News/Blog
Thornton Legal news, opinion and insights on legal and recruitment matters.
- Written by Published
Tom is head of employment at DTM Legal. He advises commercial clients and senior executives on bringing and defending employment tribunal claims, including assessment of merits, tactical decision making, negotiation of settlement and employment tribunal representation.
Click here for Tom's profile on the DTM website.
- Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your role at DTM?
I grew up on the Wirral and stayed local studying business at Liverpool University then converting to law via the GDL and LPC at Chester Law College. I trained at DWF in Liverpool and moved to DTM 2 years post qualification. I have been at DTM now for 6 years and have been Head of the Employment & HR Team at DTM since January 2019. I advise clients in various different industries on all areas of employment law both contentious and non-contentious. The former becoming the larger part of my workload in recent years with the removal of Tribunal fees for claimants to pursue claims against employers.
- If you hadn’t been a lawyer, what would you have done?
Anything connected with golf, I think golf journalism would have suited me. I am still clinging on to the hope that I wake up one day far, far better at golf than I am currently so I can have twilight professional golf career.
- How’s business at the moment?
As an Employment & HR team we have and continue to be very busy supporting clients with Covid-19 issues, in particular the Government’s Job Retention Scheme which is clearly brand new for employers and advisers alike, and has been evolving week on week with updated Government Guidance. We are starting to see queries on ending furlough and moving employees back to work and unfortunately in some cases short time working/ lay off and restructures/ redundancies, particularly in sectors hit hard by Covid-19 such as service industry clients. We have just recruited Elizabeth Judson as a Senior Solicitor who will bring a lot of experience and expertise to our team.
- How have you found lockdown?
Working from home whilst building dens and chasing around my 2 year old has been interesting at times however have been lucky enough to be able to rotate work and childcare with my wife and lock myself away in my office to get things done. I think one positive of lockdown is that many types of businesses will have managed to operate perfectly well with some/ all staff working from home and realised that it work and in many cases makes life easier for employees and frees up more time.
- How have you kept in touch with colleagues & clients?
We have set up WhatsApp groups across the business and continued to have month end drinks via Teams video calls. It has been business as usual with clients but just via phone, email and Teams video calls.
- What are the 3 things you miss most from your pre lockdown life?
Golf (until recently when the Government relaxed the rules), seeing family and takeaways!
- What do you think the biggest change will be working life post lockdown?
I strongly believe that for many types of businesses there will be a significant change to the way we work post lockdown with a move to more flexible working whether that be more homeworking or flexible hours of work to suit individuals personal lives etc. I think for some businesses this has been an eye opener as to how achievable and beneficial flexible working can be to their organisation.
- What’s the first thing you’ll do when lockdown is lifted?
My wife is pregnant and craving a McDonald’s, so I may be forced to support her with this.
- What restaurant you will visit?
See above!
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Headquartered at Exchange Flags in Liverpool city centre, Jackson Lees employs 280 people across six North West offices, including Wirral and Manchester. In March 2020 the practice was acquired in an MBO by MAPD Ventures, led by current chief executive and chief operating officer, Brian Cullen and Joanna Kingston-Davies.
Click here for Joanna's profile and here for Brian's profile on the Jackson Lees website.
- Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your roles at Jackson Lees?
At Jackson Lees, as CEO and COO, our roles are to break down barriers, empower people, look ahead and focus on growth.
- What has been the most memorable piece of work you have been involved in?
We did the MBO of Jackson Lees on 10th March and that was an incredibly special moment for both of us – we love everything about the Jackson Lees business and the core value of Making a Positive Difference (#MAPD) that runs through everything we do and through all of our people. That aside, the stories we hear from our people every quarter when we do open forums about how they have made a positive difference, to the lives of their clients and to each other, are both humbling and memorable.
- How’s business at the moment?
We had a fantastic April and we’re definitely seeing the benefit of being a multi-disciplinary business; whilst some lines of work dried up almost overnight, others are incredibly busy, so our mix of work stands us in really good stead. Like many law firms, we had to make use of the furlough scheme to protect the business and our people for the medium and long term, and we’re confident and optimistic about the future.
- In the Covid19 era, what are the main challenges you face?
Not being able to see people face to face! We have a really powerful culture and whilst we’re immensely proud of how positively it has manifested itself throughout lockdown, it’s still no replacement for being able to see people in person.
- What opportunities can you see?
We are making sure that we “burn boats” by using the silver linings of lockdown to push forward projects that until now have had limited success. It’s very hard to break cycles and patterns that are heavily embedded until something like lockdown completely forces us to work differently, so our “new normal” includes a roadmap for much more agile and flexible working, less paper and more tech with more access channels and greater availability for our clients.
- How have you found lockdown?
Personally, we’d be lying if either of us said we hadn’t found it tough and highly frustrating!! Emotions are amplified for everyone when we’re all effectively imprisoned within four walls. We both have young children and have definitely felt the working parent guilt on the home schooling front, too. We are passionate about vulnerable and authentic leadership; if we have a bad day, we talk about it openly because it’s important that all of our people know that it’s ok to not be ok. Our culture is very much about empowering people to be themselves, which in turn encourages them to do their best work.
- How have you kept in touch with colleagues?
Clear, transparent and regular communications from us to the whole business are very much part of our “business as usual” but we’ve doubled down on our efforts during the lockdown period and will continue to do so even more afterwards, because we’ve really seen the benefits in the reactions from our people, which have inspired us to keep going. We strongly believe that people have very different preferences with communication, so we’ve tried to reach everyone through a variety of different channels. We’ve done personal calls to as many people as possible just to check in to see how they’re doing. We use Workplace, our social media/intranet platform constantly and there has been so much activity on there, ranging from tik toks to blogs, quizzes and formal announcements. We send out an email from the Board every day and we run regular open forums by Zoom for everyone within the business to keep them in the loop and listen to feedback. We have run regular virtual coffee morning for our furlees, and we have lots of different whatsapp groups on the go! We’ve also managed to keep our training academy on the go, providing courses for both furloughed and maintained staff via Zoom.
- What about clients?
Again, we have lots of different channels of communication going on to suit individual client needs and have found that clients have adapted really well to the lack of face to face contact.
- What do you think the biggest change will be post lockdown?
People understanding the value of toilet paper!!!!! But (possibly) even more importantly, we hope a society where we take less for granted and have a universal appreciation of the simple and important things in life – our health, the availability of food and basic essentials, the privilege of being able to physically see family, friends and colleagues, the positive ethos of community spirit and protecting the environment that we have seen throughout lockdown. Immediately post lockdown, our key focus will be on the opportunities we talked out above and on making sure our people are ok. Coming out of lockdown is likely to be as psychologically tough on people as going into lockdown. We’ve heard it said that we’re all in the same storm but in very different boats. That’s so true and it’s crucial that we help people to adapt to the new normal on the other side of all of this.
- What’s the first thing you’ll do when lockdown is lifted?
Dance!! Although dancing alone isn’t our forte! We think it’s apparent that lifting lockdown will be a very slow and gradual process, so we know the reality of an immediate celebration is not going to happen. That being said we will quietly celebrate each positive step – and when the time comes, we and the rest of the business will PARTY HARD!!!!
- What restaurant you will visit?
Too many good restaurants to choose from! In Liverpool…Fazenda, One Fine Day, Castle Street Townhouse and The Alchemist. In Hoylake, the Quadrant (best steak sandwiches ever!)
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Nick heads up the Dispute Resolution and Insolvency Team, having been with Aaron and Partners for over 20 years. In May 2019 he became the firm’s Senior Partner.
Click here for Nick's profile on the Aarons website.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your role at Aaron and Partners?
My background as a lawyer is as a litigator. I handle commercial disputes with particular expertise in logistics based disputes and also contentious insolvency work. I’m from Chester and after University wanted to return to the North West so the opportunity to do high quality commercial work in Chester was hugely appealing. I trained at Aarons and have been here ever since – 21 years in August
What has been the most memorable piece of work you have been involved in?
There are lots of cases and clients that are memorable for many different reasons. The case that sticks most in my memory was a trial heard in London by Mr Justice Moore Bick as he was then concerning the application of a third party general lien. It deals with a very niche area and is one of the reasons why logistics has developed into my area of expertise
If you hadn’t been a lawyer, what would you have done?
A butcher.
How’s business at the moment?
Pretty good in the circumstances. We have a good existing case load and new work is continuing to come in, though there has undoubtedly been a slowdown in new instructions in some teams as you’d expect given the situation.
In the Covid19 era, what is the main challenge as Senior Partner?
Being Senior Partner obviously requires that you provide leadership to the firm. The challenge of that in the current circumstances is striking the right balance in communications with the firm between honesty in recognising the difficulties the current situation gives rise to and providing hope for the future.
What opportunities can you see?
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that there will be insolvencies. This provides opportunities for those with cash or access to finance to acquire businesses and assets out of insolvency. Economic downturns also generally lead to an increase in disputes work.
How have you found lockdown?
Good and bad. I’ve just become a father so being at home more than I otherwise would have has been great. On the downside I really miss the interaction with the team which I’ve found just can’t be replicated via video calls.
How have you kept in touch with colleagues?
We’re having daily management meetings, weekly team leader meetings and regular team meetings too – all via Zoom. Our Marketing and HR teams have worked with our social committee to ensure we maintain social contact too – for instance a weekly Zoom quiz. I’m the head of the dispute resolution and insolvency team as well as being senior partner and we have a team WhatsApp group to stay in touch too.
What about clients?
Phone and e mail – much the same as usual really without the face to face meetings. Some teams have had to continue face to face meetings such as the Wills team, subject to appropriate social distancing being applied.
What are the 3 things you miss most from your pre lockdown life?
Going into Chester at lunchtime for a sandwich; going out drinking with friends at weekends; football.
What do you think the biggest change will be working life post lockdown?
There’ll be a lot more working from home and more hot desking (once it’s safe) with reduced pressure on our office space.
What’s the first thing you’ll do when lockdown is lifted?
Introduce my 5 week old baby to his grandparents, aunts and uncles.
What restaurant you will visit?
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Pete spent his formative years acting exclusively for developers. He is an expert in both land and commercial property transactions and has a wide range of experience in acting for developers, landlords, entrepreneurs, pension funds and SMEs.
Click here for Pete's profile on the Excello website.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your role at Excello
I’ve been with Excello for more than 5 years now, and I’m a commercial property solicitor who specialises particularly in development, banking and landlord and tenant transactions.
What has been the most memorable piece of work you have been involved in?
A sale of a development site whereby a complex title together with planning and highway issues made the sale contract rather tricky with many conditions but ultimately, produced a great outcome with both my client, the Seller happy with the sale proceeding and the Buyer being happy with an unencumbered freehold title enabling them to carry on development over the entirety of land, part of which despite owned by my client was previously dedicated as public highway.
How’s business at the moment?
Perhaps surprisingly, I am extremely busy. Clearly, retail is very tough but there’s a will to get deals done by both landlords and tenants and I am seeing existing leases being re-structured with rent incentives in return for giving up breaks and/or taking longer terms being agreed.
In the Covid19 era, what are the main challenges you face?
The challenges for my role are not overly difficult to overcome as working from home coupled with video conferencing makes day to day work little different. I do consider expanding the team will be difficult with both employers and employees nervous about the future and training will be difficult as it’s easier undertaken in person. The challenges for my clients in both retail with social distancing and pubs/restaurants still closed and consumer confidence being low will be very difficult. In construction too with getting developments completed with build completion dates still to achieve with a backdrop of shortage in labour and materials making it an extremely challenging time for them.
What opportunities can you see?
Excello operate a fully agile business structure with systems and processes firmly established and over a decade of expertise in this regard and so can carry out any commercial instruction with ease with all our systems already in place. I can work from anywhere and am used to carrying out work when my clients require so it is no different in that respect. However, many firms I can see will struggle with what is not the norm for them, be it delegating / supervising work or processing accounts and distributing post when at Excello, as I say, we have been set up and running this this way nationally for over a decade. As such, it is simply work as usual and so we continue to hit the ground running when others will undoubtedly find this a huge culture shift and adaptation shall be difficult for them
How have you found lockdown?
I have felt rather selfish as from a personal point of view, I have been extremely busy and enjoyed not commuting every day and obviously, the weather could not have been more glorious. My frustration was purely a personal one of not being able to play tennis., but now I can which is excellent news!
How have you kept in touch with colleagues?
By phone call usually although we do have video conferencing for catching up.
What about clients?
Email and phone which is no different from usual particularly since I have repeat business from long standing clients. With new clients, I have always preferred face to face meetings but these will need to be done via video link which will take a bit of getting used to.
What do you think the biggest change will be post lockdown?
I am concerned about consumer confidence slowing transactions down. From a practical perspective, I consider training people up and delegating tasks will be more difficult.
What’s the first thing you’ll do when lockdown is lifted?
Go to the pub and have a pint.
What restaurant you will visit?
Bacaro on Castle Street is always a great choice and I look forward to finishing off early on a Friday when lockdown is finished and having some tapas and a few drinks.
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Anton joined Bermans January 2017 as a Partner, and specialises in all forms of corporate transactions including business acquisitions, MBO’s, MBI’s and corporate re-organisations.
Click here for Anton's profile on the Bermans website.
- Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your role at Bermans?
I started my career working in industry, working for Marconi Avionics in Kent, following completion Law School in Chester. After a couple of years on their graduate programme, I moved back to Liverpool to start a training contract at Cuff Roberts, where I qualified in 2001. I worked at Cuffs for several years before moving to DWF. A spell at Hillyer McKeown and Knights in Chester followed before I moved to take up the role as Liverpool Corporate Partner at Bermans 3 years ago. My role at Bermans is to run the Liverpool Corporate Department and to generate and lead transactions in the local corporate market place. We act for SME/OMB in the local area but also have national clients that we service. The bulk of my work is transactional but also get involved in re-organisations and advising on constitutional matters for some clients. I also have experience in dental and pharmacy transactions.
- What has been the most memorable piece of work you have been involved in?
There are a couple which spring to mind but the main ones are the securitisation of a very well know Premier League football club just after I’d qualified (I must confess to being well out of my depth at that point!) and also a recent private equity buyout for a client based in the railway industry. The work we do is very intense for a short period of time and so you need to build very close bonds with clients. This is one of the highlights of the work we do, from my perspective.
- If you hadn’t been a lawyer, what would you have done?
Good question. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school and was ‘persuaded’ to go into the law by my parents, as it was a safe profession to get into. Given the amount of home schooling I am currently doing during lockdown, I might fancy my hand as a primary school teacher, if I had my time again!
- How’s business at the moment?
Business is okay although slower for obvious reasons. We still have several transactions progressing, although some have also paused for the time being. Other departments within the firm continue to be busy also but it’s proving much more difficult to get deals across the line. Following recent announcements from the Government, many of our clients are starting to prepare their places of work for the gradual return of staff.
- In the Covid19 era, what is the main challenge in corporate law?
I think the main challenge is that as soon as lock down was announced, lots of deals went on hold as clients and funders didn’t want to commit to transactions whilst there is so much uncertainty in the market place. We need confidence to return and this isn’t going to happen in all sectors overnight. Gradual easing of lockdown restrictions and certain sectors getting back to work will hopefully kick start the economy and get deals moving again.
- What opportunities can you see?
There are lots of good strong businesses out there who will come through this leaner with growth strategies and ready to make acquisitions. Certain sectors (healthcare and PPE) will remain buoyant and so I see further deals in these areas, post lockdown. I think Tech businesses and those that don’t require a physical presence will also continue to grow.
- How have you found lockdown?
It depends which day of the week you ask me! I think it helps that the sun is shining and we have a back garden to hang out in! It would be a lot easier if there was no home schooling to deal with, however!
- How have you kept in touch with colleagues?
We hold regular departmental catch up calls and a weekly department Zoom quiz. I think it’s very important to see people’s faces and have a laugh, as lockdown is difficult for everyone and a regular get together certainly eases the situation.
- What about clients?
We are liaising with clients regularly over the telephone, e-mail and Zoom as well as providing regular update on issues like furlough and the CBILs schemes.
- What are the 3 things you miss most from your pre lockdown life?
From a work perspective, its my colleagues and the general office banter. We have a great laugh at Bermans and not being able to chat regularly over the printer or over the coffee machine is tough. From a home life perspective, it’s not being able to see friends and family in person or to go to the pub!
- What do you think the biggest change will be working life post lockdown?
I think a lot more people will be working remotely going forward. The lock down has proved that for certain roles, being in the office all day isn’t required. It may be necessary to look at IT in a little more detail but I think it is entirely possible for professionals to work remotely. I just need the kids back in school first!
- What’s the first thing you’ll do when lockdown is lifted?
Probably take the kids to see their grandparents, as they are missing them terribly (and then stop at the pub on the way home!)
- What restaurant you will visit?
We are lucky enough to have Michelin starred Fraiche in Oxton Village where I live. They have been using lock down to experiment in the kitchen and have been selling all sorts of delicious cakes and other treats to customers! I think we will treat ourselves and head to Fraiche (if we can somehow jump the 3 month waiting list). Also, we went to Six by Nico in Liverpool just before lockdown and would love to try their latest menu as well.
- Written by Published
Kevin works for Freeths and specialises in all aspects of restructuring, corporate recovery and insolvency, including contentious and non-contentious work as well as being Deputy Managing Partner in the Manchester office. He is listed as a Recommended lawyer in the Legal 500 (2019 Edition).
Click here for his profile on the Freeths website.
Can you tell us a bit about your background, and your role at Freeths?
I grew up in Belfast and moved to Manchester to study law at Manchester University in 1996 and have stayed ever since! I trained at George Davies solicitors in Manchester, then moved to Turner Parkinson as an NQ where I was for four years before joining Freeths’ new Manchester office in 2007. I have been a partner at Freeths since 2010. I am one of the insolvency partners at Freeths, specialising in non-contentious insolvency and restructuring. I am also the deputy managing partner of the Manchester office.
If you hadn’t been a lawyer, what would you have done?
Whilst growing up I would have loved to have become a professional footballer, I suspect more realistically I would have been a history lecturer or a journalist.
In the Covid19 era, what is the main challenge in insolvency and restructuring?
It is very difficult to advise clients when nobody knows exactly what the future holds and the situation is likely to change quickly. Insolvency legal work often involves advising insolvency practitioners who are in turn advising businesses and usually seeking to salvage those businesses where possible. Advisors in this area are having to get their head around government schemes and changes to the law very quickly in order to advise at the coalface.
What opportunities can you see?
The present situation clearly means that a lot of businesses are suffering. This puts insolvency practitioners in position of great responsibility and presents them with an opportunity to show what they can do to make a material difference to people’s lives. Insolvency professionals can also try to influence the inevitable legislative changes to ensure that they are fit for purpose wherever possible.
How have you found lockdown?
I am fortunate in that I can carry out my role effectively from home. As I am sure is the case with many people it has been difficult at times combining home schooling with working from home, but as we head into week 8 of the lockdown it is becoming second nature!
How have you kept in touch with colleagues?
We set up a team WhatsApp group straight away which has been a great way to stay in touch and has allowed for the sharing of some humour in addition to dealing with practical work matters. We have also had regular video calls, phone calls, and emails.
What about clients?
I have kept in regular contact with clients by phone, email and video calls. This has been essential!
What do you think the biggest change will be working life post lockdown?
I don’t think we will ever go back to the “work commute” to the same extent as pre-lockdown as I think in future a much greater proportion of work will be carried out from home.
When you are able, what restaurant you will visit?
Either a family meal at Kosmos (lovely Greek restaurant in South Manchester) and if we can source a babysitter I will take my wife to either Wood or Masons in Manchester city centre, two of our favourite restaurants.
