01.08.20
We are very proud that on 1st August 2020, we will be celebrating our 10th birthday. It marks a milestone in our history of 10 years spent supporting thousands of individuals and families, helping them plan effectively for their future.
Philip Warford, Managing Director, said:
“Over the past 10 years it’s been an absolute privilege to support our clients, many of whom are dealing with complex, challenging lives. We’ve been fortunate to develop strong relationships with parents, carers and individuals alike, many of whom have become close friends of the firm. The same is true of the wonderful charity partners, community groups, peers and professional contacts that we work with.
Personally, and professionally, I couldn’t be prouder of how far Renaissance Legal has come since we launched in 2010. Having started from a blank sheet, we have created an award-winning legal brand that is known nationwide for the strength and depth of its expertise. It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’m so looking forward to the next chapter.“
As well as the team (virtually) blowing out the candles on our cake, we have put together a list of some of our biggest achievements. Here’s to the next 10 years!
The early days
In the first two years after we launched, Philip was voted Pro Bono Legal Executive of the Year (2009/10) and the Law Society’s Legal Executive of the Year (2011). In the years that passed, Philip’s professional reputation has excelled further and he has gone on to become the Chair of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Sussex branch, a position he still holds today.
Website and blog
We launched a new website with the key aim of making advice and support to parents and carers as simple, and as transparent as possible. As well as making resources and factsheets available on the website, the Renaissance Legal blog has become a vital means of us sharing helpful advice. We are thrilled to have the regular contribution of a parent blogger as part of the ‘Life in our bubble’ series, giving a parent’s view of life with a disabled child. In 2020 we launched our free Planning for the Future Guide, delivering information direct to parents and carers.
Child Trust Fund Access campaign
In 2016 we launched our Child Trust Fund Access campaign to highlight a critical problem with Child Trust Funds, which will see thousands of disabled children disadvantaged. We undertook a survey to gather the views of hundreds of families, and started a change.org petition (which is still growing daily) which has attracted more than 3,500 signatures in support.
Charity partnerships
The longstanding relationships we have with a number of nationwide and local charities, including Mencap, National Autistic Society, Sense, The Carers Centre and Amaze, are one of our biggest achievements. We wholeheartedly support the work these wonderful organisations do.
Working with Mencap
Our strategic partnership with Mencap began in 2013, being the legal advisors to their Wills and Trust team. In 2017 we were highly commended’ in the Business Charity Awards for unique work together in improving access to specialist legal advice for the thousands of families who have children with learning disabilities in the UK.
Key industry award win
September 2017 saw one of our greatest achievements, winning Boutique Law Firm of the Year at the STEP Private Client Awards. We saw off competition from law firms worldwide to win the prestigious award which recognises excellence in private client law.
Launch of our Benefits service
We welcomed benefits experts Jayne Knights and Amy Swinnerton to our growing team in March 2018, offering existing and new clients of the firm advice on benefits eligibility, claims and appeals.
Employer Partnership Status
In August 2018 we achieved specialist accreditation from STEP, becoming one of only a handful of practices in the South East region to be recognised as a STEP Employer Partner.
The Employer Partnership Programme was developed to help employers deliver the best possible learning and professional development outcomes for staff.
Law Society Excellence Awards
In October 2018 we won the Excellence in Client Service award at The Law Society Excellence Awards, seeing off competition from hundreds of firms across the legal profession to win the hotly-contested award for excellence in the delivery of client service.
New office
In 2019 we started the new calendar year at our new home – our current office location in Dyke Road, Brighton. Following a period of sustained growth, we needed a bigger, better space in which to welcome our expanding client base. We took great care to make it a welcoming space as you will read below….
Artwork competition
We were overwhelmed with the brilliant entries we received to our artwork competition, where we invited children and young adults between the ages of 4 and 25 with disabilities or SEN to design a poster based on their ‘perfect day’. The winning artwork adorns the walls of our new meeting rooms.
Legal directory recognition
In July 2020 we were proud to receive news that Philip has retained his ranking as a leading expert in the prestigious Chambers UK High Net Worth Guide. As well as being recognised by Chambers & Partners, Renaissance Legal is also ranked in the independent Legal 500 guide as a leading firm in the field of personal tax, trusts, estates and probate.
Our team
The cliché ‘last but by no means least’ applies to our fantastic team. None of this would have been possible without the tireless work that our team does in supporting our clients every single day. The wonderful feedback we receive is down to their dedication and understanding, helping people when they need it the most.
We never could have imagined what would be possible to achieve in 10 years, and reflecting back has been a wonderful reminder of the team’s achievements – all of which have been down to their hard work and the support we’ve had from others. Never a team to rest on our laurels, we are extremely excited about what the future holds for us.
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