Complete legal solutions for you and your businessAlsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

Issue 4 • March 2016

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

We’re delighted to be sponsoring Andy Webster of Advantage Pest Control and Garden Maintenance for his forthcoming Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle ride in aid of the charity ‘Little Hearts Matter,’

We’ve known Andy for several years as he does great work maintaining our gardens and supplying our beautiful hanging baskets in the summer. There may not be much scope for his talents in this weather, but he helped us win SILVER in the Commercial category of last year’s Nantwich In Bloom.

Andy is also a fellow member of one of our networking groups BNI South Cheshire.

Read more about each of the new Partners inside

Continued growth leads to appointment of four new PartnersReflecting our continued growth and expansion, we are delighted to announce that four of our most talented lawyers have been promoted to Partnership positions in the firm.

They are Anna Burns (Personal Injury Team, Sandbach), Cherry Riddlesdin (Conveyancing Team, Nantwich), Claire Ellis (Wills and Probate Team, Congleton and Alsager) and Nicola Jones (Family Law Team, Crewe).

Said Managing Partner David Gaut:

We are very proud to make these appointments which reflect the technical skill, commitment and hard work of all four of them. I have no doubt of their enthusiasm and determination to help us make the area’s leading law firm.

Proud sponsors

Keeping new drivers on the right roadNewly qualified drivers may be able to tear up their ‘L’ plates, but they still have more to learn about the many different situations they could encounter on the roads.

At we’ve recognised this and have put together a special pack to support them. Read all about it on PAGE 6.

3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

Alsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

New Partner – Anna Burns

New Partner – Cherry Riddlesdin

Passionate about getting justice for victims of asbestos related diseases, Anna has been at the firm for six years, having previously qualified as a Solicitor in 2007.

She has also attained APIL Senior Litigator status and Law Society Accreditation as a specialist Personal Injury Solicitor.

She said: ‘We deal with all kinds of claims for injury or illness caused as a result of someone else’s negligence – in the workplace, on the road or any other set of circumstances.

‘I work very closely with Partner and Head of Litigation Andy Roberts. One of the specialisms in our Department is that we successfully represent many people who suffer from asbestos diseases

such as mesothelioma – a cancer associated especially with exposure to asbestos.

‘We have built up particular expertise in this area and as a business we support Cheshire Asbestos Victims Support Group, a charity which helps victims of asbestos and their families.

‘We are now looking at expanding that support to other such groups in neighbouring areas – and also to growing the department to help even more victims win the compensation they deserve. Part of my new role will be to work with Andy and our colleagues in the Department, Dan Stitt and Fiona Sims, to drive that growth.’

However, Anna won’t be getting started on her new role quite yet, as she has just started maternity leave.

She and her husband are awaiting the arrival of their second baby who will be a brother or sister to their 2-year-old daughter.

She said: ’The invitation to become a Partner came as a complete surprise to me – it was really lovely and I felt very humbled to be considered.’

Cherry originally joined in 2005 and qualified as a Solicitor in 2007 before moving to another prominent Cheshire firm in 2008.

However, she returned to in October 2014, so that she could focus on the residential market in and around her home town of Nantwich.

A self-confessed ‘property geek’, Cherry says the key challenge in her area of law is managing and meeting people’s expectations. ‘Most people know they need a Solicitor when they are buying a property – but when they’ve found their dream house, all they really want to do is get on with moving into it

and they don’t always understand what it is we are doing for them in the conveyancing process. If they don’t understand it, they can’t value it,’ she said.

‘One thing that will really help is our new Case Management System (CMS) which is being developed. It’s really exciting because it will enable us to be more proactive for our clients and it should be more enjoyable for our staff because they will have more time for that personal contact, and to cement links with our agents and referrers.’

Cherry says she was ‘bowled over’ when she was invited to become a Partner, not least because, like Anna Burns, she is going to be on maternity leave for the next few months. But she says she plans to keep popping in to see how the new CMS rolls out and is very much looking forward to being part of ‘big plans’ to expand the whole of the Conveyancing Practice even further.

In her spare time, Anna enjoys mountain biking and cycling.

She has represented Great Britain in her age group at the European Triathlon Championships in Ireland and Spain with her most notable result being 5th in her age group.

Anna can offer a unique perspective on cycling claims in light of her own interest in the sport.

I think the fact that the Partners made such an offer when I was about to go on maternity leave for a year speaks volumes about the kind of firm it is. It absolutely confirmed to me that is the firm I want to be involved with at this level.

Cherry is married and her new baby will be a brother for her 5-year-old daughter.

She enjoys reading and walking, although she’s not been able to do much of the latter during the last couple of months of her pregnancy.

She’s also a ‘foodie’ and so is looking forward to eating and drinking anything she likes once the new baby arrives, in fact she says she and her husband (who she says is an excellent cook!) are putting together a gourmet picnic for her to have in hospital after the birth!

‘What we have to do is really build relationships so that people trust us to act in their best interests. Part of that means keeping them informed – I can’t bear it if people feel they have to chase us, as I think we should always be there first. We need to make sure they know we are actively following things up and not just sitting waiting on someone else.

Alsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

New Partner – Claire Ellis

New Partner – Nicola Jones

Nicola qualified at a small firm in Wrexham in April 2009, and joined in December 2010 as a Family Solicitor in the Nantwich office.

As a member of our Family Law team, she specialises in child law, particularly representing parents and family members opposing moves to take their children into local authority care.

Explained Nicola: ‘There is no doubt this is a tough, contentious area of the law. We deal with everything from basic neglect to alleged non accidental injury – but I get a lot of satisfaction from the interaction with my clients and from being in a courtroom.

‘Winning a case that allows a child to stay with their parents is a great feeling, especially when you see how hard a parent has worked to turn around the issues in their life.’

Nicola is also a member of Resolution – a national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce or separation and other family issues.

She says the invitation to become a Partner came out of the blue.

She said: ‘Since I first joined the Care team we have doubled the size of the Department, but there is always more to do.’

Congratulations to them all!We wish the very best to Anna, Cherry, Claire and Nicola for their future with .

Meeting and supporting all sorts of people from all walks of life is what Claire Ellis loves about her job in the Wills and Probate Department.

Her legal career has been spent at from the very beginning.

It was during her training that she first worked in the Department and that’s where she has specialised since qualifying as a Solicitor in 2010.

Much of her work involves helping people to plan ahead so that when a loved one dies, the arrangements around their estate can be dealt with in a straightforward way.

Her job also inevitably means that she finds herself supporting people in their time of loss – something which she handles gently and with compassion.

Cases range from people who have one home or bank account to leave, right up to million pound estates.

One thing she has noticed is an increasing trend for people to find ways of legally ensuring there is provision for much loved pets, or perhaps ensuring that pet and

owner can rest together after both have passed away.

‘It really is all about helping people – and that’s what gives me job satisfaction,’ she told .

Delighted to have become a Partner, she says she is very much looking forward to getting more involved in the development of both the Wills and Probate Department – and the firm as a whole.

I really enjoy my day to day job, so this is a bonus – I think it will be challenging and exciting and I am really looking forward to it.

Away from work Claire loves to travel and is also a keen theatre-goer.

She often goes to London and loves the big West End Shows like Phantom and Les Miserables.

The travelling has already taken her to many corners of the world and this year she is planning to see sites on Gibraltar, Corsica and in Italy as part of a Mediterranean cruise.

She is set to visit Bulgaria in May and if all goes well, she may achieve a long held ambition to see the Northern Lights from either Iceland or Lapland at the end of the year.

I’m really looking forward to sitting down with our Head of Family Law, Richard Barratt to see how I can get more involved in growing this area of our Practice.

Community is the focus of Nicola’s activities outside of work – she is married with two children and is Chair of the PTA at her son’s school.

She is also Secretary of a Community Action Group campaigning to keep a local pub as the heart of the community where she lives.

Alsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

HR Manager role for Di PowellAs our business has developed and staff numbers have grown, looking after our people has become a full time job, and Di Powell is delighted to have moved into the new role of HR Manager.

After 12 years with the firm, most recently as Practice Administrator, Di always had some HR aspects to her work – and she is now keen to take that to a new level.

Di will be studying for formal qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) – and is already planning on working towards the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) award for the whole firm.

Explained Di: ‘One of the things I have always appreciated about working here is the opportunity to learn new skills and develop my role – and that is exactly what I want to help other people to do too.’

FAMILY LAW! One of our recent recruits to the Conveyancing team is Di’s husband Simon who joins us as a Legal Assistant (see left), meanwhile, her daughter Lucy is PA to Partner Richard Barratt.

Welcome aboard

Nicola Kirkham joined in mid January this year having qualified three years ago and worked in conveyancing roles for several North West based law firms.

Nicola said: ‘I had fallen into conveyancing following the completion of my training contract but had always wanted to get back into family

law – the role at has allowed me to do that. I had worked within the Care and Private Family Department and these were the ‘seats’ I had most enjoyed. I felt settled here almost immediately, I’m really glad I made the move.’

Nicola Kirkham • Family Law Solicitor • Sandbach

Simon Powell • Legal Assistant • Nantwich

Simon is returning to having worked for us previously around seven years ago. As a member of the Conveyancing team, his specialism is title checking – ensuring that the seller of a property really is entitled to offer it for sale, and that there is nothing unexpected in the deeds which could compromise or cause problems.

He says it’s a bit like putting together a jigsaw – making sure that every piece is in place to present the whole picture. Simon is delighted to be back with us not least because it means halving his journey to work compared with his previous job.

Joining us is a double plus for Lisa as her work with us enables her to further her interest in property sales and purchasing – and she is also working closer to home than she was at her previous legal practice in Stoke.

Said Lisa: ‘It’s great – really busy, and just the type of work I want to do: I really want to go on

and qualify as a solicitor in the future.’

Lisa Ball • Conveyancing Case Worker • Alsager

Commercial Property Solicitor Stephen Haigh joined our Nantwich office at the end of January 2016. Previously, Stephen had worked in Commercial Property and Conveyancing in firms in the North East and latterly Bedfordshire. ‘I’m very impressed by how IT orientated

is... not quite a paperless office, but more so than other places I’ve worked, which is something I’m getting used to,’ said Stephen.

Moving to has meant a house move for Stephen and his wife and daughter who are all settling nicely into their new place in Holmes Chapel which also puts them nearer to other family members.

Stephen Haigh • Commercial Property Solicitor • Nantwich

Some people may remember Sonja who worked with us as a locum back in 2005.

She says she’d always liked the ethos of the firm, and so jumped at the chance of the position when she saw it advertised recently. ‘It’s really busy, but that’s what I like about it – and the way the firm is going with its conveyancing practice,’ she said.

Sonja Barnett • Residential Conveyancer • Nantwich

Qualified for the best part of 19 years, Edward Adams joined us to specialise in Conveyancing which he sees as a growing area, not just in , but in the legal world generally.

Cheshire born, he lives in Congleton and is pleased to be back with a local firm after working in various places, most recently in Stoke. He said:’ I think offers an ideal blend: a traditional High Street Solicitors’ focus on

close client contact while embracing new ideas and technologies.’

His spare time activities are an eclectic mix including officiating at motor race meetings, hill walking, theatre-going and most recently, a ‘Strictly’ inspired foray into the world of Latin and Ballroom dancing.

Edward Adams • Conveyancing Solicitor • Nantwich

Alsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

Department SpotlightResidential Property – Conveyancing

Q: What made you decide to approach ?A: I’d seen there were offices in nearly all the local towns, just through driving

around the area – and I knew a couple of people locally who were represented by them, and who told me good things. The firm was also highly recommended to me by the people I used to arrange the mortgage – Watts of Nantwich. I have not been disappointed.

Q: Why is that?A: The person I have been working with is Gill Collins at the Crewe office. People often talk

about how slow Solicitors can be, but Gill and her assistant Sarah Miller were always chasing and moving things along, which was important to me with the new Stamp Duty deadlines coming in. They were also very thorough – flagging up various things I needed to be aware of and keeping me constantly updated.

Q: Is the service good value for money?A: Before I engaged the firm I joined the Select Service (PASS) Scheme, the

company’s free-to-join legal membership scheme. One of the benefits is 10% off all legal fees, so I was very happy with that!

Q: Would you recommend to other people?A: I’d have no hesitation. I have found all the people I have spoken with to be consummate

professionals, and friendly and approachable too. It’s the perfect combination.

Scott Harding is the Partner who heads our Residential Property practice.Conveyancing is the largest department in , employing 10 qualified conveyancers, 4 trainee solicitors and 15 caseworkers across our offices in South Cheshire.

We have another two qualified conveyancers joining us before the end of May and several further vacancies for a number of roles within the department including qualified conveyancers, caseworkers and administrators. We’re very proud of the growth we have achieved in this area of the business. Our aim to become one of the UK’s top 10 conveyancers – it’s a very exciting place to work.

support clients with all aspects of Residential Property, including:

l Buying or selling your homel Buying a new build homel Buy-to-letl Investment propertyl Releasing equityl Shared equityl Transferring equityl Remortgage

Heather Pritchett is a founding director of Agenda Communication – a company supporting employee communication and engagement.

Although retirement is still many years away on her ‘to-do’ list, she decided to take advantage of the recent pension reforms and become a ‘buy-to-let’ landlord.

Her long-standing family solicitor had retired the previous year, so she wanted to find a new legal partner to help with the immediate requirement for Conveyancing, but with a view to building a relationship for any other potential legal support she might need in the future.

3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

Alsager | Chester | Congleton | Crewe | Nantwich | Sandbach

poolealcock.co.uk0800 389 7093

The Dowery, 22 Barker Street, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5TE | Telephone: 01270 625478 | Email: nantwich@poolealcock.co.uk

... is our eMagazine for members of the Select Service (PASS) Scheme. PASS is a FREE-to-join legal membership scheme offering a range of benefits for you and your family:

FREE initial discussion with a Solicitor on any new case, including Litigation and Employment Law (which would normally attract a fee for a first meeting)

10% OFF all legal fees

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But there is no doubt that as a newly qualified driver there is still more to learn about the many different situations and road conditions you could encounter – and those early months after passing the test can still be ‘testing.’

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3Claire Ellis and Nicola Jones

1Appointment of

four new Partners

4Welcome aboard

and new roles

2Anna Burns and

Cherry Riddlesdin

5Department Spotlight –

Conveyancing

6News

and updates

To download the Pack CLICK HERE

Exciting career opportunities

with usResidential Conveyancer

(Nantwich)

Caseworker – Conveyancing Department (Nantwich, multiple vacancies)

Assistant – Private Client Department

(Sandbach)

Administrative Assistant (Alsager)

Office Junior (Crewe and Nantwich,

two posts)

Receptionist (Congleton)

? ?? ??

Do you know somebody who may be interested?

If so CLICK HERE for more information.