Local News
Downs Solicitors LLP celebrates win at 2017 Law Firm Services Awards Downs Solicitors' Residential Conveyancing team is celebrating after been crowned the “Best Small Conveyancing Firm (South)” in the 2017 Law Firm Services (LFS) Awards. Photo: From left to right: Dan Montagnani, Managing Director at Groundsure, an award sponsor, Christine Eves, Mila Dudley and Richard Cunningham from Downs' Residential Conveyancing team, Rhonda Treacy-Hales of Legal Eye, an award sponsor, and comedian and physician, Dr Phil Hammond
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hey beat off stiff competition from last year's winners, A V Rillo, who were also voted No. 1 Conveyancing Firm in the country by the Sunday Times in 2015. Downs’ success follows on from last year's achievement when the Residential Conveyancing team were highly commended in the category of “Conveyancing Firm of the Year London & the South East" in the LFS Awards. They were also awarded “Best for Customer Service” in the Searchflow Property Forum Awards in 2015. In announcing the results, the judges commented "Another excellent entry submission from a firm that ‘does what it says on the tin’. They have a clear focus on the local market and a desire to provide excellent customer service whilst keeping up to date with rules and regulations." Partner, Richard Cunningham who manages the Dorking Residential Property team accepted the Award on behalf of Downs Solicitors. He attended the awards ceremony which took place at the Vox Centre, Resorts World, NEC Birmingham on Wednesday 20 September 2017. He was joined by colleagues, Christine Eves and Mila Dudley.
Richard said: “We are incredibly proud to have received this award which saw us go up against a number of impressive firms. To have the team’s work recognised on a national level is testament to their hard work and dedication in ensuring we consistently give our clients a first class service. The Awards celebrate conveyancing firms across the country that offer exceptional levels of client service and innovation. In order to win an award, firms must undergo a rigorous judging process, including a mystery shopping exercise, client feedback surveys and a telephone interview. The LFS Awards are firmly established as the event of the year amongst the conveyancing community and are highly prized because they are judged by a diverse cross section of industry peers and use a range of methods to test the claims of each entrant. The award was presented to Richard Cunningham by Dan Montagnani, Managing Director at Groundsure, who sponsored the award.
FORTY YEARS AND COUNTING! Sarah Thomas celebrates 40 years at Downs Solicitors LLP
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Rise up, prove your skills and make some dough for justice! The London Legal Support Trust will again be hosting The Great Legal Bake in 2018 and is hoping to exceed the £33,000 raised by the 2017 event. Whether your penchant is pastries, pies, pavlova or panettone why not sign up and show off your signature or showstopper bake? Over 30 teams have already registered nationally so don’t miss out on your chance to be part of the sweetest week of the year. Taking part is easy, all you need to do is register, find some fellow bakers, and sell your cakes to colleagues and friends. The Great Legal Bake will take place from 12 – 16 February 2018. If you are not able to bake on those dates, don’t be discouraged, you can hold a bake any time in February (or beyond, if February doesn’t suit). For further information or to register a team, please visit http://www.londonlegalsupporttrust.org.uk /our-events/great-legal-bake-2018/ or contact philippa@llst.org.uk
14 SurreyLawyer
had always fancied working in Dorking and could not believe my luck in finding an item in the Law Society’s “Situations Vacant” column for an Assistant Solicitor doing residential conveyancing in the late summer of 1977. There was however a problem - I had spent the last two years in the Family Department of a Central London firm where I was articled (no training contracts in those days) and could put what I knew about conveyancing on less than one side of foolscap (what's that I hear you ask?). However, the Gods were with me as I was interviewed by former Partners, Brian Carr, David Rea and David Ing who spent the entire interview chatting about amateur dramatics (both the Davids had trodden the boards and Brian Carr’s wife was an opera singer) and never quizzed me about property law. Needless to say I was astonished to be offered the job. Downs has always been a very friendly firm even in those early days and the Secretaries were all so welcoming that I instantly felt part of the team. Back then there was a staff of 35, all based at 156 High Street, Dorking but we now employ over 125 staff spread across three offices – Dorking, Godalming and Cobham. In those days, things were very different as we all mucked in. I did the occasional probate or divorce and even went to court – we kept our fingers
Photo: Sarah Thomas
crossed that the dust did not need to be blown off the firm’s negligence policy! Brian Carr’s motto was “Take a chance every day” and by and large it has served me well. Downs was very modern – electric typewriters all round (except for one employee who would have nothing to do with them!). We were the first firm in Dorking, possibly even in Surrey, to have a word processor. It was a great technological advance for the firm and all quite exciting. How things have changed with computers now being a normal part of our working (and personal) lives. There was further astonishment to come when I was offered a partnership in 1981. Although many things have changed, I still like that we are a friendly firm, keeping up with technology and less mucking in as we all now have our own areas of expertise. Am I still taking a chance every day? Now that would be telling.