year for 2022.

Reuben’s Retreat is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and is raising funds to meet its ongoing costs as well as for its multi-million pound Forever Home in Glossop.

The charity was founded in August 2012 by the family of Reuben Michael Graham, who died at just 23 months from an inoperable brain tumour.

His family launched Reuben’s Retreat just two days after his death to provide a safe place for families to ‘relax, recharge, remember and rebuild’.

Initially based in Ashton-under-Lyne, the charity purchased the former Wood’s Hospital in Glossop in 2014 for its base. Bromleys did the conveyancing work relating to the transaction for no charge.

Since its inception, Reuben’s Retreat has supported over 1,300 individuals from across the UK by providing peer-led monthly support groups, meditation evenings, weekend rambles, one-to-one counselling and holistic therapy sessions for parents and siblings as well as regular music and animal therapy, bespoke memory making and memorial events.

The charity also arranges respite and bereavement breaks, allowing families bereaved of a child to remember and rebuild, and those with a complexly ill child to relax and recharge.

Reuben’s Retreat recently completed an activity wing at its HQ, which houses a hydrotherapy pool, sensory room and play room with chill zone.

When completed, the Forever Home will feature five apartments for families to come and create memories with however much time they have.

Reuben’s mum Nicola said: “We are absolutely delighted to be Bromleys’ chosen charity, especially after what has been a difficult period during the pandemic for all.

“We have grown so much more since those early days of receiving Bromleys’ support when we purchased our Retreat nearly eight years ago.

“We are excited to share how far we have come, and are even more thrilled to have their talented team to be a part of #reubensjourney once more.

“Our vision is to continue to offer emotional and practical support to families bereaved of a child, and those families facing an uncertain future with their medically complexed child, to offer up unique space, a place where families can relax, recharge, remember and rebuild.

“Bromleys’ support will be key to building on these many milestones as we commit to the next building project so that we are able to reach more families.

“We’re so grateful to Bromleys for choosing to support our cause.”

Bromleys partner Paul Westwell said: “It is great to once again be involved with supporting this worthwhile cause, from the early days of seeing the plans for the Retreat on paper, through completion of the acquisition of the site and then windy walkarounds during the construction phase. Seeing it now in use and the plans to go even further is phenomenal.

“The support offered by the team at Reuben’s Retreat to all of its users is exemplary in so many respects, and everyone at Bromleys is proud to continue our long association with the charity.”