Comment Magazine Issue 7

Insight
Iceland’s volcanoes no obstacle
for Coffin Mew’s Justin White
Coffin Mew’s Justin White has raised over £3,000 for a Chichester
hospice, climbing three of Iceland’s highest volcanoes in just four days.
To mark his 50th birthday, Justin, a
business development manager for
Coffin Mew’s growing real estate and
residential property practice, set himself
the unusual and gruelling challenge
raising much needed funds for St
Wilfrid’s Hospice.
The challenge saw Justin conquer
the still active Eyjafjallajökull, which in
2010 erupted with devastating effect
grounding airlines around the globe,
battle temperatures falling well below
freezing, traversing glaciers and a climb
to 1,700 metres in knee-deep snow.
“I have always been a keen hill walker,
and would regularly spend time walking
the South Downs,” said Justin. “With a
Coffin Mew’s quality kitemark
Coffin Mew’s Thames Valley
offices have been awarded
the coveted and prestigious
Lexcel accreditation. The Lexcel
kitemark is a standard of quality
and excellence in client care and
practice management that is
assessed and awarded by The
Law Society. Just 16% of law
firms in the UK meet its high and
exacting standards.
To achieve this standard so
soon after Coffin Mew’s merger
with Charles Lucas & Marshall
makes it even more impressive.
The independent assessor was
so taken with the scale of positive
change at the firm’s offices that
she made a point of highlighting
how impressed she was with
how far the staff had all come in
such a short space of time.
Bringing you the latest news from Coffin Mew
milestone birthday on the horizon a new
and tougher challenge was needed. It
was a friend that recommended Iceland
and its volcanoes.
“Iceland is a stunning country and a
true wilderness and that made for some
tough walking. The climb to the summit
of Eyjafjallajökull took 13 hours and
involved walking in complete darkness
and blinding sunlight, whilst walking
across snow and ice. The final 600
metres took over two hours checking
constantly for ravines and crevasses. It
was harder than I had imagined and a
truly memorable experience.”
Justin has now developed a taste
for tough challenges, and is currently
Miles Brown, CEO, said: “I am
thrilled that the Thames Valley
offices have successfully met the
Lexcel standard. This has been a
fantastic effort by all of the staff in
the region. In a merger situation,
an assessor will always want to
examine how that process has
gone and what lessons can be
learnt. We should all be very
proud of what we have achieved
and must now focus on realising
the full potential of the merged
firm, having shown what we can
achieve by working together.”
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Top insolvency and
restructuring lawyer
joins Coffin Mew
Coffin Mew is delighted
to announce that renowned
insolvency and corporate
restructuring lawyer
Alexander Wood has joined
the firm as a partner.
Alexander joins the
firm from the London
office of Michelmores and
brings more than 15 years’
experience on advising
businesses in the renewable
energy, financial services,
healthcare, property, retail,
leisure and manufacturing
sectors on complex
transactions in the UK and
overseas.
exploring a trek across the Sahara
Desert, canoeing across the English
Channel or perhaps a hike up Mount
Kilimanjaro.
Justin would like to thank friends,
family, colleagues at Coffin Mew, Choice
Financial Solutions, Owl Architects and
Jeffries Estate Agents for their support.
Miles
Brown,
CEO,
said:
“We are delighted to have
appointed such a
high-profile partner.
We have seen an
increase in enquiries
regarding insolvency
and restructuring and
Alexander’s expertise is in
high demand. He will be
a valuable addition to the
team and we look forward
to developing this side of
the business as part of our
ambitious growth plans.”
A finger on the business pulse
Coffin Mew is a law firm with its finger on the business pulse. Every year we ask businesses in Brighton,
along the South Coast and in the Thames Valley for their views on business confidence, opportunities
and threats. Comment magazine compares the findings from across the region.
Are you feeling more or less confident
about the prospects for your business
than you were 12 months ago?
Brighton
South Coast
Thames Valley
Brighton
South Coast
Thames Valley
More
confident
Less
confident
Will you be increasing or
decreasing the number of
staff you employ over the
next 12 months?
Increase
Stay the
same
What do you foresee as being the biggest
hindrance to the UK in the next 12 months?
Government
policy
Brexit
Interest
rates
Inflation
Lack of
funding
74 % 7 %
Brighton
0 % 55 % 4 % 4 % 15 %
72 % 14 % Thames Valley
37 % 13 % 12 % 26 % 12 %
65 % 29 %
South Coast
4 % 56 % 4 % 8 % 12 %
Which of the following will you be looking to do in the next 12 months?
Brighton
South Coast
Thames Valley
Recruiting
14 % Seeking
investment
Opening
offices
Introducing
new products
43 % 74 % 14 % 0 %
31 % 46 % 8 % 58 %
17 % 55 % 14 % 45 %
Exporting
4 %
5 %
45 % 48 %
47 % 43 %
75 %
Decrease
7 %
10 %
25 % 0 %
What changes do you think could be made
to attract more businesses into the area?
Brighton
• Stop brain drain
to London
• More affordable
housing for young talent
Thames Valley
• Greater levels of quality
commercial property to
aid expansion
South Coast
• Improve road network
• Regenerate waterfront areas
• More business forums to connect and support business leaders
• Support from local government
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