LAW
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
Managing partner hails “ exciting but challenging ” time for Teesside as New Year dawns
From promotions and new staff appointments to taking part in face-to-face awards ceremonies once again , Punch Robson Solicitors has enjoyed a surprisingly good year .
The newly extended team are “ ending the year on a good note ” having entered 2021 with all the trepidation of other businesses in lockdown and with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic .
Managing partner Elaine McLaine-Wood explains : “ At the beginning of the year , all our staff were back , but there was concern about how Covid could still impact on the business if there were further lockdowns . It seemed uncertain .”
Punch Robson had a “ strong ” 2020 , despite the impact of the pandemic , with many departments continuing to be busy .
Some departments did “ pause ”, leading to furlough for some staff , as life running a law firm became something of a rollercoaster .
As managing partner , Elaine was understandably worried about what could be coming next , but as each month passed , the firm continued to record positive results .
Elaine explains that what ’ s pleasing about the firm ’ s performance is that a lot of what made them busy came from positive things happening in other businesses in the area .
Elaine , who also heads up the commercial department at the firm , said : “ In commercial , I ’ ve seen so much more activity on corporate deals , corporate finance and commercial property .
“ There has been a lot more investment , not just in the region , but deals being done including management buyouts and people investing in companies to grow , which has been good to see , because a lot of it is Teesside businesses looking at growth or becoming more diverse .
“ There are some excellent , enthusiastic and ambitious businesses out there .”
The firm has also seen investment by banks supporting companies to build their businesses .
“ This has been really good and positive for the area ,” said Elaine .
“ One thing we ’ ve also seen is local developers buying land , and that coming to fruition when the planning permission comes through .
“ On these deals , we have been working for local people who are then investing locally and it ’ s nice that the work remains on Teesside .
“ We don ’ t want city firms coming in to do the work when we are more than equipped to deal with it locally .”
In residential conveyancing , the firm has also seen lots of activity due to the stamp duty holiday and the effect of lockdown seeing increasing numbers of people wanting to move house .
Elaine said : “ There has been lots of activity in the housing market .
“ Will it continue ? I believe so since there ’ s a lot of investment in Teesside , which is quite exciting .”
Unfortunately , on the flip side of business and personal fortunes , Punch Robson has also seen a lot more legal work relating to insolvencies .
The family department has also had a busy time , due to the breakdown of relationships and child welfare issues .
Elaine says : “ We are looking to recruit to give more support there because it ’ s a very busy time , sadly .
“ I think on the matrimonial side there have been some bad news stories - the breakdown of relationships - and we have been there to support people getting advice and reviewing options .”
As well as promoting family solicitors Jenn Williamson and Katy Moody to the partnership , the firm has recruited “ across the board in 2021 ”, including taking on several apprentices and a new head of finance .
The firm has also taken on graduates as paralegals and support staff .
Elaine says : “ We have made about 12 appointments this year and we will be continuing to recruit in 2022 .
“ It ’ s not just solicitors and fee earners we have been taking on .
“ We very much want to employ and invest in the talent we have got in the region .”
Elaine says 2021 has shown that the strength of the Punch Robson team is not just about the partners and solicitors , but everyone from front of house to secretarial support staff .
“ I ’ ve also got strong heads of department around me and excellent managers ,” she says .
“ There ’ s nothing better than having good strong managers around you , shaping the firm to be the best it can be .”
Elaine reveals the firm is looking at additional new premises but will remain on Teesside , where it has had its roots firmly planted since 1877 .
She said : “ I feel that we are quite a prominent , strong firm because we have maintained our roots .
“ Although we do act for clients nationally and abroad , the roots are firmly on Teesside .”
Speaking of supporting the Teesside community , Punch Robson has continued to sponsor the Tees Businesswomen and the Tees Tech Awards this year .
“ It was lovely to do that this year and reward the business community for their efforts ,” Elaine says .
“ It ’ s all about being part of the Teesside community , which is exciting , and it was nice that we were back face-to-face for the awards , because it ’ s great to see the people who are so excited about their awards .
“ It ’ s a celebration of them and their talent and it was amazing to be a part of that - to share their success and celebrate during a challenging year .”
Speaking of the year ahead , Elaine says : “ I ’ m not a glass-half-empty person , but I can ’ t help but have a bit of trepidation . It is always wise to have some caution .
“ We are fortunate we don ’ t just do one type of law . We have five different teams so we can prop each other up if one is quiet at any time .”
However , despite the challenges , Elaine believes the Teesside business community “ will make sure everyone looks after one another ” and we “ will only go from strength to strength ”.
She says : “ I am very excited to see what 2022 brings , not just for Punch Robson as a law firm but for the clients we serve and Teesside as a whole .”
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