This year marked our 140th in business and although a lot has changed in that time we are glad to still be here serving the people of Teesside. We are proud of our traditional heritage and whilst many things are different from the way we operated back in 1877 we continue to work to high standards and put our clients first.
This has been our first full year at our new head office in Ingleby Barwick which gives us a new hub for clients to access all of our services. With free parking and conference facilities, the feedback from clients has been strong, and the team is enjoying working more closely together. We remain committed to providing accessible legal services to the people of Teesside and continue to serve clients in Coulby Newham and central Middlesbrough at our small office on Borough Road (by appointment only).
In 2017 we have welcomed several new faces to the team. Pat Mellish joined us as Associate Solicitor and Head of the Wills, Probate and Trusts department in August, bringing over 30 years of experience with her. Pat has worked on some complex cases in her career and her legal expertise has proved valuable in leading and supporting her department. She has been a significant addition to the Punch Robson team.
Other new members of the team include Mike Cattermole, Wills & Probate Solicitor, joining in April and Louise Shaw who joined our Family Law and Mental Health team in June, just a few weeks after graduating with a degree in Law from Teesside University. We were also pleased to have Bethany Tilley and Joshua Butterwick join us in September as trainees and they will both work in various departments before they qualify in 2019.
Elaine McLaine-Wood was President of the Tees Valley Law Society ending her term of office in July 2017, which meant that she had the pleasure of representing the profession and also hosting the annual ball in March – a great night for all who attended.
We are proud to see our team continue to build legal expertise. Earlier in the year Joanne Bland progressed to the role of Paralegal within our Corporate & Commercial department after 11 years working for Punch Robson and is now working hard towards completing her exams. Our Family Solicitor, Julie Brown, passed her mental health accreditation, joining Graeme & Rachael on the panel representing clients at tribunals. Tyler Plunkett was the 2017 winner of our annual student prize bursary. Winning this prize allowed the Teesside University Law student to provide support to members of the public via the Teesside Law Clinic a month early.
Throughout the year we have continued to provide support to the charities we work with closely. As ‘Dementia Champions’ Rachael and Mike have run sessions to create ‘Dementia Friends’ across Teesside. As long-term Corporate Supporters of the Butterwick Hospice we have contributed a donation and enjoyed attending their corporate networking events. We also give our support to local autism charity, Daisychain, of which Managing Partner Elaine McLaine-Wood is a trustee. In addition we have observed calendar events such as the Alzheimer’s Society’s Cupcake Day, Dementia Friendly Awareness Week and Macmillan’s coffee morning.
We end 2017 feeling positive about the upcoming new year, and looking forward to working with and representing clients old and new, together with our many intermediaries. If you feel that you might need our help, don’t hesitate to get in touch – either by phoning on 01642 754050, dropping us an email on enquiries@punchrobson.co.uk or popping in to either of our main offices at Ingleby Barwick and Coulby Newham.
