In January 2025 PLG turn 5 years old. I quite literally have no idea how that has happened. It seems like only yesterday that we established ourselves in the probate property sector.
Since launching we have occupied 3 different offices, with each of the moves coming down to the growth of our company.
Office 1 we were in from January 2020 till March 2020.
Office 2 we were in from March 2020 till August 2020.
Office 3, our current residence, we have been in since August 2020 – but after almost four and a half years, the time has come to get moving again.
On December 2nd we are relocating to our new (and hopefully forever) home. To say that we are very excited is a bit of an understatement!
Why Now?
There were two main contributing factors that played a part in us making our decision to move.
The first, and obvious reason, was the space. Our team has grown considerably over the last few years, and where we do have the space at Martells Barn, it is very open. The more people you have in such an open space, the louder the office becomes, and we do not want to get to a point where any clients we speak to are able to hear other conversations going on in the background.
We also wanted to think about the next 3 years and how our business will look then. We would certainly not be able to stay where we are with another 8 people, which is our forecast for recruitment.
The second reason was facilities.
We have a commitment to our staff that we will always promote their wellbeing the best we can, where we can. We have systems in place that provide every PLG member with all kinds of support – including counselling that we cover the costs for up to 10 sessions. Just in the case of anyone struggling who want someone professional to talk to.
At the new offices not only are they beautiful, but the facilities are also something else.
There are meeting points and ‘quiet areas’ scattered around the beautiful buildings. There are two fishponds, and lots of open fields to walk if you so wish.
There are lots of outside seating areas for lunch / coffee breaks and there are full kitchens that boast ovens, microwaves and every type of tea and coffee you can imagine!
We also have a gym and full shower / individual changing rooms.
This is in addition to parking for everyone right outside.
Helen and I were very excited when we first visited, but the deal was done after we took everyone from the team down to have a look for themselves. After all, it was important to us that the guys wanted to make the move too.
When Do We Move?
We will be settled into our new home on Tuesday 3rd December. As the team are all able to work remotely and continue to provide the same levels of support to our customers as they do when in the office, there will be no disruption to our services.
So, Helen, Tash, and I have the pleasure of doing the hard work over the weekend and getting everything done and in place for everyone so they can just walk in and get going.
We decided to give ourselves the Monday too, just to be on the safe side!
What is the New Address?
PLG
Lodge Park Business Centre
Lodge Lane
Langham
Colchester
CO4 5NE
Looking Back
As I said earlier, time has flown by over the last few years – something I am sure you could all agree with!
But I thought I would share some of my favourite highlights that we enjoyed whilst working out of the barn, as we come to the end of an era.
- ‘The Dream Team’ – One of the things I really do get joy from is seeing our team grow. Everyone that has come to us and worked hard have grown in their roles and in their characters too. Each of the PLG gang are not just dedicated to the cause, they are brilliant people, and I am genuinely proud of each of them.
- Targets – Following on from the first point is the natural progression of success. We have seen targets achieved month in, month out whilst receiving constant recognition from our clients in relation to the work we have done for them. A combination that seems to be difficult to achieve for a lot of businesses.
- Clients – Or as we like to call them, ‘Friends of PLG’. We really do have the best, and this amazing group of firms and individuals has grown beyond my expectations. Over the last twelve months especially we have seen the number of legal professionals referring to us, again this is down to word of mouth more than anything else. We do not have a BDM, so our growth is firmly placed on who we are based on the job we are doing.
- The Law Society – This was completely unexpected, but really made me smile. I had approached this amazing organisation multiple times in my other life without any sign of success, however in August this year they approach PLG – not me, which means that it is the company reputation that has made its mark, not any one individual. PLG is now officially collaborating with The Law Society as Probate Property Specialists.
- The Law Society (again!) – This time on a more personal level. I now produce ‘Thought Leadership Articles’ for The Law Society members about Probate Property, Risk Management and Compliance. Being an author is something I always knew I would try my hand at, by again, what a huge achievement.
- Connecting and re-connecting with clients of old who have come and joined our list of service users. Something else that has made me smile as I genuinely love that people are on board with PLG and our way of doing things.
Looking Forward
Below are some of what we have coming up, and some of the goals we have set ourselves.
- The Law Society Conferences – Risk & Compliance being one, Private Client being the other. I am really excited to be speaking at these events.
- Articles – For The Law Society and other governing bodies who have identified PLG, and myself, as a source of relevant information covering a multitude of relevant matters specifically to the legal sector.
- Team Growth – I am always excited to bring on new talent to our team.
- Collaborations – We have teamed up with some amazing organisations over the last 4 years, and this is something we are certainly looking to grow and develop in the future.
Acknowledgements
It is important that I take a moment to thank all the amazing people who continue to show PLG support by placing their trust with us week in, week out by choosing to partner with us as their Probate Property Partners.
Without you, there would be no us.
Darren P. Leggett has been working with legal professionals since 2013, having identified the need for specialist support with probate property.
Such is the impact Darren has had within the Private Client sector, he was invited to write for The Law Society as a Probate Property Expert providing Thought Leadership articles based on Property within Probate, aswell as Risk Management and Compliance.
You can find Darren on LinkedIn.
Darren.leggett@theplgroup.co.uk
0330 124 7434
