Wilson Browne Solicitors

WE’RE NOT NEW AND WE’VE NEVER BEEN NORMAL

That’s the strapline from one of the adverts that Wilson Browne Solicitors ran, capturing the firm's spirit perfectly.

For a firm with a bear as a mascot and a #SingingSolicitor they undoubtedly break the mould when it comes to showing the human side to the legal world. There’s no stuffiness or old fashioned stereotypes of what a solicitor is like – the firm is most definitely made up of people with their very own character. Everyone that works there is clear that the firm is about much more than one person, one small management group, one team, and the firm is keen that no one person takes centre stage.

When asked for his view, Wayne Jenkins, Business Development & Marketing Director, commented: “It’s hard to do these type of articles without sounding like a thinly veiled sales pitch, or for it to be very selfserving and self-congratulatory, so let’s get the buzzwords out of the way first… ‘award winning’ or ‘multi-award winning’…tick, ‘nominated for…’…tick, ‘proud to support…’…tick, ‘one-stop shop’…tick, ‘transformative, agile, pivot’…tick.”

Kevin Rogers, Chairman of the Board and also President of the Northamptonshire Chamber, adds: “Where do we start? There’s no single stand-out thing; no single big deal; no single initiative that we would choose to focus on. Like any business worth its salt, we know that business is about doing the basic things well and doing them consistently well. That includes everything from managing the profile of the firm, to how it delivers on the needs of its clients, and how it supports and develops people.”

From the moment the world changed, the firm was able to carry on (almost) as normal thanks to the ICT team's efforts, getting everyone up and running in a matter of days, with remote working. From there, everything else flowed. The ability to deliver the same high standards has seen the firm gain more Legal 500 entries than ever before – something the firm is proud of, given the Legal 500 is a who’s who of the legal world.

Being good lawyers is a given – what matters are clients. The firm went out of its way to ensure that clients were always supported; they always had access to a solicitor remotely or face-to-face. It’s that kind of commitment that ultimately led to a Feefo Platinum ‘Trusted Service’ award for service – the highest possible.

Clients really appreciate the little touches that the firm delivers – from cake during lockdown; to bonfire night treats to try and compensate for the lack of any real celebration; to festive gingerbread men…all designed to add a little cheer.

Keeping her foot firmly on the accelerator is Jennie Jahina, Employment Partner. As well as looking after and advising clients on a constant flow of changing legislation during lockdown and furlough, she has found time to share her knowledge with businesses via the coronavirus Hub (most probably the first and most used such resource in the region); has written a tremendous amount of content for publication; and found time to give updates to the CIPD (Chartered Institute Of Personnel & Development) and hireful (Chamber member).

‘BEING GOOD LAWYERS IS A GIVEN – WHAT MATTERS ARE CLIENTS’

The award winning commercial law team – looking after the county’s businesses

ABOVE: Neelam Maher and Vicki Pearce have both recently been promoted in the Private Client Team

OPPOSITE LEFT: Kevin Rogers, Chairman of the Board

TALKING BUSINESS

PHOTOS BY GAVIN WALLACE PHOTOGRAPHY

Kevin Rogers and Tom Warrender quickly embraced LinkedIn Local Northants, supported by the (award-winning!) Marketing Team (Naomi Edwards and Cathy Barry). It was no surprise to see so many faces from the Chamber actively participating and a few helping by hosting the virtual breakout rooms.

You’d think that with everything else going on in the world, ‘growth’ would be a word that didn’t have much place in the current vocabulary, but nothing could be further from the truth. The firm currently has 10 vacancies on its website as part of its organic growth; Neelam Maher and Vicki Pearce were promoted to ‘Participating Partner’. Vicki has been with the firm since 2008; Neelam since 2007, and both have established themselves as valued members of the private client team, delivering expert advice on Wills, Trusts, and other related issues for individuals, including business owners.

As it is an Olympic year, the firm is planning an event featuring some ex-Olympians and (all being well) the Northamptonshire 5K race series will once again be underway. Despite restrictions, there will be motorcycle racing in some form, and the firm continues its sponsorship of Abbz Thomas.

Last but not least, there’s Wilson Bear. Naomi Edwards from the Marketing Team (and some say, mum of Wilson Bear!) commented: “The way people have taken to Wilson Bear is incredible. It seems that everybody wants a Wilson cub! We always try to show that we are professional but down to earth and friendly – I think we succeed.”

In the space available, we can only scratch the surface of the firm’s achievements and what is essential is to look to the future. With that in mind, the firm eagerly awaits the Chamber annual awards launch, where it is again the headline sponsor.

FACTFILE:

WILSON BROWNE SOLICITORS

COMPANY BACKGROUND: Nearly 200 years old in various guises, the firm delivers a broad range of legal services to businesses and individuals. Having grown to a business employing over 160 employees with six offices. The firm is proud of its involvement in the community and its close links to business, education, the arts and sport.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: We cover all areas of Private Client and Commercial law, having offices in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, operating from Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Higham Ferrers, Wellingborough and Leicester. There’s a complete range of legal solutions for individuals and businesses, transparent costs, legal expertise and great client service.

We have been the Northamptonshire Law Society Large Law Firm Of The Year multiple times; shortlisted for the UK Law Society ‘Excellence’ awards several times and achieved two “Highly Commended” awards; have a number of teams and lawyers in the Legal 500 (a who’s who of the legal world) and are regularly called upon by local media to give insightful commentary regarding important legal matters.

INTERESTING FACTS…IN THE MOST RECENT MEASURED YEAR:

• Over 9,000 commercial clients • £45m of commercial litigation claims • 260 businesses bought, sold or advised • Advised on commercial land worth £44m inc 217 land acquisition plots • 2,500 Wills & Trusts written including business Will and

Business LPAs • …and a bear as a mascot: a very big bear!