Winners – Jacksons Law Firm ’ s head of residential property Jonathan Wall and head of commercial property Erica Turner celebrate their recent success .
Personal touch the key for awardwinning law firm
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
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A team ethos runs throughout Jacksons Law Firm – and it ’ s that approach which helped it scoop a brace of prestigious prizes .
The Northern Law Awards , held at the Gateshead Hilton , saw the firm win both the commercial and residential property categories .
For the commercial property team , this was the latest in a succession of awards that have cemented their position as the region ’ s market leader within its sector , while the award for the residential property team was recognition for the huge strides forward they have made over recent years .
And the team leaders – head of residential property Jonathan Wall and head of commercial property Erica Turner – hope the double success will inspire all the teams within Jacksons Law Firm , as well as confirming to the North-East and beyond that Jacksons is the region ’ s go-to firm for property law services .
Erica said : “ We are massively proud because it ’ s external recognition for what a good job both teams have done . The teams comprise apprentices right through to partners , and every one has contributed to this success .”
With offices in Falcon Court , Stockton , Central Square in Newcastle and also operating from the North East BIC in Sunderland , Jacksons offers almost every aspect of legal work , including commercial property , residential property , litigation , employment , family , wills and probate , licensing and corporate .
And Jonathan , who joined Jacksons in 2018 , says his department , with its new build and general property teams , has seen quite a transformation in those four years .
He told Aycliffe Today : “ We needed to bring in efficiencies and case management systems that would enable the staff to work in an organised , structured and timely fashion .
“ The residential property team was a relatively small part of the business . It has always provided a first-class service to its clients but , in the past , has struggled to do so profitably , so it was a case of re-evaluating the whole system and working on the efficiencies of service delivery .
“ Now the team is the firm ' s largest generator of revenue and profit . We had six team members when I joined , now it ’ s 26 , and because our first priority has always been quality of service , the growth of the department has not come at the cost of compromising our service levels , in fact quite the opposite .
“ Sometimes in conveyancing , people try to run a massive number of files with minimal staff , but we don ’ t think that ’ s the right way to do it .
“ Due to Covid-19 , the stamp duty holiday and other factors , the sector has been very challenging over recent years , but we have never overloaded the team , turning away work when we ’ ve had to . We have shown a real team ethic to get things done and support each other . It ’ s been interesting – and continues to be !”
Erica , who heads a 17-strong team across both offices , says a key strength of the commercial property team is its different specialisms .
She said : “ We have a specialist
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