SOLICITORS OF THE YEAR - UK

Sophie Newbould Managing Director

Newbould & Co Solicitors t/a Newboulds Solicitors

0800 019 6793 www.newbouldslaw.com sophie@newbouldslaw.com

The

Hermitage, 15A Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8LT UNITED KINGDOM

Welcome to Newboulds Solicitors.

Our commercial practice was established in 2017, following instructions from our first client, the then called Police ICT Company to advise on digital policing matters.

Our portfolio of clients has grown to support a mixture of corporate organisations, large technology providers and high growth businesses.

We specialise in advising clients on any commercial related matters, from business transactions and regulatory compliance to complex litigation and alternative dispute resolution.

We provide end-to-end support on any project or business instruction. We pride ourselves on our clients’ success.

Bio

Sophie Newbould, founder of Newboulds Solicitors and innov8law, is an award-winning global law expert for data and innovation solutions, having spent 24 years working on public sector contracts and business ventures (some worth >£1 billion spend, e.g., Met Office Supercomputer 2020+ Programme).

Sophie began advising start-up tech and other companies since she began her practice in 2008 as part of a larger business law firm. Since then, Sophie’s projects have grown to multimillion pound tech and connectivity contracts with local Government, to multi billionpound infrastructure as a service contracts for Central Government with global organisations such as Microsoft and CGI.

The most important experience and advice Sophie can offer clients now relates to the lessons learned from complex disputes that she has negotiated on behalf of UK Government, the Police Forces, Foreign Office, Justice, Defence and Transport departments and industries.

In 2017, Sophie began working with a UK defence consultancy that had developed software to improve UK Ministry of Defence’s navigation of complex programme documentation. The savings in time, costs and energy significantly mitigated risk and improved collaboration across complex multi-supplier programmes. This revelation experience became the pivot for Sophie to turn her role in to a much greater opportunity for the data, digital and technology industries.

Through the UK’s technology association, techUK, Sophie proactively supports contracting authorities such as the UK Crown Prosecution Service and Met Police in their technology roadmaps. Leveraging her skills to centralise feedback from her vast network of lawyers, engineers, financial experts, innovation suppliers and project managers, Sophie can offer and support Clients with complete solutions to meet full requirements suites.

Sophie works to ensure that Client investments in any data, digital and technology project are secure, trustworthy and resourceful.

For Newboulds Solicitors, and Sophie in particular, successful collaboration is queen, robust due diligence is king.

Ip Law Advisers Of The Year

Sarah Hadland Director

Open Plan Law Limited

07855 185517 www.openplanlaw.com sarah.hadland@openplanlaw.com

Prama House, 267 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HT

Sarah Hadland is a Director of Open Plan Law. Over 25 years, she has established a leading IP practice acting for a number of high-profile clients including Gü Desserts, Ty Inc (the makers of Beanie Babies) and Next Retail Ltd, as well as smaller businesses and individual designers. The firm’s clients cover a broad range of sectors, including the Arts and Heritage sector, publishing, technology, media, fabric and clothing designers, food manufacturers and restaurants, scientific enterprises, authors and financial services providers.

Ms Hadland has acquired a significant reputation in IP law focusing on design rights, trademarks, copyright and confidentiality. She is listed in both The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading individual who “continues to command the respect of peers and clients”. One client enthused: “It’s great to have someone like Sarah – you can have complete faith in everything you need to have faith in: her judgement, her acumen and her ability to get a good result” (Chambers and Partners).

She advises on the protection of IP rights including dispute resolution, civil litigation in the High Court and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, criminal matters such as counterfeiting and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs seizures, and trademark and design right portfolio management. She also assists clients in the negotiation and drafting of agreements including development, maintenance and licensing of software, global licensing of

IP rights and publishing and merchandising contracts. Her notable cases include Teleworks Limited v Telework Group, Gucci v Next Retail and Unilever Plc v General Housewares Corp, and clients have said that “she seems to know instinctively when to fight and when to settle” (ILO Client Choice Awards 2013).

Open Plan Law is dedicated to understanding its clients’ businesses and providing solutions which are proportionate and relevant to their commercial imperatives.

Ms Hadland has been awarded the 2021 Lawyer Monthly Women in Law Award for copyright.

She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys.

Anthony Munday Chief Executive Officer

TM Development Associates Limited

(44)7905868058 www.maverickmediator.co.uk tony@achievesuccess.org.uk

14, Crossways, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP3 8PU, England

About Anthony Munday

An independent ACAS accredited workplace mediator. Accredited with the Civil Mediation Council as workplace mediator. A 2021 ACAS Report estimated the cost of workplace conflict in the UK to be £28 Billion per year. The human cost and brand reputational cost are incalculable.

The pain of workplace conflict can be felt in the costs of litigation, resignations, recruitment of replacement staff, sickness absence, Employment Tribunals, quiet quitting, misconduct investigations, grievance procedures.

Workplace Mediation is a cost -effective and sustainable process that repairs fractured business relationships.

The benefits of conflicted persons working together to repair their fractured relationship and creating sustainable, positive outcomes are profound. These benefits extend into their private lives.

Anthony founded his company in 2006.

As a senior leader, he saw the impact and importance of the need to train managers to manage people effectively and fairly. He minimised the incidence and impact of workplace conflict as a direct result.

He was considered a maverick because he adopted coaching as a leadership style in contrast to the still prevalent ‘Command and Control’ culture.

He developed high performing quality people.

He says, “Leadership is knowing ourselves and those we are responsible for, as people, and behaving accordingly.”

You can read about his leadership expertise in his first book ‘The ESSENTIAL Heart of a Leader’.

The focus of his mediations is conflicted senior teams. The impact on organisations and their people are significant. These conflicts are invariably complex and sometimes have persisted for years.

The strapline of his process is ‘Delivering Tranquillity out of Trauma.’ It recognises the traumatised nature of people whose conflicted relationships have lasted years.

Anthony created His Signature Chrysalis Method

This unique methodology helps create authentic trust and rapport with participants. This ensures the best opportunity for successful outcomes.

He often undertakes complex mediations amongst senior Leadership teams of up to six members during a single mediation process.

Anthony also reviews the process to confirm sustainability of the agreed outcomes.

Organisations benefit from a structured process that ascertains the root causes of conflict and he facilitates their resolution. It is not unusual for senior managers to be fearful of accepting that they cannot be omnicompetent and authentically delegating responsibility.

The process is unique in that all relevant people, from, the operational, tactical, and executive levels are gathered to share their perspectives, expertise and insight concerning workplace conflict. The Senior Decision Maker and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) are also present.

The process provides a real opportunity for effective teambuilding.

This wonderful learning opportunity includes both the SDO and the CEO.

They realise that not only do they not need to know everything about everything, but it is also evident that they do not know everything.

The beauty of the debrief lies in the range of information and intelligence gleaned from and by the attendees. This intelligence is highly unlikely ever to have reached the SDO or CEO.

This results in a subtle massaging of the information, so that by the time it reaches the executive level it is almost meaningless.

The report that results from the debrief is created entirely from the data at the meeting. The resultant action plan is therefore better prepared and more credible than by the traditional manner.

Anthony has written a second book, ‘The Maverick Mediator’ which will be published in March 2023

His strategic purpose for clients is to provide an intelligence -led approach, tailored to the organisation to develop managers to manage effectively and fairly. They will understand the critical importance of knowing your people in conflict resolution.

The role is not the person.

Anthony had developed strategic partnerships with Employment Law Teams at Chambers of Barristers and Firms of Solicitors and is hoping to work with more Chambers.

Working together, in a symbiotic way, the employment law lawyers can deploy their litigation expertise where it is most needed. The client benefits from a workplace mediation process that is cost -effective, timely and produces sustainable, positive outcomes.

Anthony can empathise with senior managers, therefore creating that necessary trust and confidence in his neutrality, impartiality, objectivity, and fairness.

Executive Summary

• Elimination of the causes of highly damaging conflict amongst your Senior Teams.

• Your Senior Team is re -established as a cohesive, high performing unit.

• Your managers manage people effectively and fairly.

• The brand reputation of your organisation is enhanced.

• Employment Lawyers enhance their range of service delivery to their clients.

• The conflicted parties are facilitated by the mediator to design their own future.

• The repairing of fractured business relationships has a positive impact upon the private lives of your people.

Client Quotes

“

… The mediation process must be sensitive, supportive and in some cases, independent.

The ‘icebreaker ‘provides the opportunity to address an anxiety, develop confidence in the process and the mediator, most importantly establish the process as a safe place.

The mediator ensures the participants are ready and trusting in ENTERING THE PROCESS which will deliver a positive outcome for both parties, not a right or wrong. It enables time to reflect and be open –minded.

Being able to communicate to the organisation while maintaining confidentiality is not easy.

• Employment Lawyers focus on matters of concern to their clients that are more relevant to their litigation expertise.

• ACAS accredited workplace mediation is a cost -effective, timely and sustainable solution for seemingly intractable workplace conflict.

“The mediator of choice for Towerview Care is Tony Munday“

People Group Services

0345 034 1530 https://peoplegroupservices.com hello@peoplegroupservices.com

People Group House, Three Horseshoes Walk, Warminster, Wiltshire. BA12 9BT

People Group Services is a familyowned business with a long history of providing compliant payroll services to recruitment agencies and their contractors.

It all started by CEO Terry Hillier in 2007, following an extensive career in the financial sector where he excelled in both sales and management.

Visionary and dynamic, Terry identified a gap in the market whereby supply teachers required a compliant payroll solution when working through legislation. Government legislation accelerated the need for an outsourced payroll solution and RACS Group began to grow.

Terry grasped the opportunity and for over 15 years has led the company to its current position. He’s grown the business to be a shining light of compliant payroll within the industry, picking up a number of business awards along the way.

In 2017, as the market around us evolved, Terry took the decision to rebrand the business, branching out with a fresh new look. That’s when People Group Services was formed and so the story continues.

We constantly review our payroll processes, working to streamline and automate, where possible, to provide a slicker and improved agency and candidate experience. The most recent innovations and improvements, to enhance client experience and improve efficiencies, inc:

- A 24-7 tech system that allows us to onboard new candidates within minutes of being informed of their weekly pay, ensuring we can pay them that same day.

- Seamless integration of compliance checks including ID and RTW checks.

- Full transparency and ease-of-use for viewing payslips, benefits and claiming holidays.

- Onboarding that is sped up by 70%, driving performance and satisfaction for clients.

- An end-to-end process of less than 3 minutes (if documentation is complete).

Customer feedback is resoundingly positive, summed up in the testimonials.

We’re focused on helping agencies maximise efficiencies and contractor satisfaction.

CEO Terry Hillier often leads the field with innovation, ‘We are seen as market leaders within product development, breaking new ground and pushing the envelope.’

Launching People PEO payroll solution is an example of this. It was a first for the payroll sector. There are now copycat products, but the solution remains unique in the efficiencies it can bring, agency Educated Recruitment highlighted they’ve seen enquiries reduce by 90% since adopting PEO.

The innovation isn’t just around new products – we’re constantly improving our processes.

With an in-depth knowledge of employment law and tax legislation, and remarkable technical ability, Terry drives People Group with fast-paced innovation and tech updates, proven in our response to the COVID19 crisis (ref answer to Question 3), when we received huge amounts of positive feedback from customers:

“People Group are such a ‘guiding light’ for our temps and ourselves during this time. The transparency, clarity and regularity in updating us and our temps, has been exemplary.”

Kirsty, Director, Tara Professional Recruitment

An example of one of our recent process improvements is to enhance our Agency Portal, giving agencies a live view of the onboarding process – so they can see exactly what stage their candidates are at, without having to get in touch.

And our Contractor Portal allows 80% of candidates to navigate through the onboarding process themselves, in their own time, without taking time from their daily work to speak to someone on the phone.

Not only are our solutions the most innovative on the market, but the drive and passion from our CEO, pushes the company to be fast-thinking, flexible and action-oriented. Which means we react quickly to market forces, delivering new solutions to challenges.