Weightmans Annual Report 2010-2011 - Weightmans Solicitors

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Timeline A period of transformation The firm’s profile and reputation is strengthening year on year and this is seen in improved press coverage and commendations in the legal directories. Pleasingly, this was reflected in the number and quality of awards the firm received during the year. Landmark judgment Weightmans successfully represented Essex County Council when The Supreme Court handed down a landmark judgment in the case of A v Essex County Council, a case involving a severely disabled boy whose parents sought compensation for damages after he was out of school for more than a year whilst the council sought to find him a suitable placement. Long-standing lawyer gains success After 21 years in law, the achievements of one leading female lawyer were recognised by the Association of Women Solicitors. Elaine Chapman, Partner at Weightmans, swept to victory in the ‘Best Woman Solicitor Managing a Medium-Sized Practice’ category. Hat-trick of top rankings for Weightmans Weightmans secured its highest rankings in The Lawyer UK 200 Annual Report and the Legal Business survey of the top 100 UK law firms. The year also saw our insurance lawyers feature in a large number of significant legal cases. The preeminent example was the deafness class action run by Jim Byard and Ben Ling from our Leicester office. This case involved thousands of claimants, and many millions of pounds were at stake. Jim Byard led the defendant team to victory in The Supreme Court. June 2010 Weightmans moved up to number 53 in The Lawyer’s annual report, a rise of three places from 2009. The Legal Business survey saw the firm rise four places to number 52. National award for Business Development team The Business Development team won the Law Society Excellence awards, beating off competition from firms such as Allen & Overy. The team was rewarded for its work on a firm-wide campaign focused on enhancing our client relationship management. August 2010 May 2010 July 2010 Young solicitor of the year Victoria Curran was awarded solicitor of the year at the Leicester Law Society awards. Joanne Harrison was awarded trainee of the year. Weightmans continues corporate expansion in London with partner hire Clare Sellars joined the London office as an Intellectual Property specialist. The move came less than a month after William Sharpe was appointed to lead the Corporate team in the City. Weightmans takes consortia lead after London panel success The Local Government team at Weightmans had cause for celebration as it took up its sixth local authority panel place in 12 months. The firm was appointed to the Outer London Boroughs Legal Consortium panel, where it will represent the 14 members over an initial four-year period. Howden appoints Weightmans to surveyors’ panel Weightmans was given a place on specialist Lloyd’s broker, Howden’s, newly created panel of law. September 2010 p6 2010-2011 Annual Report 2010-2011 Annual Report p7
Tender win Personal acheivements rewarded Royal Mail appointment Weightmans celebrated a tender win, which delivered a six-year contract with national registered provider of social housing, Guinness Northern Counties Ltd. Weightmans beat off stiff competition to provide legal expertise on a range of housing management services. This is one of the UK’s largest housing associations, providing nearly 27,000 homes across the north of England. Weightmans raises £13,000 for GOSH Weightmans has been a long-term supporter of Great Ormond Street Hospital and this year brought the total fundraising contribution for the hospital to a staggering £42,000 since 2003. The sizeable contribution was the result of a year-long CSR challenge which saw our lawyers and support staff battle it out to host fundraising events. Legal award shortlist for CSR Weightmans was shortlisted for the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Project of the Year’ category at the influential British Legal Awards. Noted for our innovative CSR policy when we made the shortlist in 2008, Weightmans has continued to dedicate time, resources and money to our five partnership charities and other charitable organisations throughout the recession. These consistent efforts, coupled with a firm-wide culture in which CSR is recognised to such an extent that all staff are granted two days’ annual leave to devote to charity work and volunteering – once again earned Weightmans a place on the shortlist. Diversity recognised in annual survey Weightmans was recognised for its dedication to equality in the workplace in the 2010 Diversity League Table. The annual report, compiled and published by the Black Solicitors Network, looks at law firms’ efforts to address gender, ethnicity and disability challenges by analysing the background of all associates, partners, paralegals and trainees. Weightmans ranked third best legal provider to public bodies Weightmans broke through the ranks to be named the third best legal provider to public bodies in the country. The 2011 UK Chambers guide published its first ever Public Sector Commentary, surveying over 150 of the UK’s largest public bodies to provide a report based entirely on client feedback. Weightmans received 14 mentions – only three mentions short of first place, which was shared between Eversheds and Pinsent Masons. In addition, the firm secured a joint first place alongside Sharpe Pritchard for local government work, with nine mentions apiece. December 2010 Weightmans announced a string of promotions for 2011, with the appointment of five new partners and nine associates across all five offices nationwide. Landmark judgment A landmark judgment was handed down by The Supreme Court, confirming the extent to which public sector bodies need to comply with EU Directives and Regulations when placing contracts for goods and services. Mike Green took the case of Harrow LBC (Brent LBC and LAML) v RMP to The Supreme Court and was successful in having the ruling reversed, which now permits such authorities to avoid procurement laws altogether, subject to certain conditions. January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 Weightmans was appointed to Royal Mail Group’s panel of preferred suppliers for employment and real estate work. The firm is now the sole national supplier to RMG in England and Wales for a specific type of employment work. Top Employers award Weightmans joined 57 other companies across the country to be certified as one of Britain’s Top Employers for 2011 in the annual assessment by the Corporate Research Foundation (CRF) Institute. The firm’s relaxed and friendly environment, approachable management teams and positive feedback with regards to work-life balance and well-being, were all commended by the CRF Institute. Supreme Court decision Weightmans, acting for Zurich Insurance, secured victory in The Supreme Court in the first noise induced hearing loss claim to reach the highest court in the UK. The case, widely known as ‘The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Textile deafness litigation’, originally concerned ten test claims of noise induced hearing loss. Of those ten, it was only the claim by Stephanie Baker against Quantum Clothing Group which was brought before The Supreme Court. Had The Supreme Court found in favour of Mrs Baker, the floodgates for tens of thousands of noise induced hearing loss claims would have opened at the expense of the insurance industry. October 2010 November 2010 Vizards Wyeth Merger completed Introduction of boot camp for paralegals Six paralegals were recruited to an intensive three week induction programme within the firm, in a pilot scheme set to prepare them for a career in legal services. The new scheme was designed by the Learning and Development team. Weightmans labelled user friendly by national guide In the Chambers UK independent guide to the UK’s top law firms, our national healthcare offering was praised for its ‘user-friendly’ client service, while Tony Yeaman, who heads up the Healthcare team, was cited as having ‘vast experience in health’ and understanding the issues clients had faced. Weightmans also retained a top tier ranking in the Personal Injury: Mainly Defendant category, with Head of the Large Loss team, David Holt, singled out for his work representing the Motor Insurers’ Bureau at the European Court of Justice. Weightmans and Vizards Wyeth formally joined forces and began moving forward as one firm. The consolidation enhanced the already excellent services that the two firms provided, offering greater resource, expertise and new opportunities for the client base. Weightmans announces merger with Mace & Jones Weightmans and Mace & Jones agreed terms to merge. The merger became effective on 1 May 2011; further strengthening Weightmans’ position as a major national law firm. April 2011 The firm’s Police team also retained a top tier ranking, with Martin Forshaw, Head of the National Police team, noted for his ‘towering reputation’ in the field. p8 2010-2011 Annual Report 2010-2011 Annual Report p9
Page 1 and 2: www.weightmans.com Weightmans Annua
Page 3: Managing Partner’s review Maintai
Page 7 and 8: Merger The story so far... Managing
Page 9 and 10: Key highlights Toasting this year
Page 11 and 12: Peter Forshaw, Partner, on why we c

Weightmans Annual Report 2010-2011 - Weightmans Solicitors

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