Life in GW: A Sixth Month Review

Published: 18/06/2018

2017 was a whirlwind year for us here at GW HQ in Liverpool’s business district - we relocated (from the historic Mersey Chambers to a brand new, custom-designed and uber modern office building), rebranded (goodbye Goldsmith Williams, hello GWlegal) and worked hard to improve our digital presence - has 2018 seen the hype continue? What exactly has the firm been up to since all these momentous moments of last year?

Let’s take a look…

The rebrand

As a firm of more than 30 years, we did have a little apprehension about changing our name, our logo, our look and everything that our loyal clients and partner organisations recognise us by. We, however, were certain that it was time to modernise. Our branding needed to reflect our modern approach to legal services, without forgetting our roots and years’ of experience. Did the big change - from Goldsmith Williams Solicitors to GWlegal - pay off? We are delighted to say, it did, absolutely. The GWlegal brand continues to be received wonderfully into 2018 - our clients are happier than ever, our 5-star rating on Solicitor.Info remains just as strong and our social media following and websites hits are increasing by the day. Plus, our move into a modern office floor, means our staff are all together under the same roof (our former building had several levels and was quite maze-like!) and tighter-knit than ever.

New products

A new year has also meant new products, which we will continue to promote and perfect throughout the rest of 2018.

In the first few months of the year, we launched our First Moments service for first time property buyers (FTBs). The main objective of this service was to make the often stressful and totally daunting prospect of purchasing your first home fun, easier and even more rewarding.

First Moments provides FTBs with:

• £100 off the GWlegal legal and admin fee upon completion.
• A £25 voucher to use at your choice of IKEA, B&Q or Amazon upon completion.
• GWlegal’s Your Guide as a First Time Buyer, a handy PDF guide crafted by our property experts answering all the common (and less common) questions asked during the conveyancing process.
• Five #FirstMoment Selfie Cards. Take a selfie as you enjoy your #FirstMoments, including First Takeaway, First Lick of Paint, First Box Emptied, First DIY in the House & First Cup of Tea and share them with us on social media. Connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/GWlegalUK), Twitter (@GWlegal) and/or Instagram (@gwlegal).

A celebration of our staff

This year has also proved a fantastic one for our dedicated team of solicitors, legal experts, IT, sales and marketing professionals, administrators, receptionists and assistants, across all our core departments including Property, Equity release, Personal Injury, Financial Claims and Wills and Probate.

We are delighted that three of our staff members, from various departments, have become trainee solicitors. Olivia Blundell (Personal Injury), Olga Kmiec (Financial Claims) and Tochukwu g. Orji (Property) all enjoyed seeing their colleague solicitors at work so much, they decided to pursue the profession themselves. We are excited, as a firm, to watch Olivia, Olga and Tochukwu grow as professionals here at GW HQ!

Team GW also got more involved in charity efforts than ever, so far this year. Recently, 40 members of staff climbed mount Snowdon in Wales to raise funds for Dementia UK and Alzheimer’s Society. The Gwynedd mountain is the highest in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. The idea to climb Snowdon originated from, equity release administrator, Fran Quinn. In total, £3,986 was raised.

Helen Airey, a Fee Earner in our Remortgage team, also jumped 17000-ft from an aeroplane for Marie Curie. Meanwhile, staff at GW helped fundraise by wearing yellow to support the cause. Helen raised a total of £1187 for Marie Curie. The ‘yellow day’ in GW raised a total of £112 – which the partners raised to £250!

One thing is sure, team GW is a generous lot.

Other news

The firm has also celebrated a range of positive items in the news, which have seen business boom. These include:

Helping young buyers onto the housing ladder. In relation to the budget, our Property guru Emma Hall commented - “If all goes to plan with this project, there couldn’t be better time for first time home buyers to jump onto the property ladder, particularly in London. If Stamp Duty remains abolished, with this project in action, FTBs should now be able to purchase a property in very prime locations at a much lower cost, especially if you also factor in the Help To Buy Scheme and New Builds. This is exactly the boost the Property market needs.

“I am delighted that the Government is taking real action to help young people get on the property sooner rather than later. As always, I would advise anyone purchasing a home to enlist the assistance of a specialist residential property solicitor, so things go as smoothly as possible.”

Read our article on The Spring Budget and what is means for the property market here

The Government has had increasing difficulties putting its ‘whiplash ban bill’ into action, with many ministers questioning the benefit of the bill to the people of England. This, so far, is good news, as the Government’s plans would seriously damage the right to claim compensation if you are involved in an accident that isn’t your fault.

Read more about it here

We are keeping our fingers crossed!

About GWlegal

We offer the everyday legal services you require to move smoothly through each stage of life’s journey. Property law when purchasing your first home. Equity release when you are ready to retire. Financial Claims or Personal Injury services when something goes wrong. Will writing and estate planning to protect you and your loved ones.

If you have a legal matter you wish to discuss don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on 0345 373 3737 or email us hello@gw.legal with your question.

Who are GWlegal? We’re a national firm with local values.

How can we help?

Content correct at time of publication.