Jacksons Law Firm ’ s head of business development and marketing Karen Robinson with head of employment Paul Clark . Picture by Tom Banks .
BY GRAEME ANDERSON
LEGAL GUARDIANS
Solicitors ready to go that extra mile for clients across Sunderland and County Durham
Business owners always want
solicitors prepared to go that extra mile for them but in terms of the Jacksons Law Firm team , who operate across the Wear region , that is literally the case .
Paul Clark , partner and head of employment , and Karen Robinson , partner and head of business development and marketing , both live and work on the patch .
And although they operate out of Sunderland ’ s handily-placed Business Innovation Centre ( BIC ) they ’ re regularly travelling between clients ’ business premises .
“ It ’ s something we don ’ t mind doing ,” smiles Paul . “ We want to make it as easy as possible to meet our clients at their convenience .
“ In these uncertain times , when we are not restricted to virtual meetings it is often easier for us to visit clients at their business address or home than it is to arrange for everyone to meet at the office .”
It ’ s a new way of doing things from one of the oldest law firms in the North-East – fullservice law firm Jacksons dates all the way back to 1876 .
With over 80 members of staff , the firm has offices in Newcastle and Teesside , as well as its BIC base , and is a genuinely regional operator .
Karen said : “ We ’ re raising our profile on Wearside because although we ’ ve always supplied legal services in Sunderland and County Durham , we know we could be better known .
“ So we ’ ve launched a series of Wear Business Leaders ' meetings , we ’ re members of Durham Business Group , regular attendees at Sunderland City Professionals
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Network events and are joining the Sunderland Business Partnership .
“ For some time now , we ’ ve made a point of working with local businesses , and supporting local events , like the Tall Ships , for example .”
Jacksons works with local , regional and national businesses , both big and small , and Paul says the firm has been busier than ever during Covid-19 , even recruiting to meet client demands .
“ There have been some heartbreaking fallouts from the pandemic ,” said Paul .
“ Our matrimonial department has been very busy dealing with divorce and childcare disputes , our employment department is doing all it can to support employers with workforce decisions and individuals at risk of losing their jobs , the commercial and litigation departments are helping businesses struggling with uncertainty while the property departments are working hard to complete commercial and personal transactions .”
But while times have been tough for many , Paul believes there are also opportunities out there and businesses need to exit the pandemic as well prepared as possible .
“ Covid-19 business advice is essential ,” he said .
“ There may yet be more redundancies and there is also the effect on people ’ s mental health – employers are going to have to be very careful managing returning to the
workplace . “ However , Covid-19 has changed some things for the better – through homeworking and the need for greater flexibility , working practices have evolved much faster than would have been the case pre-Covid .
“ Our business and personal legal services departments have seen an increase in work during the pandemic , in particular , the commercial property and dispute resolution teams .
“ Our residential conveyancing department will be kept busy helping clients move into their new homes before the stamp duty holiday expires , while the new-build team is currently working with 10 property developers at sites across the North-East .
“ Then there ’ s the high street – the footfall demographics in Sunderland and Durham are among the best there are and while some big players have left the market , that leaves space for others to take their place .”
“ So although there are challenges , for businesses coming out of the pandemic there are also opportunities ,” adds Karen .
“ And if people give us a call , we ’ re more than happy to drop in .”
Find out more about Jacksons at jacksons-law . com .