56 ADVERTISING FEATURE
A new brand for looking forward
Having been established in the area for over 300 years, Buss Murton have become central to the legal community. Now, in 2016, the established firm has a new image for the future. Hannah Patterson sits down with Managing Partner Andrew Linton to find out what you can expect from their new brand… Tell us briefly about Buss Murton’s origins… Buss Murton Law traces its origins back to an Attorney at Law who opened a practice in Cranbrook in 1713, which was subsequently acquired by Charles Murton. He gave his name to the firm along with Thomas Buss, who set up practice in Tunbridge Wells in 1888. Buss Murton became a Limited Liability Partnership [LLP] on April 1, 2003. We acquired the Dartford office in 2003, and then expanded further in 2014 with the acquisition of Elaine McGloin Solicitors in East Grinstead, bringing the total number of offices to four and the current number of staff to 75.
Andrew Linton Managing Partner
Wednesday 21st December 2016
As a Managing Partner, what does your role cover? My role covers all facets of running the business, from strategic thinking and marketing through to building professional relationships. All of this is geared towards providing the best possible legal advice to our clients. At the same time, I ensure that the business is run in a professional and compliant manner and that our staff are rewarded properly and have opportunities for personal and professional development. Was law always something you were interested in? How did you get to where you are today? Having completed a history degree, and thinking that I wanted to become a teacher,
‘There is always a thread connecting the past to the present to the future. The firm is committed to ensuring that the high quality of legal services that we have delivered for over 300 years will continue and improve’
I spent a year travelling and then decided against teaching. Law was something that I wanted to do. In 1993, I managed to secure five months’ work experience with Buss Murton, then went to law college, where I completed the Common Professional Examination in 1994, and then the Legal Practice Course in 1995. I then returned to Buss Murton as a trainee solicitor. I qualified in 1997 and undertook mainly matrimonial and civil litigation work before moving into employment at the turn of the millennium. I have continued to provide employment advice to employers and employees ever since. The development of my understanding
of employer and employee relationships was something that I found both fascinating and challenging, and led me to want to develop my career in a management role as well as continue to provide legal advice. I became Head of Department in 2003 and Partner in November 2006. I have spent a lot of my management time developing the firm’s HR standards together with the Lexcel and Investors in People programmes. You’ve recently undergone a rebranding. What prompted this? I came here as a trainee in 1995, so it has been 21 years now. Within that time, the management structure has really
BUSS MURTON PARTNERS (L-R) Andrew Linton, Alex Lee, Alex Smith, Helen Batt, Melanie den Brinker, Edward Walter and Daldeep Jaswal