How To Run Higgs

Transcription

1 Yearbook 2011 / 2012

2 ...a commitment to excellence and a strong focus on people, both internal staff and external clients. Birmingham Law Society judges Twelve months ago I reported that 2010 had been a year to be proud of. Imagine my delight that I can now confirm that 2011 saw even greater success. We have been proud to receive recognition, as a finalist in The Lawyer Awards as Regional/National Law Firm of the Year, and as the winner of the Birmingham Law Society Law Firm of the Year Award. The Law Society judges commented that we showed a real commitment to people both internal staff and external clients. That underpins our future plans as we welcome 2012 with great optimism. However, our success does not just happen without careful nurturing. Over the last few years, the partners have prudently managed the business to where we are now a busy law firm across a balanced range of departments, operating from some of the very best offices in the Midlands. The uncertainty caused by the recession has created opportunity for growth and practice diversification and we have taken advantage of that. We have attracted 26 new lawyers and support staff to join our team during the last 12 months. Higgs & Sons continues to perform strongly and is well positioned to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities ahead. We recognise and fully appreciate your contribution to our success and we value the relationships we have with you as clients, professional advisers and service providers. Thank you. Ian Shovlin Senior Partner A year of success

3 Nigel Curry, Susheel Gupta and Rory Daly Corporate team advises leading property consultants on merger Higgs provides a consistent service and excellent client care. Rory Daly, CPBigwood Our corporate team built on its reputation in 2011 when it advised on the merger of two of the region s leading property consultants, Bigwood and Curry & Partners. The merger created the largest independent property practice in Birmingham and brought together Bigwood, with its 160-year heritage, and Curry & Partners, a respected firm of chartered surveyors and property management consultants. The merged business, known as CPBigwood, created an 8 million turnover firm with 125 staff and more than 2.5 billion worth of property under its management. It has joint managing directors, Rory Daly and Nigel Curry. Our Corporate Partner Susheel Gupta led the legal team advising CPBigwood. Susheel, who is a merger and structuring specialist, said of the deal: Having worked closely with Rory and Nigel during the merger it is clear CPBigwood brings together two strong management teams who can provide the full spectrum of property services to their growing client base. Rory Daly said: Susheel and other members of the Higgs team supported us over a number of months, providing consistent service and excellent client care.

4 Glyn Morris, Ben Clegg, Carmel de Nahlik and Krishna Balthu Learning through partnership In 2011 we were delighted to announce a two-year partnership with Aston Business School to carry out an ERDF funded research project. The Knowledge Transfer Partnership will see our two organisations join together to research organisational change in the context of culture and operations. Speaking of the partnership, Finance Director Glyn Morris, said: The project will include a review of business processes, pricing strategy, resourcing models and client communication. Through the partnership, it is hoped that Higgs will become a role model for the adoption of modern operational practices in the legal services sector. The project will form a platform for Higgs objective to offer enhanced value-adding services to clients. Krishna Balthu, KTP Associate, has been embedded within our firm to carry out the research. Driving Innovation Glyn Morris, Finance Director

5 Higgs builds firm foundations with long-standing client I work with other specialists in the firm and value the complete service on offer. Phil Avey, Avey & Son Our residential property team was kept busy during the year both with new and existing clients. One long-standing client is Phil Avey, the owner of property company Avey & Son. Phil approached Higgs back in 2009 to provide legal services for a development of six derelict barns on Stourbridge Road, Himley, on which he was working in conjunction with P Mobberley Carpenters Limited. Construction concluded in 2011, when the last plot was sold. Speaking of the completion, Associate Gurvinder Kehel said: We have worked with Phil over many years, handling legal work, from the preparation of plans to the sale of plots, wayleave approvals in the local area and work with utilities. Such was the success of this project that we are now working with both parties on their next schemes. For Phil Mobberley, we are acting for the business in a 13 barn development in Kinver and for Phil Avey we are supporting his new project in Quarry Park Road. Phil Avey believes a longterm relationship with Higgs helps make his life simpler. Gurvinder is excellent to work with, and has supported us over many years. Gurvinder Kehel and Phil Avey

6 Vineyard owner raises a glass to Higgs Nyree Applegarth and Martin Vickers A saga that stretches back some 15 years has been concluded successfully by Higgs dispute resolution specialists. Property Litigation Partner Nyree Applegarth, who specialises in land and property disputes, has worked with Martin Vickers of Halfpenny Green Vineyard in South Staffordshire for the last two years, to resolve his case. This was a complex matter, that involved an unlawful charge that dated back 13 years when Mr Vickers approached us, explained Nyree. We took on Mr Vickers case and won it following a trial in the High Court in Unfortunately, that wasn t the end of the matter and the beaten party then took the case to the Court of Appeal. I m delighted to say that, once again, we won the case for Mr Vickers although in one final twist, the unsuccessful party then applied for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. We have now finally had confirmation that permission to appeal further has been refused. Mr Vickers is delighted with the outcome: This case has stretched on for a huge amount of time and I cannot tell you the stress it has caused. I m just relieved that it s now over. Nyree and her team have supported me at every stage. Martin Vickers, Halfpenny Green Vineyard

7 Douglas Houghton and Gavin Faber New recruits add further skills to the Higgs team Sarah Martin and Philip Barnsley James Lowe, Catherine Junor and David Hetherington The Higgs team continued to grow in strength and depth in 2011, as we responded to the increasing and changing needs of our clients. As part of our commitment to offer the widest and most relevant range of services, we introduced a new regulatory law team in David Hetherington and James Lowe have brought to us extensive national expertise, with both having experience of defending companies, directors and individuals investigated or prosecuted by local authorities and government regulatory agencies. We expanded many of our other specialist teams across the firm. We welcomed Sarah Cowen into our employment team, Richard Honick into commercial property, Steven Santy into personal injury, Sarah Martin into family and Douglas Houghton into dispute resolution. Ian Shovlin and Steven Santy Richard Honick and Peter Coleman Sarah Cowen and Tim Jones

8 Timothy Swallow, James Osborne, Rachel Seaton, Veronika Ulicna, Adam Maguire and Harry Rasmussen Investing in the future Trainee solicitors offer the firm a fresh perspective and are a valuable asset to the teams in which they work. Paul Hunt, Managing Partner Timothy Swallow, Rachel Seaton, Harry Rasmussen, James Osborne, Veronika Ulicna and Adam Maguire all joined Higgs in 2011 as part of our trainee solicitor programme. It was our biggest graduate intake ever. Managing Partner Paul Hunt explained: As we continue to expand the firm, we need to ensure we are recruiting the very best talent for the future. We have a proud history of our trainees remaining with the firm for their entire career and indeed, I trained with the firm myself. These graduates represent the future of Higgs and on behalf of everyone at the firm, we re delighted to welcome them on board.

9 Working in partnership with our clients Faye Chatten-Smith, David Chatten-Smith and Clare Langford Our dedicated clinical negligence and personal injury team is recognised by The Law Society s Clinical Negligence Panel, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and also holds a managerial role in the Motor Accident Solicitors Society. This year the team successfully represented David Chatten-Smith who suffered permanent and severe neurological symptoms including total blindness following a delayed diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis. Partner Clare Langford, who led the case, explained: We are committed to early rehabilitation as well as maximum compensation for our clients. In this case, liability was strongly disputed all through a High Court action. We were particularly pleased to successfully negotiate a substantial settlement for Mr Chatten-Smith. The firm brought together experts from across the firm to provide a complete package of support. Mr Chatten-Smith was also advised by our private client team, who set up a special needs trust and prepared a will to protect his financial position, while our residential property team assisted his move to more suitable accommodation. Speaking of his case, Mr Chatten-Smith said: It was a very emotional and devastating time for me and my whole family, but from the first phone call to the final outcome, Clare and the team have been really supportive and easy to deal with. I m really glad that I found Higgs & Sons, because with their help, my family has a very secure and bright future. David Chatten-Smith

10 Philip Barnsley Sharing our knowledge Our aim is to use our facilities and knowledge to educate clients and fellow professionals within the region and beyond. Philip Barnsley, Partner and Head of Family Peter Gosling The move to our new building in Waterfront Business Park has allowed us more opportunities to open our doors to clients and contacts to share our expertise with them. Seminars during 2011 included employment and HR service updates, wealth protection advice delivered by our family and private client teams, and tenancy seminars from our property litigation team. We also launched a series of accredited seminars for fellow lawyers and other professionals, led by our commercial and dispute resolution teams. In 2012 this work will continue with another full and varied programme. Future seminars include how to deal with a health and safety incident and an educational event aimed at surveyors, property owners and developers and housing associations. Alongside our in-house legal events we will also be continuing our networking lunches, led by Julia Lowe, aimed at bringing together professionals involved in litigation in a social context with the opportunity to enhance contacts and share experiences. Tim Jones Julia Lowe

11 It s great to see how a local organisation can galvanise its employees and stakeholders to raise money for charity. Supporting charity Veronica Kumeta, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer Veronika Ulicna, Steve Bull and Clare Smith In 2011 we raised over 10,000 for our charity of the year, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer (LFBC). LFBC is a Midlands-based charity that raises funds to provide equipment to aid diagnosis. Run by a group of volunteers, numerous fundraising events are held throughout the year. In the summer we brought together 200 contacts from across the region to play in our annual football tournament. The event saw 24 teams of local professionals and clients play 67 games of six-a-side football. Later in the year, the finest brains in the Midlands joined us for our quiz night. Footballer Steve Bull also joined us in helping to raise thousands for LFBC. LFBC s co-founder and Chairwoman, Veronica Kumeta, said: For a cause that touches so many people, the money raised by Higgs is a huge boost towards funding for much needed equipment. Speaking of the firm s achievements, Ian Shovlin said: Every year our clients, fellow professionals and suppliers join forces with us to support good causes. We were delighted to raise more money this year than ever before a wonderful achievement in the current economic climate.

12 John was part of our team and saw us through to a successful conclusion. An outdoor adventure Ryan Bennett, Equip Outdoor Technologies John Heaton and Ryan Bennett Our corporate specialists scaled mountains in 2011 to assist the management team of Equip Outdoor Technologies, which designs and supplies the worldrenowned Rab range of mountaineering clothing, with its acquisition of Lowe Alpine, an outdoor clothing and rucksack brand. Rab s product range includes technical, waterproof and down clothing as well as sleeping bags for extreme environments. Higgs Partner John Heaton led the team that supported Equip. This was a 20 million transaction involving investment by Matrix Private Equity Partners and funding by Santander. Our role was to guide the management team through a very challenging process, provide real support and to be more than just legal advisers. Ryan Bennett, the group s Financial Director, said Higgs pulled out all the stops for our management team. John helped us through a pivotal, and what could have been a very stressful, process.

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