On Thursday 22 October 2020, professionals from across the wills and probate sector came together to celebrate the successes and achievements of the industry is what has been a challenging year, at the British Wills and Probate Awards 2020.
The awards, which was back for it’s third year, took to the virtual stage and was hosted by ex-Royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, alongside headline sponsor Arken.legal (UK), and champagne sponsor Executor Solutions.
500 people watched the winning organisations take the crown this year. The full list of winners is available here. The online event is available to watch here.
Let’s hear from the Highly Commended Best Contentious Wills and Probate Team of the Year, Ashfords LLP
About the Best Contentious Wills and Probate Team of the Year Award
The team of the year dealing with disputes over Wills takes a pragmatic and personable approach to dealing with disagreements over Wills and the Probate proceedings that follow. Skilled litigators with a proven track record of success. This team will also be able to evidence a sensitive and client-centered approach to dealing with Contentious Probate issues.
The winner will be able to showcase a team-based approach to practicing with a diverse mix of team members bringing a variety of skills and experience to the team to produce a winning combination.
The winner of this award must:
- Demonstrate the ability to deliver high standards of service and support to clients. To include a description of how the team works in the best interests of the client in regard to this area of litigation.
- Show a transparent and clear approach to pricing and to explaining costs and fees to clients
- Have a proven track record of success in Contentious Wills and Probate work
- Describe their team approach to working with clients including the mix of skills available to the team
- Provide at least one short description of a case undertaken within the last 12 months that demonstrate the team’s approach to litigation of this type
Ashfords LLP were shortlisted alongside:
- Shoosmiths (Winner)
- Bolt Burdon
During the judging process, the judges decided that Ashfords LLP should be highly commended saying:
“The judging panel congratulated Ashfords LLP on the demonstration of their high level of client care and recognised that the team was worthy of being on the national stage.”
How did you feel being highly commended in the Best Contentious Wills and Probate Team of the Year award this year?
We were absolutely delighted – recognition in this category reflects the hard work that the team has put in over the last year and our reputation within the sector.
So, who are Ashfords LLP? What do you do?
Our team has grown over the last year and we anticipate further hires in the New Year. We provide a comprehensive suite of dispute resolution services in the contentious wills and trusts arena which, couple with our focus on litigation PR gives us a market leading edge.
How has your firm developed in the last 12 months and navigated the added complexity of the coronavirus pandemic?
Thankfully, our IT systems are extremely robust which meant that we could switch to home working very easily and it has not impacted to any real extent on the services that we offer to our clients – clearly we would all prefer to be in the office and able to interact with our colleagues, so it has been tough from that perspective and we now have the facility to do this on a limited basis while at the same time maintaining adequate social distancing.
What’s next on the cards for you?
Over the next couple of years we place to enhance our Contentious Court of Protection offering while at the same time growing our portfolio of charity clients. Working with more Trust Corporations, large accountancy firms that offer non-contentious probate services to their clients, and with law firms that don’t have our expertise are also on our lists of things to achieve.
What advice would you give someone thinking of joining the Wills and Probate sector?
Certainly from a contentious probate perspective the sector is dynamic and provides interesting and challenging opportunities for lawyers entering the field. The complexity and high value of many of the cases we handle is a tempting prospect and there is never a dull day.
Why is the British Wills and Probate Awards event, which recognises excellence and highlights achievements in the industry, so important to the industry, especially this year?
It represents the best in our industry and is becoming a truly aspirational award which is widely recognised – firms receiving an award have the edge from a marketing perspective in what is an increasingly crowded market-place with few real differentiators.
Lastly, a big well-done for getting the awards ceremony off the ground this year and a huge vote of thanks should go to Jennie Bond who did a great job in really difficult circumstances.
Everyone at Today’s Wills and Probate congratulates all those who were shortlisted in this year’s awards.
More information about the British Wills and Probate Awards can be found here.
