Pictured above: L to R: Challinors is changing the way
it works with corporate clients with the creation of the new
'Business Bridge' team led by Simon Bond, Phil Bloxham, Peter Lowe
and Malford Harris
Midlands law firm Challinors is changing the way it works with
SME's, private and public sector corporate clients, with the
creation of a new Business Services Unit which will deliver direct
access to the firm's range of legal services for businesses.
The Business Support Unit (BSU), also known as Challinors'
Business Bridge, marshals the firm's legal skills to the benefit of
clients, as the firm's Phil Bloxham, Development Director,
explains:
"The BSU draws together our extensive and experienced commercial
and corporate specialists, and clients can access this resource via
a dedicated client manager who will first familiarise themselves
with the client's business and then call upon the relevant
specialist from other divisions of the firm to apply the right
knowledge to each and every client.
"Through this simple bridge approach, clients receive focused
legal advice, supported by sustained personal familiarity and
advice from the firm's business solicitors. Challinors' emphasis is
on providing a one-stop service for all business-related legal
issues."
He adds: "It's a challenging time for law firms and Challinors
continues to adapt to the needs of the changing landscape for legal
services, as well as the commercial and economic arena for clients.
For clients, running a business, however large or small, has never
been more difficult, and we recognise this. World economic
conditions, regulation, employment law, fraud and debt are just
some of the possible legal pitfalls that await them. These
conditions affect both the public sector and private enterprise and
today's culture of complexity compounds the need for equal
commercial diligence. The BSU is created in recognition of this
situation and marks the latest step in Challinors creative and
refreshing approach to how we work with clients to ensure they get
the most from their legal advisors."
The core members of Challinors BSU are Malford Harris, a Partner
and head of the firm's corporate team, Peter Lowe, partner in
charge of the litigation/dispute resolution team, and Simon Bond,
specialist employment lawyer and head of that team. "These core
members are supported directly by a number of personnel and each
leads their respective teams whilst identifying individual clients'
needs, calling in appropriate expertise from other departments to
best suit the case in hand," says Phil.
Clients can take advantage of an initial legal audit service, in
which Challinors will review areas of potential legal risks and
exposure in a client's business and would be structured to focus on
the area that is considered to have the potentially most
significant risk, as agreed with the client. "Working in
partnership with the client, this service is aimed at identifying
potential problems and thereby providing an opportunity of
implementing remedies before they get expensive," comments
Phil.
Andy Hodges, Challinors' chief executive, says: "We are an
expanding, top 100 UK law firm, operating from strategically
located offices across the East and West Midlands. The firm's
accelerated growth has been achieved by providing a diverse and
often unique bank of know-how and differentiating value-added
services, and the BSU sustains this commitment to refreshing client
services, alongside exceptional legal know-how."
Challinors has offices in Birmingham, West Bromwich,
Wolverhampton, Halesowen and Nottingham. The firm has 24 partners
and over 100 fee earners, and is ranked as one of the top legal
firms in the West Midlands, being Number 1 in the Chambers UK
Directory in a number of categories, including Clinical
Negligence.