West Midlands law firm, Sydney Mitchell has been short-listed in the medium size law firm of the year category at the Law Society Excellence Awards for the second year running. The medium law firm of the year category, which is open to all law firms in England & Wales with between 5 and 29 partners, is judged on matters such as professional excellence, staff engagement and development, business and client acquisitions.
Senior Partner, Sydney Mitchell LLP, Karen Moores commented,
We have had a fantastic year and it is wonderful that the Law Society has recognised our success by short-listing our firm in their national awards. It is also amazing to have been short-listed in these Awards for the second year running and I would like to thank all of our clients and staff for all of their support.
Sydney Mitchell is the only law firm based in the West Midlands within this category and so will be waving the flag for the West Midlands legal community at the Law Society Legal Excellent Awards ceremony which takes place in London on 23 October 2019.
The Law Society president Simon Davis said:
There are more than 140,000 solicitors in England and Wales – to be shortlisted for an Excellence Award is to be recognised as among the very best of the profession. The firms and solicitors shortlisted should be commended for going above and beyond to support their clients, often navigating tricky and sometimes contentious areas of the law.
Full details of all shortlisted ... https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/events/excellence-awards/shortlist/#
More details can be found on the Law Gazette article link ...
On the 6 July a team of four intrepid climbers from Sydney Mitchell Solicitors will take on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge. 12 hours, 3 Peaks, 64 pairs of socks and an abundance of plasters, is in between them and victory.
They are taking on this gruelling challenge to raise funds for two worthy causes, Age UK Solihull and The Buddy Bag Foundation.
Age UK Solihull is a charity with a mission to improve the lives of older people within the Solihull Borough. Age UK Solihull provides many services including social clubs and befriending programmes to tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness many within the older generation are going through.
Please click on the following link to learn more: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/solihull/about-us/
The Buddy Bag Foundation provides comfort to children who enter emergency care after fleeing violent situations at home. Buddy bags help to restore a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time.
To learn more about The Buddy Bag Foundation click on the following link: https://buddybagfoundation.co.uk/our-mission/
To sponsor our “Peaky climbers” in their aim to raise money for these two charites please click on the link below and donate, all donations are welcome.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/PeakyClimbers-Sydneymitchell
Watch out for more information. Hour by hour coverage will be posted on the 6 July on our Facebook page @SydneyMitchellSolicitors
Sydney Mitchell has again been recognised as a Tier 1 firm for its Contentious Wills and Probate work; with a ‘driven professional team’ led by Kamal Majevadia handling a variety of high-value complex cases.
In total the firm has obtained recommendations in 13 areas of legal practice; Contentious Probate, Commercial Litigation, Debt Recovery, Insolvency and Corporate Recovery, Employment, Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Professional Negligence, Family, Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, Health, Commercial Property and Property Litigation.
Sydney Mitchell’s clients have made some excellent comments on the work undertaken by the legal teams.
Div Singh, Senior Partner, Sydney Mitchell commented:
“What an excellent result again this year for Sydney Mitchell, with the firm maintaining its ranking in Tier 1 for our Contentious Probate work and in particular Kamal Majevadia being singled out as a ‘leading individual’”.
Many of our talented solicitors have been named throughout for their hard work with our ‘client care second to none’.
It is great to see new team members being recognised, David Lydon, Adam Hodson, Samantha Glynn, Hayley-Jo and Gemma especially have shone through this year. Our clients and referrers have made fantastic comments on the work we have undertaken including…
‘solid, well respected team’, ‘can-do attitude’ ‘an approach to client care that is second to none’, ‘caring straight-to-the-point’ and ‘manages expectations’.What more can you ask for than recommendations from your clients for the excellent service received for work undertaken by our legal teams.
Dean Parnell is recognised as “very experienced and sensible; ...calm and reassuring, firm but not aggressive and tactically astute negotiator who secures good deals for his client’ and ‘…strong on shareholder disputes and claims relating to directors’.
Karen Moores, Head of the Family Team, is recognised for her ‘compassionate’ and ‘understanding’ manner.
Leading Midlands Law firm Sydney Mitchell is ranked in 13 Legal 500 categories and won Birmingham Law Firm of the Year 2018.
END
Legal 500 information links are included below:
West Midlands: Dispute resolution
Commercial litigation: Birmingham - ranked: tier 4
Sydney Mitchell LLP is ‘very strong’, and for some ‘probably the best in central Birmingham outside the large national and international firms’. The practice handles a range of matters, many of which with fraud elements, with clients ranging from international businesses, trade bodies, regional businesses and individual executives. Dean Parnell, whose expertise includes acting as a supervising solicitor for court-ordered searches, on top of being ‘very experienced and sensible: he is calm and reassuring, firm but not aggressive, and a tactically astute negotiator who secures good deals for his clients’, is ‘particularly strong on shareholder disputes and claims relating to directors’ – he represented a foreign company on recovery of losses from director-level frauds. Kamal Majevadia acted for an engineering company concerning unpaid invoices for engine components – he also handles cases concerning alleged fraud.
Debt recovery - ranked: tier 3
Sydney Mitchell LLP ’s workload includes a number of matters acting for finance providers concerning lending secured on residential property, plus matters concerning social care fees, vehicle finance and unpaid invoices. Kam Majevadia heads the practice, with solicitor Hayley-Jo Lockley a name of note below partner level. Gemma Parker is a key legal executive. Clients include West Bromwich Commercial.
West Midlands: Finance
Insolvency and corporate recovery - ranked: tier 3
Sydney Mitchell LLP's Leanne Schneider-Rose advised an insolvency practitioner on gaining access to and possession of a sports and leisure club, and handled several cases concerning the sales of care homes from administration. Section 216 cases and personal bankruptcy are also areas of expertise.
West Midlands: Human resources
Employment - ranked: tier 5
Sydney Mitchell LLP is 'a solid, well respected team' that is 'a very popular locally' with 'a reputation that is growing nationally'. Dean Parnell leads the team and is 'very popular with clients', and has 'a "can-do" attitude'. He has a broad expertise in employment, and acts on behalf of employers and very senior employees. Also recommended is solicitor Samantha Glynn, who specialises in contentious issues.
West Midlands: Insurance
Clinical negligence: claimant - ranked: tier 3
Sydney Mitchell LLP handle a range of clinical negligence claims, with 'an approach to client care that is second to none'. Mike Sutton heads up the team and 'very well respected locally'. He is assisted by senior personal injury executive David Lydon, Adam Hodson and Stephen Jesson.
Personal injury: claimant
Personal injury: claimant - ranked: tier 4
Sydney Mitchell LLP is 'a small team that has built up considerable experience', whose 'approach to client care is second to none'. Mike Sutton leads the team and is 'very well respected locally within the profession'. He specialises in handling road and work accidents, and recently represented a client who suffered from complex regional pain syndrome due to falling from a ladder. David Lydon recently joined the firm from Pearson Rowe Incorporating Springthorpes and has a similar focus on work and road accidents. He recently acted for an individual who required amputation to due to injuries suffered by his fingers while at work. Also recommended is solicitor Adam Hodson.
Professional negligence - ranked: tier 4
Sydney Mitchell LLP 's litigation team is highly active in professional negligence cases, most notable against in the areas of legal services and construction. Sundeep Bilkhu is a key figure with extensive experience in negligence relating to property transactions.
West Midlands: Private client
Contentious trusts and probate - ranked: tier 1
Sydney Mitchell LLP
The 'driven' and 'professional' Sydney Mitchell LLP is led by Kamal Majevadia who is a 'caring, straight-to-the-point person' who 'tells it like it is' and 'manages your expectations'. He is particularly known for disputes on estates with a cross-border or commercial aspect. Shirley-based Tracy Creed is also a key figure, with notable strengths in probate, trusts and estate planning.
Family: Birmingham - ranked: tier 3
Sydney Mitchell LLP
The 'excellent' Sydney Mitchell LLP focuses on complex matrimonial disputes and childcare arrangements. Karen Moores is a key contact and is known for her 'compassionate' and 'understanding' manner. Mauro Vinti is also recommended and advises on all aspects on relationship breakdowns.
Personal tax, trusts and probate - ranked: tier 2
The 'excellent' Sydney Mitchell LLP is particularly strong in dealing with elderly client issues, with additional expertise in wills and estate planning, powers of attorney and administration work. Tracy Creed leads the team and has extensive experience in probate and trust matters. Also recommended is Shirley based solicitor Nicholas Bennett , who focuses on will and probate issues, and solicitor Ravinder Sandhu, who is experienced in wills, trusts and probate issues.
West Midlands: Public sector
Health - ranked: tier 3
Sydney Mitchell LLP focuses on GP mergers, disputes, leasing and tax issues. Fahmida Ismail leads the team and is heavily involved in property and finance matters pertaining to GPs and medical practices. Consultant solicitor Tony Harris is active on Primary Care Commissioning and extending existing GP premises. Consultant solicitor Dean Parnell works on commercial disputes and employment issues.
West Midlands: Real estate
Commercial property: Birmingham - ranked: tier 5
Sydney Mitchell LLP’s team handles a range of multimillion-pound deals. Consultant Georgina Walsh in Shirley handles work concerning purchases and sales of development sites... At partner level Div Singh , who is based in Birmingham, also handles buy-side deals, often involving title issues. Fahmida Ismail is also a key contact.
Property litigation - ranked: tier 5
Sydney Mitchell LLP
At Sydney Mitchell LLP, associate Sundeep Bilkhu handles a range of commercial property disputes, frequently acting for landlords. Highlights include representation of a landlord in a dispute over the unauthorised removal of a stud wall, which was initially thought to have caused £30,000 of damage but triggered a subsequent order from the local authority to demolish and replace the buildings. Other work concerns boundary restrictive covenant disputes and Party Wall Act matters. In Shirley, Kam Majevadia handles trespass to land matters concerning residential developments, including Court of Appeal cases.
Further information on Sydney Mitchell LLP
Please choose from this list to view details of what Legal 500 say about Sydney Mitchell LLP in other jurisdictions.
West Midlands
Offices in Birmingham, Shirley, and Sheldon
- Dispute resolution : Commercial litigation: Birmingham
- Dispute resolution : Debt recovery
- Finance : Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Human resources : Employment
- Insurance : Clinical negligence: claimant
- Insurance : Personal injury: claimant
- Insurance : Professional negligence
- Private client : Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client : Family: Birmingham
- Private client : Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Public sector : Health
- Real estate : Commercial property: Birmingham
- Real estate : Property litigation
Our lawyers are recommended in The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2018 editorial (listed below)
WEST MIDLANDS
Dispute resolution - Commercial litigation - Birmingham
- Dean Parnell
- Kamal Majevadia
Dispute resolution - Debt recovery
- Kamal Majevadia
- Hayley-Jo Lockley
- Gemma Parker
Finance - Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Leanne Schneider-Rose
Human resources - Employment
- Dean Parnell
- Samantha Glynn
Insurance - Clinical negligence - claimant
- Mike Sutton
- David Lydon
- Adam Hodson
-Stephen Jesson
Insurance - Personal injury - claimant
- Mike Sutton
- David Lydon
- Adam Hodson
Insurance - Professional negligence
- Sundeep Bilkhu
Private client - Contentious trusts and probate
- Kamal Majevadia (leading individual)
- Tracy Creed
Private client - Family - Birmingham
- Karen Moores
- Mauro Vinti
Private client - Personal tax, trusts and probate
-Tracy Creed ~
- Nicholas Bennett
- Ravinder Sandhu
Public sector - Health
- Dean Parnell
- Fahmida Ismail
- Tony Harris (Deceased)
Real estate - Commercial property - Birmingham
- Georgina Walsh
- Div Singh
- Fahmida Ismail
Real estate - Property litigation
- Sundeep Bilkhu
- Kamal Majevadia
To ensure the administration of justice during these unprecedented times, the Master of the Rolls, who is a judge of the court of appeal, has created a new Practice Direction which came into force on 27 March 2020.
The new addition, PD 51Z, places a stay of 90 days on all proceedings brought under CPR Part 55 including the enforcement of any order for possession already held, whether by warrant or writ. The stay expires on 24 June 2020 however PD 51Z does not cease to have effect until 30 October 2020 allowing the possibility of further stays.
Shortly before the creation of the new PD the Financial Conduct Authority issued guidance to regulated lenders, which was also echoed to unregulated lenders. The guidance is to be reviewed 3 months from 23 March 2020 (being the date of the guidance being issued) and provides that where a borrower is experiencing or suggests he/she will experience difficulties in making payments, a 3 month payment holiday should be offered. A lender is to ensure that the borrower is fully aware of the implications of a mortgage holiday i.e. that interest will continue to run.
The FCA has also told lenders that they should not commence or continue possession proceedings within the 3 month period, irrespective of the stage of any ongoing proceedings and such stay includes any steps taken in pursuit of possession. Similar to the offer of a payment holiday, the lender is guided to inform any borrowers in default of payment terms of the implications of possession proceedings not being issued i.e the increase in default interest and the impact that it will have on available equity in the property.
Whether you are a lender or a borrower and require advice or guidance please contact Gemma Parker on 0121 698 2200 or email g.parker@sydneymitchell.co.uk.
The government announced on Saturday 28 March a relaxation of the Insolvency Rules to assist struggling business during the coronavirus.
Such measures will include changes to assist companies undergoing rescue or restructure to continue trading giving them help to try and avoid insolvency; these changes will enable companies to continue buying supplies such as utilities and raw materials while attempting a rescue and there will be a temporary suspension of the wrongful trading provisions (so where directors should not normally continue to incur debt when they know or ought to know that the company is insolvent and incurring personal liability if they do so). This suspension of the wrongful trading provisions will have retrospective effect from the 1 March 2020 and will run for 3 months to provide company directors with some breathing space to allow them to keep trading without the threat of this personal liability.
It is hoped that this will provide businesses with much needed help to keep going during these unprecedented difficult times.
Should you require legal insolvency advice for your business or for you personally please contact Leanne Schneider-Rose on 0121 698 2200 or email l.schneider-rose@sydneymitchell.co.uk
Focus has been on the sales of toilet paper, hand sanitiser and self-isolation, but consideration had to be given to the overall affect that the virus was having on businesses themselves and the potential risks to businesses facing a downturn in work.
Clients had contracts cancelled/postponed during their usual busy period, which meant that they had to question what they do with all of their employees who were still expecting to come into work and be paid, when they had no work. So whilst advice on issues such as self-isolation and dependant leave was vital, no-one had addressed the question as to what happens to employees if businesses have a downturn in work.
Businesses will need to review their employment contracts to see whether they have clauses allowing them to either lay off employees or place their employees on short-time working during any downturn in business.
Laying off employees means that the employer provides employees with no work (and no pay) for a period while retaining them as employees and short-time working means providing employees with less work (and less pay) for a period while retaining them as employees. This is a temporary solution to the problem of no work or less work saving the employer money during an unexpected downturn in its business or unforeseen circumstances such coronavirus.
If the employment contract contains an express clause permitting lay-off or short-time working, then the employer will be entitled to exercise this right. However, if there is no such term in the employees’ contract and the employer does this, then this will constitute a breach of contract entitling the employee to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal or remain in employment and claim unlawful deduction from wages in the Employment Tribunal.
However to avoid this, the Government has put in place a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme under which, all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those affected by lay off or even redundancy during this crisis.
To access the scheme, employers will need to designate those affected employees as “furloughed workers”, keep the employee on the payroll, but the employee will not be able to undertake any work for the employer whilst they are furloughed. This will enable the employer to claim a grant of up to 80% of the employees wage for all employment costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. This scheme will be in place for at least 3 months from 1 March 2020, but it will be extended if necessary.
It is advisable that businesses should use this as an opportunity to review their policies, procedures and employment contracts to ensure that they are covered for the future.
Link here also to Government information pages
For help on this or other related Employment Law matter, please contact Emma-Louise Hewitt on 0808 166 8827 or email Emma at e.hewitt@sydneymitchell.co.uk
Sydney Mitchell is there for you, your families and your business
There are many challenges ahead for you, your families, our businesses and our people.
During the fight against the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) the Government is asking everyone to help and that means working and supporting you differently.
We are here for you when you need us. Our lawyers are working sensibly at home or in the office when strictly necessary to maintain business as usual wherever possible.
Protecting you - We have taken the very difficult decision to suspend all face-to-face meetings with our clients at our offices. We are able to support you over the phone, by video conference if required. We will continue to update our website with news and changes as they occur.
Thank you for your understanding in what is an unprecedented and constantly changing situation.
Contact us on your usual contact numbers at Sydney Mitchell or call 0808 166 8827 or by email: enquiries@sydneymitchell.co.uk
If you are a business owner, HR manager/professional or business adviser this interactive and helpful discussion is a must for you!
Work Related Stress – The Risk for Employers
Come along to join us for coffee and pastries where we will be looking at:
- What the risks are to your business
- How to protect your business
- The right documentation to have in place
We will highlight the key risk areas and minimise the risk of claims against you and your business by giving you practical steps to follow when managing this tricky situation.
It will be a jam packed morning covering:
- What is work-related stress and why is it such an important issue
- Employers obligations
- Employment documentation
- Health and safety issues of stress at work
- Potential claims including discrimination
- What employers can do to reduce stress in the workplace
- Managing stress-related sickness absence
Let Emma-Louise Hewitt, Head of Employment Law at Sydney Mitchell give you the opportunity to discuss the key problems that you are facing in your business.
We are sure you will find this event of interest. Book now to attend this FREE event. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Linda or Aniqa events@sydneymitchell.co.uk
We do hope you can join us
SHORTLISTED IN THREE CATEGORIES IN THE BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY AWARDS 2020
Sydney Mitchell LLP, Top Tier Legal 500 Law Firm, has been short-listed for three Awards in the Birmingham Law Society Awards:
- Sydney Mitchell for Law Firm of the Year (Regional Law Firm)
- Karen Moores for Partner of the Year
- Excellence in Client Service - Business Clients for the Dispute Resolution Team
Senior Partner, Karen Moores commented:
I am so proud that the firm has been shortlisted in the awards, together with our Dispute Resolution Team and myself as Partner of the Year.
We have seen great investment in the firm over the past 2 years and are proud to see the firm shortlisted in three categories in the 2020 Birmingham Law Society Awards.
It is fantastic that the firm, partners and staff have been recognised for the quality of work both individuals and teams provide for clients. It truly reflects the high calibre and dedication staff give to the firm and its clients.
Sydney Mitchell LLP’s specialist teams include employment, commercial property, company and commercial services, litigation and insolvency. Private client teams include family law, residential property, dispute resolution, immigration and wills and probate, tax and trusts and personal injury.
For more details about the awards - https://birminghamlawsociety.co.uk/legal-awards/the-shortlist-2020/
If you would like help on any legal matters, please call 0121 698 2200 or email enquiries@sydneymitchell.co.uk or fill in our online enquiry form.
COPY OF LIST FROM THE LAW SOCIETY WEBSITE…
THE BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY AWARDS 2020 SHORTLIST
The judges were very impressed with the calibre of nominees and the quality of work being done in Birmingham.
PARTNER OF THE YEAR
Martino Giaquinto – Mills & Reeve LLP
Kirsty McEwen – Higgs & Sons
Karen Moores – Sydney Mitchell LLP
Richard Morgan – Harrison Clark Rickerbys
Clive Read – VWV
Emma Rush – Irwin Mitchell LLP
EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT SERVICE - BUSINESS CLIENTS
Funding and Finance – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Real Estate Team – DLA Piper UK LLP
DWF International Arbitration and Litigation – DWF Law LLP
Family Team – Harrison Clark Rickerbys – Birmingham
Employment Team – Irwin Mitchell LLP
Dispute Resolution Team – Sydney Mitchell LLP
LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR (REGIONAL)
Enoch Evans LLP
QualitySolicitors Davisons
Sydney Mitchell LLP
The Wilkes Partnership
Other awards …
TRAINEE SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR
Anna Dearden – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Mischa Howell – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Demi Hughes – Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP
Jastinder Samra – Mills & Reeve LLP
Rachel Sutcliffe – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
PARALEGAL OF THE YEAR
Jess Allan – Irwin Mitchell LLP
Rebecca Kennedy – Pinsent Masons LLP
Isha Khatun – Shoosmiths LLP
Emily Morris – DWF Law LLP
Marie Newton – Irwin Mitchell LLP
BARRISTER OF THE YEAR
Esther Gamble – No5 Chambers
Jason Hadden – St Ives Chambers
Elizabeth Isaacs QC – St Ives Chambers
Vanessa Meachin – 3PB
Iqbal Mohammed – St Philips Chambers
EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT SERVICE - PRIVATE CLIENTS
Private Client Team – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Clinical Negligence – Irwin Mitchell LLP
Personal Advisory Division – Shoosmiths LLP
VWV Private Client team – VWV
Wills, Trusts, Estates & Court of Protection – Weightmans LLP
LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR (NATIONAL)
DWF Law LLP
Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
Gateley Legal
Pinsent Masons LLP
Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP
BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY PRO BONO AWARD
Birmingham Legal Advice Clinic – Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP, Bevan Brittan, Gowling WLG
The Litigation Programme – The University of Law
Emma Hardman – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Mischa Howell – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Nadine Mansell – Capsticks Solicitors LLP
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Michelle Blackwell – Bevan Brittan LLP
Laura Brown – Irwin Mitchell LLP
Aimee Haden – Bevan Brittan LLP
Brogan Maxwell – Irwin Mitchell LLP
Beth Walters – Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR
Kishma Bolaji – Shoosmiths LLP
Christina Georgiou – Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP
Simon Grimshaw – Hogan Lovells International LLP
Alice Kinder – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Samantha Miller – Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR (SOLE PRACTITIONERS AND FIRMS UP TO 5 PARTNERS)
Adcocks Solicitors Limited
Averta Employment Lawyers
KJ Conroy & Co
TRP Solicitors
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