Reflecting on the Year

For many, September feels like the start of a new year. Whether it’s due to the children returning to school, a legacy from your days at school or the end of the summer, the days get shorter and dare I say it the festive season creeps closer!

At Bexley Beaumont, the planning for 2024 is well underway. I love Autumn and see September as the start of a new term rather than year. When looking forward there also comes a healthy period of reflection on the year to date.

2023 has been a year of growth and maturity for Bexley Beaumont. With face-to-face events firmly back on the agenda, people are valuing that time to connect “in real life” rather than only through a screen. It’s been a year of packed events, we intentionally increased our social and events programme creating more opportunities for everyone to meet and spend time together - lunches, brunches, dinners, BBQs, firm socials, guest speaker events, fitness challenges, volunteering days, charity events, walks and many more! My diary has also been full of smaller group events which have taken place all over the country bringing teams together, building trust and stronger relationships and encouraging collaboration.

This year we welcomed 18 partners and 4 solicitors to Bexley Beaumont strengthening existing teams and introducing new practice areas such as construction and IP (contentious and non-contentious in both cases), real estate finance and technology/AI. The private wealth team has further developed with the addition of 2 STEP qualified private client partners and an additional experienced and very knowledgeable family partner.

Over the last year Bexley Beaumont has expanded the geographical presence of partners from the north-east to the south-west increasing the client offering throughout the UK. We have seen a lot of growth in the Midlands and London this year which was a particular focus for us.

In relation to our team culture, we love to share and celebrate each other’s successes, however big or small whether they be personal or collective. In 2023, the whole team was recognised when we were shortlisted at The Lawyer Awards and at The British Legal Awards. We were thrilled to be named Boutique Law Firm of the Year at the inaugural Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards 2023. The achievement of winning this award highlights the talent and determination of every member of the Bexley Beaumont Team with Legal 500 commenting on our “progressive team culture.”

On a personal level, I have had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic members of our profession in my role on the Law Society Council over the last 12 months. The Council is made up of lawyers from all with differing specialisms, areas of the country and working environments. I am committed to supporting the profession in my role on the Council and working to move the profession forward with meaningful change.

We held our annual firm BBQ recently where we celebrated our fourth year. Our vision to be the law firm of choice for top talent remains as strong now as the first day we launched. Together the team is in a great position to continue to grow and develop throughout the remainder of 2023. Time now to reflect on a successful year and to look to the future. The preparation for our goal setting for 2024 and beyond is well underway and I look forward to sharing them with you shortly! Finally, a very big thank you to everyone who continues to support Bexley Beaumont, your support and loyalty is acknowledged and appreciated. Our journey over the last 4 years has included highs, lows, challenges, and opportunities and whilst I am sure there may be more of this to come, I am excited to see what we can achieve together in 2024!