In such unprecedented and uncertain times,
it is reassuring to know that lawyers at the
heart of Aycliffe Business Park are staying
ahead of the game and their clients are
reaping the rewards.
Any law firm which can advise local
companies to save more than £500,000 in
holiday-related pay during a pandemic is
bound to be popular.
But the success at Greystone Legal is no
accident. The company, based at Parson’s
Court and run by partners Paul Humble and
Ben Healey, have been using their expertise
and experience to establish themselves as
one of the region’s leading legal firms in
employment, business and commercial law.
And while the 2020 health crisis and
subsequent lockdown forced a re-think for
many businesses, it thrust a partnership with
more than 30 years’ experience between them,
into immediate action to support clients and
businesses across the park and beyond.
Greystone Legal have kept abreast of the
government’s ever-changing advice and law
changes to provide contemporaneous and
vital information through blogs and updates
to their clients.
And when it came to the furlough scheme
and holiday pay, the company were able to
save employers thousands of pounds through
providing timely advice on managing holiday
entitlement during the lockdown period.
Paul said: “We have had a particularly
busy few months with the pandemic and
consequential closure of many factories and
places of work and spent a lot of time advising
on furlough and the implications of that
impact on employees.
“One of the key things, that was probably
missed by a lot of employers, is the ability to
require your employees to take holidays while
they are still furloughed.
“Because we advised our clients to make use
of that provision and to take holidays while
they were on furlough leave, we calculated
that we made a saving of over half a million
for our clients in holiday pay collectively.
“The other unfortunate consequence,
certainly in the last few weeks, is that we have
had to advise on redundancy exercises. It is
a sign of the times and I would imagine that
it’s going to carry on through to the end of
October when the furlough ends altogether.
“The key thing for us is to advise employers
to manage the redundancies carefully to
ensure no claims arise because of it, which can
be very costly and a distraction to business
owners, and also to ensure that businesses
retain the required skills within their
workforces.”
Support work – Greystone Legal partners
Paul Humble (right) and Ben Healy with
Ebac managing director Amanda Hird.
“With our expertise, we are a onestop
shop that offers peace of mind to
small, medium or large local businesses
throughout the North East.”
The Covid-19 crisis has also forced
numerous businesses on the park to
recalibrate their premises under the strict
new guidelines which cover social distancing,
general cleanliness, hygiene and safety.
Greystone Legal work in partnership
with local firm Northern Safety to carry out
risk assessments on workplaces and deliver
packages to make their working environments
safe, with temperature testing, hand sanitisers,
protective screens and staggered break times
among the measures taken to reduce risk
levels.
Ben said the service is another example of
Greystone Legal using their own expertise,
or extensive contacts, to provide valuable and
tangible advice.
He said: “The coronavirus has been
completely unprecedented and it has been
very difficult for employers to see their way
through all the legislation and regulations.
“But we have been able to keep abreast of
the legislation and take all that pressure away
from employers so they have a very clear and
concise summary of all the new changes to
the law.
“If there is anything more specific they
need they will come to us, but sometimes it is
changing so quickly you don’t have the answer
immediately, often because the government
hasn’t yet got the answer themselves!”.
As if to demonstrate their increasing
influence in the area, Greystone are
building on their relationship with Ebac,
one of the park’s largest employers, who
have retained Greystone to provide
complete legal support in employment and
commercial law.
Ben said: “We have worked closely
with Ebac, assisted with HR support, and
provided manufacturing and commercial
contracts which has included negotiating
with external suppliers for their water
coolers in France, Ireland, Japan and the
United States”.
Graham Currie, Ebac’s group financial
director, said: “Over the last 18 months it’s
been great to have Ben and Paul retained
and helping the team at Ebac. They are
good guys to work with, understanding our
issues quickly and providing timely and
competent solutions.”
Ebac managing director Amanda Hird
said: “Like most businesses 2020 has
provided many challenges, and Greystone
have kept us updated on the ever-changing
legislations regarding Covid-19 – their
services have been invaluable.”
Ben added: “With our expertise, we are
a one-stop shop that offers peace of mind
to small, medium or large local businesses
throughout the North East.”
Find out more about Greystone Legal at greystone.legal
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 7