And the North East community is winning too.
There are times in life when it’s nice to be given a pat on the back for a job well done. A letter of thanks from a client always goes down well. A bottle of bubbly is even better!!
However, when you are lauded by your fellow peers, it is particularly heart-warming because the people who are bound to be the most critical are those who do a similar job. They know where to look for faults. They appreciate the amount time and effort which can be required.
In that case, everyone at North East based law firm Emmersons Solicitors must be feeling chuffed at the moment because they’re collecting prestigious awards like confetti.
Latest awards to be sitting on their mantelpiece are Private Client Team of the Year awarded at the British Wills and Probate Awards……Small Law Firm of the Year, awarded at the Law Society Excellence Awards…and for founding partner Jacqueline Emmerson, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Wearside Women in Business awards.
Praise indeed.
“When I founded the company over twenty years ago, I wanted to build a team who have the same values as me,” says Jacqueline. “The awards are a reflection, not only of the work we do and the results we obtain, but also of how the team works together. I know they feel a sense of pride when we collect an award.”
As with all awards, it’s important to look at why the award was given.
The Private Client Team of the Year award….(the important word is ‘team’)…was won largely for the work Emmersons do within the community. For example they work closely with the LGBTQ+ community to provide advice and guidance for clients. Several of the Emmersons team volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme which aims to transform the way people think about dementia.
“We help mainly in the Gosforth area of Newcastle,” adds Jacqueline. “We try to bring the community together and raise awareness about dementia. We visit other businesses like restaurants, cafes, estate agents, travel agents etc, to explain how they can help people with dementia and what to look for.”
It’s certainly worth pointing out that this award is the Blue Riband award for Wills and Probate with smaller companies like Emmersons Solicitors up against multinational firms and banks. Being nominated was an achievement….winning is fantastic. Put it this way; these awards are so often won by London based companies, so Jacqueline and her team have really put North East solicitors on the map. Well done.
Jacqueline is one the most experienced solicitors in the region. Such is her standing within the profession that she was one of the first and youngest members of the Law Society’s specialist Family Law Panel. She was also a member of Resolution and a trained Collaborative Family Lawyer.
However, as you can see from what she has achieved to raise awareness of dementia, she is heavily involved in charity work. The Lifetime Achievement Award at the Wearside Women in Business awards was down to her efforts with the Armed Forces charity, SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen’s Family Association). She’s been helping the organisation for over twenty years aiming to raise awareness about the needs of serving and ex-serving personnel, especially in the area of PTSD.
“Social responsibility is something that everyone at Emmersons Solicitors is aware of. When I founded the company my first office was in Sunderland. Sunderland is a key recruitment area for the Armed Forces. For example the Remembrance Sunday service in Sunderland is the biggest outside of London. Consequently we have a lot of Sunderland and North East personnel in the Forces and some of them can find themselves in legal difficulty. They can easily lose their livelihood. We try to help and regularly negotiate with senior officers to try and resolve the problem. Remember, if a solider is in trouble, this can have a knock-on effect for their family.”
In other words, Emmersons Solicitors are winners….and they’re also helping our communities here in the North East. The last 18 months have been difficult times for a lot of people. It is therefore wonderful to report on a win-win story. Or in the case of Emmersons Solicitors….a win, win, win story.
And that’s official.
