FEATURE
James aims to make his new department one of the best in the region
LEGAL AMBITION
Punch Robson ’ s new senior associate solicitor James McMillan with his team ( from left ) Jane Morgan , Rebecca Spellman , Jacqueline Pattinson , Shannon Whyatt and Carys Lawrence .
Senior associate solicitor James McMillan tells Sarah Dale about the new team he leads at Punch Robson Solicitors
PICTURES : TOM BANKS
Growing up in a family of police officers , it was perhaps inevitable that James McMillan would follow in their footsteps with a career in law .
“ I always wanted to be a solicitor ,” said James , who studied law at Northumbria University .
“ A lot of my family were in the police force , so I grew up in a legal background .”
James joined Punch Robson Solicitors in June as a senior associate solicitor and head of the firm ’ s wills , trusts and probate department .
He started his career at a high street general practice before moving to a large , regional firm in Darlington and Durham .
From there , he moved to one of the highest ranked private client departments in Newcastle at Sintons just before the pandemic and , more recently , worked for another large regional practice based in Teesside .
James is a notary public – a qualified lawyer with legal powers to certify and authenticate legal documents for use abroad – as well as a TEP ( trust and estate practitioner ).
As a TEP , James is a qualified specialist in inheritance and succession planning and can draft wills , administer estates and act as a trustee .
He knew that Punch Robson Solicitors , which has served the North-East and beyond since 1877 and has offices in Ingleby Barwick and Coulby Newham , was the right move for him .
“ Both the size and expertise within the firm attracted me ,” said James .
“ It has a large reach with a good client base and nice clients to work with . Punch Robson had been on my radar for a while and this opportunity came at exactly the right time for me to move back to the area .”
James grew up in Darlington and lived there until he moved away for university and work .
With a new team to lead , he is keen to make the wills , trusts and probate department at Punch Robson Solicitors “ a standout team in the North-East for both legal knowledge and client care ”.
“ Ultimately we want to be one of the best wills , probate and trusts departments in the North-East ,” he added .
His team includes associate solicitor Jacqueline Pattinson , solicitor Shannon Whyatt , trainee solicitor Rebecca Spellman , paralegal Carys Lawrence and secretary Jane Morgan . Aside from Jane , the rest of
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