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 Best Contentious Wills & Probate Team Award winner, Shoosmiths
About the Best Contentious Wills & Probate Team 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 explain 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 across the team
- Provide at least one short description of a case undertaken within the last 12 months that demonstrates the team’s approach to litigation of this type.
Shoosmiths were shortlisted alongside:
- Ashfords (Highly Commended)
- Bolt Burdon
During the judging process, the judges decided that Shoosmiths were the worthy winners saying:
“Plenty of evidence in this submission of Shoosmith’s ability to get to the heart and solve complex problems, in an efficient and compassionate way.”
How did you feel winning the Best Contentious Wills & Probate Team Award this year?
We are very excited to win. We are relatively new as a team, but we bring together a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and talent, and we are still growing. We love what we do, and being recognised as the Best Contentious Wills & Probate Team is the icing on the cake: it’s a huge achievement, and one that we are very proud of.
So, who are Shoosmiths? What do you do?
Shoosmiths has offices across the country, with our Disputed Wills and Trusts teams based in Reading, Birmingham and Manchester. We have two partners – National Head Adam Draper and Head of Charities Angela Bowman. Tara McInnes heads up the Thames Valley arm. Then there’s Mandeep Chima, Andrew Bishop, Kelly Carr and Hollie Richardson.
Our collegiate approach and breadth of experience mean we can offer cost effective help with all types of contentious probate work – validity disputes, Inheritance Act claims, executor disputes, rectification and construction, statutory wills, trust disputes, and professional negligence claims in relation to trusts and from high-value knotty trust tangles to low value estates with straightforward assets.
Our clients’ experience is paramount and we strive to deliver excellent client service. We are expert, unflappable, pro-active, and pragmatic: encouraging parties to resolve disputes through mediation wherever possible.
How has your firm developed in the last 12 months and navigated the added complexity of the coronavirus pandemic?
We are very proud of how Shoosmiths has adapted. We were already used to agile working so that aspect was relatively pain free. Internal meetings have gone online and increased in frequency so we all feel connected, with regular updates from the Operations Board. We are embracing the reduced need to use paper and travel to and between offices to improve employee experience and reduce our carbon footprint.
The firm’s “Shared and Halved” campaign launched after lockdown supported clients across all divisions of the firm, together with a dedicated Coronavirus hub on our website with information and articles. Our most popular article was the Court of Protection team’s on shopping for the vulnerable. We ran a series of webinars offering the opportunity for informed discussion when everything was very newly strange, including a virtual roundtable discussion with Thomas Dumont QC and James Warner of Halcyon Doctors discussing the impact of lockdown on contentious probate disputes and carrying out capacity assessments.
As the pandemic progressed and mindset shifted, we launched “The New How” campaign, again across the firm. These campaigns promote collaboration with clients, between different teams and divisions in the firm as we navigate new ways of working, allowing industry leading support and service to our clients.
We have had huge success as a team with virtual mediations – our first virtual mediation took place 7 days into lockdown! Logistics are more easily agreed now that travel has been removed from the equation.
What’s next on the cards for you?
We remain focussed on meeting our clients’ needs: embracing the new way of working to offer cost effective, expert advice and resolution.
What advice would you give someone thinking of joining the Wills and Probate sector?
You will never be bored as no two days are the same – it is such an interesting area of law. At its heart are people dealing with emotional distress and often, financial difficulty. Managing your client’s case calls for compassion, as clients are grieving and there is often a family dispute. Each client needs to tell you their story and to feel heard. It might not be relevant to the legal issues, but it is important in order to understand, support and build a relationship with the client.
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?
Wills and probate, including the contentious side, is a hugely competitive sector with relevance for every individual. We know that navigating the options, identifying what one needs and who can provide it can feel overwhelming. BWPA recognition offers independent quality assurance. This year above all others, our own and our loved ones’ vulnerability and mortality have been brought into sharp focus. Covid-19 has made us all acutely aware that everything we had come to take for granted is in fact poised in a fine balance. Knowing who we can trust has never been more important.
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.
