Brabners pledges support to Crisis for 2016

L-R: Hayley Watson, Rebecca
Benbow, Lucie Osborne, Laura Kent,
Rupert Jackson, Amanda Morris,
Alis Fray (Crisis), Jayne Croft
and Lorraine Turner

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Commercial law firm Brabners has nominated Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, as its chosen charity for 2016.

The charity works to end homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.

Crisis was chosen by employees following a vote; Brabners has a dedicated charity committee who will organise fundraising events over the coming year, although fundraising began before Christmas, when staff raised over £3,550 to support the Crisis at Christmas campaign.

Forthcoming events in the calendar include the Charity Challenge, an action-packed weekend of canoeing, cycling and hill climbing in the Lake District where teams from different companies across the North West compete to finish the course in the fastest time.

There is also the return of ‘The Big Idea’, an apprentice-style contest involving one team from each of the firm’s offices competing against each other to raise money for the charity. Staff will also be encouraged to volunteer and participate in charity collections and events.

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Crisis during 2016. Our CSR programme is thriving – all at Brabners are very keen to support charitable endeavours. We are looking forward to getting involved in a wide range of volunteering and fundraising activities to raise both money and the profile of the charity across the region.”

Crisis helps people rebuild their lives through housing, health, education and employment services and works with thousands of homeless people across the UK.

Kate Farrell, Director of Crisis Skylight Merseyside, added: “We are delighted to have been chosen as Brabners’ Charity of the Year for 2016. With their help, thousands of homeless people will come to Crisis to learn, find jobs and build confidence; helping them to leave homelessness behind for good. We would like to thank everyone at Brabners for their generous support and we look forward to working with them throughout the year.”

Last year, the firm raised over £24,800 for its chosen charity for 2015, Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Thirteen lawyers promoted at Brabners

L-R: Mark Brandwood,
Leanne Murray, Adrian Rogers
and Richard Hough.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners have announced the promotion of three Partners, six Senior Associates and four Associates across the firm.

Adrian Rogers (Corporate), Richard Hough (Commercial) and Leanne Murray (Real Estate) have all joined the partnership; Leanne has also been appointed as Head of Residential Development.

Corporate lawyer Adrian Rogers qualified with the firm in 2004 and has extensive experience in MBOs, MBIs, acquisitions, disposals, venture capital, corporate insolvency and corporate reorganisations.

Richard Hough is a commercial and intellectual property lawyer, who has particular expertise in healthcare regulatory matters and EU public procurement law. Richard is dual-qualified as a solicitor and pharmacist and leads the firm’s healthcare team, which advises numerous clients operating in the healthcare sector.

Leanne Murray will lead a team of eight and advises on residential development acquisitions and disposals with particular expertise in dealing with development constraints.

In addition, the following lawyers have all been promoted to Senior Associate: Iain Gamble and Kevin Manley (Real Estate), Jack Froggatt, Phil Steele and Simon Morris (Dispute Resolution), and Sue Mackintosh (Private Client).

Catherine Fearon (Housing & Regeneration), Gary Duffy (Dispute Resolution), Graeme Hughes (Charity) and Michael Winder (Commercial) have become Associates.

Mark Brandwood, Brabners’ Managing Partner, commented: “The appointments enhance the firm’s capabilities in core practice areas and growth sectors. These individuals have shown themselves to be excellent lawyers and strong and consistent contributors from a business development perspective. I am confident that they will seize the opportunity these promotions give them to have an even greater personal impact on the success of the firm, and further develop their careers in the future.”

Brabners to establish Waterloo Uncovered as a registered charity

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

The charity team at Brabners have been appointed to establish Waterloo Uncovered as a registered charity.

Waterloo Uncovered is a ground breaking archaeology project which aims to explore the battlefield of Waterloo and reveal secrets that have been buried underground for 200 years.

While the Battle of Waterloo has been studied by generations of historians, it is the first major international archaeological project at the former battlefield using the latest technology and practices developed by conflict archaeologists.

Waterloo Uncovered has been developed by two soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, Major Charles Foinette, who currently serves with 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, and ex-serviceman Mark Evans. The project is also supported by a number of universities including Glasgow, Dundee, Gent and Utrecht, the Service Public de Wallonie and LP Archaeology.

The archaeology is led by Dr Tony Pollard, who heads the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at Glasgow University, and includes both professional archaeologists from across Europe and wounded veterans from recent military campaigns. The team has so far discovered coins, buttons, and English and French musket balls.

The aims of Waterloo Uncovered are to transform understanding of the Battle through archaeology as all findings will be made publicly available and to provide a unique opportunity for veterans to participate in an important dig and support those that are injured in their recovery.

Stephen Claus, Partner and Head of Charity and Social Enterprise at Brabners, commented: “Registration as a charity will enhance Waterloo Uncovered’s ability to raise funds from grant makers and others who as tax payers can use gift aid to increase the value of their gift, making even more cash available to fulfil the charity’s objects. Fascinating and incredibly interesting projects such as this do not come along everyday, and we are delighted Mark and his colleagues have chosen to use Brabners to help with registration which can be a daunting process, leaving the team free to concentrate on the project.”

Mark Evans, Project Co-ordinator of Waterloo Uncovered, added: “This is an exciting new chapter in the story of Waterloo Uncovered. Charity status will allow us to significantly increase the project’s reach; doing more archaeology and helping more soldiers and veterans. At such a significant juncture we are glad to be in the very capable hands of Brabners.”

For further information, visit www.waterloouncovered.com.

Brabners wins employment law award at Liverpool Legal Awards

L-R: Brendan McAleese, Stephen
Brodie, Nick Campbell, Elle Beatty,
Elizabeth Graham and Joseph
Shelston, all from the
employment law team at Brabners.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners has won the ‘Employment Law Award’ at Liverpool Law Society's Legal Awards 2015.

Brabners was one of three nominated firms to reach the shortlist in the employment law category, alongside Hill Dickinson and Morecrofts.

The independent judging panel said that Brabners has been a service provider in this area for many years, with both litigious and non-litigious advice, and it seemed that they had an innate understanding of clients’ employment and human resources needs and were able to bring an unrivalled breadth of experience to addressing those needs.

What impressed the panel in particular was the innovative approach to training which equipped not only Brabners’ staff as external lawyers to better serve their corporate client’s interests but the facilitation of greater understanding within the client organisation, with the Training Works and HR Works programmes.

Over 300 people attended the awards ceremony, held on Friday May 15 at the Crown Plaza hotel, Liverpool.

The ceremony recognised and celebrated the achievements of Liverpool Law Society's member law firms and individuals who have shown excellence in innovation or service, or made outstanding contribution to legal services

Nick Campbell, Head of Employment law at Brabners’ Liverpool office, commented: “We are delighted to win this award which acknowledges our innovative approach to supporting client’s businesses in addition to the high standard of legal services we provide.

“It is gratifying that the team’s hard work in creating what is now one of the largest specialist Employment and Pensions teams in the UK has been recognised in this way.

“My particular thanks goes to the many clients we act for both regionally and nationally; their continued support is very much appreciated.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, added: “This award is a testament to the hard work and talent of our employment team whose client service and quality legal advice continues to be recognised across the legal sector.”

Last year, Brabners was crowned employment team of the year at the Manchester Legal Awards 2014.

Emmaus Merseyside receives £3,000 from the North West Housing Conference

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Emmaus Merseyside has received a donation of £3,000 from the organisers of the North West Housing Conference, law firm Brabners and accountants and business advisors, Mitchell Charlesworth.

Emmaus Merseyside offers homeless people companionship, a place to live and work, and an opportunity to integrate back into mainstream society. There are currently 25 Emmaus communities across the UK, providing a home and meaningful work to around 623 formerly homeless people. Emmaus Merseyside is working to open an Emmaus community which will provide a home, as well as education, training and work to people who have experienced homelessness.

The donation came from profits raised by the conference and will be the first contribution to Emmaus Merseyside’s “Sponsor a Bed” campaign which will raise funds for working capital until their retail superstore generates sufficient income for the organisation to be sustainable in the longer term.

Alistair Fletcher, Partner at Brabners and head of one of the largest specialist housing and regeneration legal teams in the North West, commented: We are very pleased to have this opportunity to support Emmaus Merseyside and the unique service it will provide to local homeless people as it combines the provision of a shared home with the support, training and work that the “companions” need to return to normal life. It is great to see the residential facility nearing completion and the retail superstore already fully operational.”

Mitchell Charlesworth Partner and social housing specialist Paul Wainwright added: “Having visited the new site being developed by Emmaus Merseyside it is obvious that the services provided will be a tremendous addition to the area and we are pleased to have been able to help such a local charity providing much needed facilities.”

Nigel Mellor, chair of Emmaus Merseyside, said: “We really appreciate the contribution from the North West Housing Conference since it gets our “Sponsor a Bed” campaign off to a great start. There are several ways to back the campaign: making a financial contribution, donating furniture/household goods for sale in our superstore or offering other in-kind support. Our thanks to all those in the housing movement for their support.”

The North West Housing Conference was held towards the end of 2014 at Liverpool BT Convention Centre and attracted over 180 delegates from across the UK to hear from a range of experts who examined the economic realities facing the sector and considered the impact of spending cuts. The conference was chaired by Simon Nunn, Assistant Director of External Affairs and Members Relations at the National Housing Federation and keynote speakers included Ashwin Kumar, Director of Liverpool Economics, Professor Duncan Maclennan, Director of Scottish Cities Knowledge Centre and Centre for Housing Research at University of St Andrews, Bill Davies, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research, Dr Michael Birkett, Group Chief Executive of the Regenda Group and Julie Fadden, Chief Executive of South Liverpool Homes.

Social housing specialists also presented a series of workshops, offering practical advice on a range of topics specific to the sector including governance, housing management, risk and regulation.

Brabners and Mitchell Charlesworth hosted the conference with support from partners – Liverpool Mutual Homes, Plus Dane Group, The Riverside Group, Symphony Housing Group, The Regenda Group and Your Housing Group – and sponsors CDP Print Management and Procure Plus.

The thirteenth North West Housing Conference will take place again at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre on Thursday October 15 2015.

What next for employment law? Brabners looks at the key trends in the political manifestos

Joseph Shelston, Employment
Law Partner at Brabners.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

In just over one week, the polls will open for voting in what is expected to be one of the hardest-fought and hardest to call elections of recent decades.

Despite the huge uncertainty on the outcome, there are some surprisingly common themes when it comes to what the main parties see as key employment issues, says Joseph Shelston, Employment Law Partner at commercial law firm Brabners.

Employment issues have increasingly come to the foreground as the parties have tried to position themselves as being both good for business and a recovering economy and also the champion of the exploited and underpaid. Whatever the future government turns out to be we can expect to see a focus on job creation, increases to national minimum wage and living wage, the number of hours of free childcare expanded, additional paternity leave and a likely ban on exploitative zero hours contracts.

One new concept which has been presented to the electorate by the Conservatives is a proposal that workers who work for a “big company” (more than 250 employees) or within the public sector will be entitled to Volunteering Leave for three days per year, on full pay. Paid Volunteering Leave would be paid for by the employer. This idea will promote engagement between businesses and the not for profit sector and could be very popular with staff but obviously has an impact on productivity and costs to UK employers.

The country’s relationship with the European Union also looms large and leaves many big unknowns in terms of the future of employment law. Many key laws and regulations are based on EU directives and a decision to leave the EU could lead to wide scale revision of the UK’s employment law legislation.

Brabners HR Forum

Following the general election, Brabners is hosting a HR Forum which will look at the key employment law changes and whether zero hours contracts are likely to survive.

Brabners HR Forum is a networking group aimed at HR and operations managers, together with anyone who is responsible for managing people in their organisation.

Employment law specialists from the firm will consider the many unanswered questions in this unsettled time for employment law and offer strategic guidance for employers, business owners and HR professionals tasked with handling the changes.

The HR forum takes place between 08.00-09.45 on the following dates:

Tuesday May 12 at Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool

Wednesday May 13 at 55 King Street, Manchester

To register to attend, email events@brabners.com.

Brabners supports Liverpool Law School students in their annual Charity Law Moot Competition

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Students from the University of Liverpool met last night at the Liverpool offices of Brabners to participate in the fourth annual Charity Law Moot Competition.

A moot is a legal debate, based on a factual situation, where two teams of counsel, representing appellant and respondent, attempt to persuade the judges of the strength of their case by reference to legal authority. The moot problem is a pre-drafted factual situation in which a point or points of law are in dispute.

In this particular moot, the debate was around the legal definition of charity. The task of each team is to support the side of the argument with which it has been presented. This is done with reference to legal authority, such as case law or legislation.

The judges weigh up the arguments presented and question counsel during the course of their submissions. At the end of the moot, the judges give their judgement on the law and they also decide who is the winning team, in terms of mooting skills. In this competition, the judges also chose one overall winner, Mehr Nigar, whose prize is a week-long work placement at Brabners, to be taken up over the summer holidays. The winning team (the appellants) and the respondents team will all receive a small gift from Brabners to mark their overall achievement in the competition.

Professor Debra Morris, Director of the Charity Law & Policy Unit at the University praised the students, who are all currently in the second year of their studies, for their commitment, preparation and performances. She thanked the judges, Professor Warren Barr, Ms Charlotte Hood-Fedriksen, both of Liverpool Law School and Mr Stephen Claus, Partner and Head of Charity and Social Enterprise at Brabners. She also thanked Brabners for supporting the competition and for providing such a valuable prize. She said: “The experience gained from placements is invaluable for students.  The winner of last year’s competition went on to become a Regional Champion of the National Client Interviewing Competition in 2015.  I am sure that Mehr will equally benefit from her placement opportunity at Brabners.”

Stephen Claus of Brabners, sponsors of the University’s Charity Law & Policy Unit, said: “We are again delighted to show our support for the next generation of lawyers by offering a legal placement to the winning student.  We have been able to offer a placement now for several years in the area of Charity Law, something students appear to be very interested in taking up. Brabners is a strong supporter of the University of Liverpool, and in particular the Charity Law & Policy Unit’s work and we are proud to be able to continue to give it our support. Ranked as the North West’s leading charity law practice, we are naturally interested in supporting the research and activities undertaken by the Charity Law & Policy Unit, and remain very impressed with the achievements to date which seem to go from strength to strength under the leadership of Debra, Warren and their team.”

Brabners sponsors TEAM Member Of The Year award

L-R: Paul Chamberlain;
Mark Guest; and Liz Longman.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners sponsored the TEAM Member Of The Year award at the TEAM National Networking Conference for the second year in a row.

TEAM is the largest network of independent recruiters in the UK with currently over 500 locations.

Brabners has a well-established relationship with TEAM; in addition to being the network’s Principal Legal Advisor, the firm is regional advisor to the Midlands, North West, North East and South West England.

Each year, the members of TEAM cast a vote for TEAM Member Of The Year. This year, the award went to specialist manufacturing recruiter bbe Recruitment. Established in 1999, bbe Recruitment is run by its director Marc Anderson-Boyd, and operates both nationally and internationally, recruiting for the plastics, packaging, engineering, technical, financial and commercial sectors.

Liz Longman, managing director at TEAM, commented: “Some of the reasons given for bbe Recruitment winning were: ‘the strong TEAM ethic comes through from the business at all times’, ‘they rarely miss a meeting’, ‘they share business regularly’; ‘they are always ready to help’, and ‘the staff are really super, they have such a strong TEAM ethic and are always receptive and professional’.”

Paul Chamberlain, employment partner at Brabners, presented the award to Mark Guest of bbe Recruitment at the national networking event.

Paul said: “We were pleased to sponsor TEAM’s Member Of The Year award again, and would like to congratulate bbe Recruitment on its well-deserved win.”

Brabners launches Legal Property Solutions as an alternative to the court system

Rachel Watkin, Partner
at Brabners.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

Brabners have launched Legal Property Solutions, a service which offers legal resolutions for property disputes.

The creation of the resolution service follows the controversial rise in court fees which came into force sooner than had been previously expected on Monday March 9.

There is a real fear that the increase in fees will deny many smaller businesses and private individuals access to justice.

Through the introduction of Legal Property Solutions, Brabners offers an alternative for all potential litigators by enabling the parties involved to choose their own preferred method of resolving or determining a dispute.

The dispute can then be resolved quickly, confidentially and cost effectively.

The services on offer include Mediations, Indications on Paper, Hearings on Paper, Settlement Hearings and Live Hearings, all genuine alternatives to court.

To access this service, businesses and private individuals involved in a dispute can either contact Legal Property Solutions directly or through their own solicitors who will be able to assist and guide them through the process involved.

The idea for Legal Property Solutions was conceived by Brabners Partner Rachel Watkin and Senior Associate Karen Beddow on the evening that the proposed increase in Court fees was announced.

Rachel Watkin commented: “When I read the news, my first reaction was that it could be disastrous, not just for lawyers but many small businesses and private individuals who may now have difficulties in bringing claims.

“We believe that there is always a solution and the inception of Legal Property Solutions was the obvious way of safeguarding access to justice.”

Legal Property Solutions has the benefit of a number of highly qualified lawyers with specialist experience in resolving property disputes.

Led by Rachel Watkin, who sits as a Deputy District Judge, the team includes Jeff Lewis, also a Deputy District Judge and Mediator; Ian Alderson, Mediator; Helen Marriott, Arbitrator; and Stuart Irons and Karen Beddow, both property law experts.

Commenting on the launch of the service, Rachel added: “Although a number of professionals are now offering mediation or arbitration in light of the court fees increases, we are not aware of anyone who is offering a “one stop shop” for all types of property dispute resolution services and, certainly, not in a way that is truly accessible to all.

“Many businesses and individuals involved in a dispute have no idea of what arbitration and adjudication are.

“We have cut the formalities right down; there won’t be a need for formal pleadings, interim headings or detailed directions with this service.

“This will keep costs and time to a minimum enabling a matter to be fully resolved within a few weeks or days rather than months or years.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, explained: "This type of pro-active thinking and innovative initiative is exactly why Brabners excels in its field.

“We have some remarkably talented lawyers who will ensure dedicated handling of property dispute resolution matters to the benefit of all parties who chose to use the service.”

Brabners is hosting an event to formally introduce and celebrate the launch of Legal Property Solutions on Wednesday March 25 at Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, from 16.30-18.30, and anyone is invited to come along for a glass of wine, a short presentation and an opportunity to meet the legal experts.

Spaces for this free event are limited, so to register to attend please email events@brabners.com.

Brabners Boosts Property Solutions Team

L-R: Hannah Carter,
Rachel Watkin, Karen
Beddow and Heather Morris.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Brabners

North West law firm Brabners has boosted its Property Solutions team in Liverpool by appointing three solicitors.

The most recent recruit is Hannah Carter, who joins the firm from DWF LLP in Liverpool and has experience in resolving all aspects of property disputes including commercial, agricultural and residential matters.

Hannah’s appointment follows the arrival of Karen Beddow as Senior Associate; Karen previously worked at DWF LLP and Addleshaws and specialises in resolving retail property disputes, portfolio management issues and other claims arising from property transactions.

The third appointment is Heather Morris as Solicitor; Heather will advise on a wide range of property disputes, including high value professional negligence claims arising from real estate transactions.

Headed by Partner Rachel Watkin, the Property Solutions team sets itself apart from its competitors by offering and delivering a solutions based approach to disputes.

L-R: Rachel Watkin,
Heather Morris, Karen
Beddow and Hannah Carter.

The team offers a range of experience across the spectrum of property disputes in the commercial, residential and agricultural sectors.

Commenting on the appointments, Rachel Watkin said: “We pride ourselves on delivering a first rate service to our clients which, given the broad spectrum of experience within the team, results in the client having access to expertise at a level appropriate to the individual case which in turn results in effective costs management for the client and efficiency in the provision of legal advice.”

Although the team has been extremely busy over recent months, Rachel foresees them becoming even more so with the recent announcement of the court fees increase: “It is understood that the fees are likely to increase so significantly that it may place access to justice out of reach for many potential litigators.

“As such, parties may be more actively seeking a solution rather than litigation.”

Mark Brandwood, Managing Partner at Brabners, added: “The new recruits will be invaluable support for our busy real estate team across Brabners’ three offices in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston.”