Punch Robson Solicitors are proud to announce the appointment of Elaine McLaine-Wood to the position of Managing Partner effective from 1st October 2016. The appointment of Elaine, who has been a Partner at the firm since 2006, is another important step in the development of Punch Robson, one of the largest Teesside-based firms of Solicitors.
Punch Robson is not your stereotypical old-fashioned law firm. Despite being one of the oldest in Teesside as it approaches its 140th anniversary next year, it continues to move forward with a friendly team of solicitors covering branches in Middlesbrough and Ingleby Barwick.
Since Elaine joined Punch Robson as Head of the Corporate & Commercial department she has overseen its tripling in size and has been a key part in re-establishing this important side of the firm as one of the leading forces in the area.
Elaine brings a wealth of experience and great connections across Teesside and the North East to her role. As President of the Tees Valley Law Society and an active member of the Board of Trustees at autism charity Daisy Chain, Elaine isn’t just committed to growth and progress at Punch Robson Solicitors. In fact, Elaine plans to continue the firm’s commitment to the local area through the current support that they give to the vulnerable people living in Teesside. The firm stands out for being one of few local firms that continues to provide Legal Aid wherever they can and they also work closely with the Law Clinic at Teesside University and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau to help make legal advice accessible to everyone.
Punch Robson is also one of few of firms in the area to have a specialist Mental Health & Capacity department and they consider it an important part of the work that they do to represent clients who are living with mental health problems. Earlier this year the firm celebrated its achievement in becoming certified as Dementia Friendly and it is hoped that this acknowledgement will help suffers of the disease to be able to approach the legal help that they need with confidence. Elaine said “It continues to be our priority to put our customers first and it is important to us that anyone who needs legal advice is able to receive the appropriate support.”
Another key part of the firm’s ongoing success is the commitment they have to investing in the future generation of local solicitors. Each year they offer an opportunity for a young graduate to train with them and they currently have two aspiring solicitors on the team who hope to qualify within the next year. It gives Punch Robson great pride that three of their current Partners; John Wilkin, Katherine Eaton and Graeme Downs, began their careers with the firm as trainee’s.
The Punch Robson team are proud of all that they have achieved in recent years and Elaine is very much enjoying her new role in leading the firm as it continues to grow its roots in Teesside.
