We held our AGM at Queen Mary’s on Friday 12 July – an event that seeks to update all staff on the firm’s progress and plans for the future, and celebrate the fantastic work our staff do. The firm was established in 1929 in Aldgate, and currently practises both in Whitechapel and Clapham Junction.

It was a delight to welcome three external speakers. Denise Bentley, of the First Love Foundation (our outgoing charity of the year), gave a moving presentation on the work FLF do, including providing a food bank and welfare benefits advice from a special CPAG team so that users can find more long-term solutions to their problems. Mike Forrester, our new Contract Manager from the Legal Aid Agency, gave us all some insight into the LAA’s priorities for the coming year. Barry Marks, from Leagold Miller, gave us some top tips on avoiding the pitfalls of cyber criminals.

We also celebrated staff’s achievements, and made awards for:

• Achievement of the year – to Partner Katie Brown, for leading our successful Social Welfare Department
• Case of the year was a three-way tie – to Family solicitor Jenny Newton, Social Welfare paralegal Caroline Bird, and the entirety of our Family Finance Team, headed by Partner Emma Baillie
• Positive Client Feedback – to Family solicitors Anna Perry and Charlotte Kay, and Social Welfare solicitor Radhika Shah 
• Internal referrals – to Property Partner Naomi Jones, and Crime Diary Supervisor Sinead Coady 
• And this year’s “unsung hero” is Rachel Arter, our super-secretarial co-ordinator and assistant.

Finally, we welcomed back our previous Managing Partner, Ian Duncan, to make a Special Award to Anthony Edwards, who retires in October, having joined the firm in 1972 as an articled clerk, and been the firm’s Senior Partner for 15 years until 2015. He will be much missed, but his influence and passion for justice and serving our clients will live on.