Happenings in Hampshire

Tribute for Brian Bellinger

Brian attended the Portsmouth Grammar School and after leaving, became a qualified Solicitor and almost immediately went into partnership with the Portsmouth firm of Biscoe-Smith & Heather, a firm which could trace its roots back to the 1870’s. The firm then became known as Biscoe Smith, Heather & Bellinger. Brian specialised in conveyancing and corporate matters. He was also the Naval Legal Aid Officer at HMS Nelson and was periodically involved in the quite different world of Service Court Martials. He was well known and liked by the Naval Service staff who saw and were advised by him.

He also had a spot on the local station Radio Victory where people could ask him legal questions which he would then respond to in layman’s terms.

Brian continued to expand the firm to 11 partners covering 8 offices. After several mergers, the firm became Biscoes and Brian remained as the Managing Partner until his retirement in 2003.

In 1969 he became a Freemason which was to become a particularly important part of his life. He belonged to many Masonic Orders and became the Provincial Grand Master for Hampshire

and the Isle of Wight from 2003 to 2010. During this time, he was instrumental in fundraising for the Masonic charities and was committed to helping others.

In 1970 he was a founder member of The Portsmouth North Rotary Club of which he remained a Trustee for many years.

Brian was also President of Hampshire Law Society in 1995. Aside from the law, it was a love of military matters, vehicles and anything to do with the Army that led Brian to be persuaded to join friends in buying a 1950 Mark 1 Ferret Armoured car and they became involved in the military re-enactments and gun firings at Fort Nelson for the Royal Armouries. He read military vehicle magazines avidly and also had a keen interest in and love of cars. He purchased and had built the car of his dreams, a Morgan, which he enjoyed driving wearing his leather Biggles cap!

Following his retirement, he and his wife Jenny took a series of tours in China, India, East Africa and Jordan as well as enjoying time in Dartmouth where he had family links.

Brian was always one to give sound advice and support whenever it was requested. He was good company, a great friend to many and will be greatly missed. 

Trethowans solicitors listed in 100 Great Places to Work 2023

Trethowans has been listed in the ‘100 Great Places to Work 2023’, in the Solent and South Coast region.

The listings are compiled by Black Ox, the publishers of The Business Magazine which covers the South East and South West and celebrates businesses which are really investing in their staff.

Managing Partner Mike Watson said, “We are pleased to be included in the Great Places to Work 2023, it’s a fantastic accolade to Trethowans and our brilliant team.

“Employee retention is one of our key strategies, we are incredibly proud of the loyal staff that we have and this listing is testament to this”.

Criteria for inclusion is businesses with their head office, or a large proportion of staff, based in the region that The Business Magazine covers. They may have won a nationally recognised employer’s award or run an established and respected training scheme. A business may also be included if it has been nominated and the nomination has been checked and verified by the editorial team, or has a dedicated and publicly-accessible area of its website which properly shows the company’s approach to employee support and career development.

It comes after Trethowans was named in The Times Best Law Firms 2023, the newspaper’s annual list of the top 200 legal practices in England and Wales. 

SPOTLIGHT ON CHURCHERS New Accreditations

Emma Yemm

Dixie Mitchell

Claire Bond

Three members of staff at Churchers have reached new milestones in their careers.

Emma Yemm from our Wills & Probate team and Dixie Mitchell from our Commercial Property team qualified as a CILEX Fellow after completing a range of assessments and submitting a portfolio of legal work.

Claire Bond from the Dispute Resolution team has been accredited as a personal injury specialist by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) demonstrating her expertise in the area.

These new accreditations will enhance their work at Churchers by guaranteeing quality and allowing them to practise new skills.

Emma and Dixie’s fellowship status allows them to oversee clients making legal oaths, while Claire’s accreditation as a specialist will be a mark of her expertise in making personal injury claims.

Managing Partner Andrew Bryan said he is extremely pleased with Emma, Dixie and Claire’s achievements and is looking forward to seeing them progress further.

Andrew added: “All of their achievements are very well deserved. They’ve put in a lot of hard work and dedication to earn these highly regarded accreditations.

“By having these new accreditations they can give their clients that extra bit of confidence in the support they offer.”

Emma said: “It feels like a massive achievement to finally be a Fellow because it has taken a long time and a lot of hard work. I now have more opportunities to further my career in the Churchers’ Wills & Probate department.”

Dixie said: “I’ve put in a lot of work to achieve my fellowship status and I was delighted to find out I’ve been accredited. It’s a huge step forward in my career.”

Claire said: “My new accreditation as a specialist in my area is a huge achievement for me. Personal injury claims can often cause a lot of stress, so my accreditation will give my clients that extra bit of confidence in the support I can give.” 

SPOTLIGHT ON CHURCHERS New Partners

Hannah Lisseter

Hannah Lisseter

Churchers is proud to announce Hannah Lisseter as the firm’s newest partner in the Wills and Probate team. Hannah has been with the firm since 2022 and specialises in all aspects of Will writing, Probate and Estate Administration, Powers of Attorney, and Court of Protection work.

Hannah has been committed to supporting people with a disability or diagnosis to access legal advice whenever possible. This has shown through her memberships at the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) as well as being a Dementia Champion and Autism Ambassador.

We are incredibly proud to have you as part of our team. Congratulations! 

Sarah Hallett

Sarah Hallett

Congratulations to Sarah Hallett who we are proud to announce as the firms latest partner in Criminal Defence. Sarah joined the firm permanently in 2013 as a trainee solicitor and always had a keen interest in criminal defence and developed this throughout her training before qualifying as a solicitor. In 2016, her success continued when she was awarded Hampshire Law Society Junior Solicitor of the Year Award!

Her dedication within the Criminal Department has been second to none, which is why we are so pleased for you to become a partner, congratulations Sarah! 

SPOTLIGHT ON CHURCHERS Promotions

Tebo Sebitlo

Ian Heal

Eliza Watts

Michelle Low

Churchers is delighted to announce a number of internal promotions in recognition of exemplary commitment, hard work and success.

Tebo Sebitlo, Ian Heal and Eliza Watts have all been promoted to senior solicitors! We would like to congratulate them on their achievement and wish them all the success in their career going forward.

Since joining the Churchers team in 2017, Michelle Low has been promoted to Senior Conveyancing Executive in the Buying and Selling your home team. Everyone at Churchers would like to celebrate Michelle’s achievement, congratulations Michelle!