Ken Dixon (centre left) and Carl Weston receiving the Award for Innovation

Derby law firm Flint Bishop has fought off tough competition to be named winner of the ‘Award for Innovation’ at the Halsbury Legal Awards 2013; the second time in recent years the firm has won a national innovation award.

The Halsbury Awards are organised by global publishing giant Reed Business Information and celebrate excellence in the law and those that give a great contribution to the legal sector.

Each award was assessed by a highly acclaimed panel of judges that included the President of the Law Society, the Chairman of the Bar Council of England, the Senior Vice President of Commercial Legal Counsel at VISA as well as several leading professors.  Well-known TV actor and comedian Hugh Dennis presented the award to Flint Bishop’s managing partner, Ken Dixon.

Ken Dixon says: “This is fantastic news for us. I believe that law firms today, more than ever before, cannot afford to stand still – which is why innovation and the development of new services are so important.

“In fact, in an age of technological advancements and changing client expectations, I believe innovation is the only way forward.

“I am proud that we can show innovation in so many of our practice areas such as wills and probate, conveyancing, employment, debt recovery and licensing.

“We always try to give our clients the best legal advice and client service possible. Our client research suggests we do, but it’s always nice to get impartial proof too.

“Not only does this continue what has been a great start to the year for us, it really highlights the hard work and commitment from all of our people.”

Flint Bishop’s commitment to business innovation has led to it winning numerous accolades in recent years, including the ‘Mould Breaking firm of The Year Award’ for innovation and runners-up status in the MPF Awards for ‘Best Use of Technology to Enhance the Client Experience’.

For more details on Flint Bishop and its legal services contact 01332 340211 or visit www.flintbishop.co.uk

Ian Beardmore, Derby Cathedral Quarter Board Chairman

Derby Cathedral Quarter, which has just embarked on its second five-year programme as a Business Improvement District (BID), has appointed solicitor Ian Beardmore as Board chairman.

Ian is Senior Partner at Flint Bishop LLP in St Michael’s Lane which, with more than 200 staff, is one of the Cathedral Quarter’s largest employers.

Ian chairs the Cathedral Quarter Board which is made up of representatives of local businesses and statutory partners who are responsible for the strategic direction and governance of the BID. Day to day responsibilities for driving forward initiatives then lies with  pfbb UK LLP (the BID’s contract manager) and the Management Group (which is supported by a series of working groups) whose members are all from local businesses and organisations.

Cathedral Quarter businesses voted recently to renew the area’s BID status and a programme has started this month on improving the visitor experience in the area, promoting the strengths of different business sectors and supporting business growth and investment.

Ian, who has been involved in the Cathedral Quarter BID since its inception in 2007, said “Cathedral Quarter Board members and the Management Group give their time to the BID voluntarily and the success over the past five years in establishing this area as a quality destination is testament to their hard work, energy and passion for this distinctive area.

As a Derbyshire person born and bred and having spent the majority of my working life in Derby, I am extremely proud of the Cathedral Quarter which is a great place to work and to visit and I am convinced that the BID has been a major factor in helping businesses to not only survive but develop in this difficult economic climate. It has galvanised people to work together and has given us a strong voice to tackle issues that we collectively face.

“As we embark on a second five-year BID programme, I am confident that the business plan we have in place is robust and achievable and will enable us to build on the firm foundations that have already been laid which can only be good news for all of the businesses within the Cathedral Quarter district.”

Derby-based solicitors, Flint Bishop LLP, have received a raft of recommendations from leading legal directory Legal 500 UK 2012.

The directory, which recommends the top lawyers in each region, particularly singled out Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR), Qamer Ghafoor, listing him in their elite “Leading Lawyers” list of outstanding lawyers nationwide for his expertise in commercial litigation and professional negligence.

Other Flint Bishop solicitors that were recommended from the CDR department include Partner Nick Wells for property litigation and Partner and Head of Licensing Andrew Cochrane for Property Litigation and Licensing. Nick Wells’ debt recovery department was given a particularly glowing recommendation as offering ‘a first-rate service to the level of the Magic Circle, with the cost of a regional firm’.

The recommendations come after a particularly strong year for the CDR team, who work for clients including Land Registry, LexisNexis (part of FTSE 100 global professional information solutions provider Reed Elsevier group) and Marston’s Plc. Regularly going up against national and regional heavyweight law firms, the Legal 500 says the department ‘punches above its weight’ on contractual claims for clients.

Following another year of high level commercial property deals, the firm’s commercial property department achieved four recommendations for Partners Ian Beardmore, Heather Dixon, John Taylor and Head of Corporate Finance Ran Oren. Key deals included a £70m deal involving a lease to Marks & Spencer Plc for CWC Group and a sale for Land Registry worth £37.5 million. Flint Bishop’s Head of Construction, Russell Deards was also recommended for construction law and solicitor Emma Cooper for her employment expertise.

On the private client side, Partners Zaf Bashir and Michelle Tyler were recommended for their achievements in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence, whilst the Head of Family Law was also recommended.

Managing Partner, Ken Dixon says: “The number of recommendations in both our CDR and commercial property departments reflects the strength of our solicitors in both these areas. And it is testament to the expertise and hard work of all our recommended solicitors that the Legal 500 is now seeing us as a regional firm that offers the highest levels of legal advice available in the UK”.

For more information on Flint Bishop LLP call 01332 340211 or visit www.flintbishop.co.uk

Local businesses helped raise over £8,000 for Derby charity Sporting Futures in September by taking part in their Annual Golfing Charity Corporate Cup.

Derby law firm Flint Bishop worked hard to build interest in the event, finding around 50 individuals from the corporate sector to attend the 4BBB Golf Tournament at Chevin private members Golf Club in Duffield. Everyone enjoyed the day and overall winners, audit and tax advice company KPMG, collected the Cup trophy.

The monies raised for Sporting Futures will go to help young people from some of the most deprived parts of Derbyshire engage in sports to increase their confidence, teamwork, skills and future prospects.

In is hoped that the golf day will take place yearly and raise important funds for Sporting Futures on an annual basis from Derby’s corporate sector.

As well as the funds raised on the day, Alan Woods the High Sheriff of Derbyshire and David Coleman (former Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary), who have a strong and historic relationship with Sporting Futures, attended the event and presented a cheque to Stuart Felce, Acting Director of Sporting Futures, for £5,000.  The money will go towards funding a unique training programme for young people to give them the skills and qualifications to be employed by Sporting Futures and lead the new engagement programmes across the county. 

Stuart says: “The day was a fantastic success and again showed that the voluntary and private sector can work together to improve the communities that we all live and work in across Derbyshire.  Flint Bishop’s support has helped us raise more than £2500 for the charity that will be used to help more disadvantaged young people”.

Ian Beardmore, Senior Partner at Flint Bishop says:  “I would like to say a big thank you to all the companies that played in the tournament in support of a charity that is giving some life-changing opportunities to the next generation of young people.  We at Flint Bishop see the difference Sporting Futures is making on a daily basis in all our communities and we are already planning the next Charity Corporate Cup planned for May/June 2013”.

For more information on Flint Bishop visit www.flintbishop.co.uk or for information on Sporting Futures call www.sporting-futures.org.uk          

DCFC CEO Tom Glick and Flint Bishop Senior Partner Ian Beardmore

Derby-based law firm Flint Bishop will be using Derby County Football Club’s new digital LED advertising system to promote its commercial and private client services around the pitch.  The LED advertising will complement Flint Bishop’s other advertising and increase its brand exposure at the Club .

Derby County is one of only four football Clubs outside of the Premiership to have invested in the sophisticated LED advertising system. In addition to a 77m2 screen, the LED system will be a valuable commercial asset for the Club, helping it to grow its income and enhance future investment in the squad.

Flint Bishop’s Senior Partner, Ian Beardmore says: “We are proud to have supported Derby County Football Club for many years. The new LED system will give us important exposure in the region and build awareness of our legal services for businesses and private clients . It also allows us to support the Rams in their new commercial ventures to the benefit of the Club and its fans”.

Derby County Head of Commercial Lisa Biesty says: “Flint Bishop has been a long standing Preferred Partner of the Club for several years and we are delighted how they have embraced our new technology to truly drive their brand, not just in the local region but also to a national audience with our fixture v Birmingham on the 24th November being live on Sky.”

For further information on Flint Bishop’s commercial and private client legal services please call 01332 340 211 or visit www.flintbishop.co.uk.

Ian Beardmore, Snior Partner at Flint Bishop LLP

Five lawyers at Derby-based law firm Flint Bishop have achieved coveted ‘Leaders in their field’ ranking in highly-regarded legal directory Chambers & Partners 2013.

Senior Partner Ian Beardmore and partners John Taylor and Heather Dixon achieved the ranking for their work in the field of real estate. Whilst partner Ran Oren was singled out for his Corporate Finance work and partner Andrew Cochrane for licensing.

Published every autumn, the Chambers & Partners directory is highly regarded as a reliable resource for ranking lawyers according to their ability.

It has been researching the UK legal profession since 1989 and identifies leading lawyers by interviewing thousands of lawyers and their clients. The UK Guide lists more than 70 specialist areas of the law, includes in-depth legal coverage and UK-wide tables.

Submissions from lawyers must include work highlights over the previous twelve months and details of referees including clients and other people who have had found the lawyers good to work with. As a result, a lawyer’s ranking is heavily determined by client satisfaction.

In particular, lawyers are assessed for areas such as their technical legal ability, client care, commercial acumen, professional conduct, diligence and other qualities valued by the client.

Flint Bishop’s Managing Partner Ken Dixon says:”Our clients range from Marston’s Plc to Altrad SA and Land Registry and it is always pleasing to know that they are singing the praises of all our hard work. This achievement is a strong reflection on the quality of legal support provided by these five partners, both in terms of their legal expertise and client-centric approach.”

The commercial property team at Flint Bishop offers a host of services for their clients including commercial and residential site acquisitions; funding, planning and infrastructure agreements; joint ventures; options and conditional sale agreements. In addition, they advise on environmental issues, Housing Association law, commercial leases and general landlord & tenant advice as well as the sale and purchase of investment property.

The corporate finance team advises on a wide portfolio of services including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and buy-outs as well as restructuring, acquisitions finance, property finance and loan and security arrangements.

The licensing department offers a broad range of advice on licensing for alcohol and entertainment; betting and gaming; regulatory advice and prosecutions; reviews and enforcement and licensing training.

For further information on Flint Bishop’s legal services please call 01332 340 211 or visit www.flintbishop.co.uk.

Derby solicitors Flint Bishop are pleased to have once again supported the Derby College Peak Awards 2012 by sponsoring the ‘Academic Studies Student of the Year Award’.

Held on 21st June at The Roundhouse in Derby, The Peak Awards are a high-profile annual event run by Derby College to celebrate the achievements and excellence of its staff and students.

Attended by over 250 people, the gala awards evening featured awards for students and staff based around business industries and curriculum areas.

Arizona Makings was named as the winner of the award for Academic Studies Student of the Year. Her exceptional hard work over the past two years and the progress she has made in both her personal confidence and academic ability were key to her achieving the award.  She had also demonstrated a natural flair for creativity and produced some excellent work in English and Art that showcased her individual talent and determination.

Straight A student, James Barbour, also came Highly Commended in this category for his excellent attendance and punctuality, as well as his determination, resourcefulness, intelligence and a great sense of humour throughout his studies in Psychology, Maths and Business Studies.

Head of Marketing at Flint Bishop, Carl Weston says: “Flint Bishop is very committed to supporting these awards, which give important recognition to student excellence at Derby College. As local solicitors, supporting The Peak Awards is just one element of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility in support of the local Derbyshire community”.

As a proud partner of Derby County Football Club, Flint Bishop is delighted to publish next season’s fixtures list- see http://bit.ly/Ndz8Xm for full details.