News

Office closures Monday 30th April

Please note all our branches will be closed Monday 30th April for staff training.  We apologise for any inconvenience.  We will reopen at 9am on Tuesday 1st May.

Dana’s First Training Blog for the Nello Bike Ride in aid of Force Cancer Charity

Gilbert Stephens again have a team taking part in the Nello Bike Ride to raise money for Force Cancer Charity.  The participants will be doing regular training and we will keep you up to date with how it’s going.  Here is Dana’s blog following the first training session last weekend.  If you would like to donate to our cause please follow our Virgin Money Giving link here

It was maybe a risk to choose Friday 13th as the date to buy my marvellous new Trek bike for the Nello bike ride in aid of Force Cancer Charity and I was hoping that the date would not turn out to be a bad omen. There were a range of amazing bikes on offer, and I’ll admit I was pretty clueless, but thankfully Ben from the Bike Shed, sponsors of the Nello, was on hand to help me find the one that was right for me.

Apparently, you don’t just go by the colour…….

Saturday 14th came around and I woke with a feeling of excitement (or possibly dread) at the thought of picking up my brand new bike from the Bike Shed on Fore Street in Exeter. That day, having survived Friday the 13th, I felt that luck was on my side. I decided to bond with my new bike and ride it the whole mile (perhaps less) back home. As it turned out, Friday the 13th was still in effect: I made my way down Fore Street (still on the bike) and took a left onto West Street. My bike, being, like me, independently minded, didn’t agree with turning left and instead took its own path, causing me to go flying onto the crossbar of the bike which resulted in personal injuries that caused me a lot of pain!

After a few moments, I jumped up and discreetly brushed myself down, trying to cover up the embarrassment I was feeling. As I made my way (carefully) home avoiding those left turns that were clearly so unpopular with the bike, I wondered why on earth I had signed up to this event. I clearly struggle to cycle a few feet – how was I going to cope with miles?

Our first training day on Sunday 22nd April came around and, at 8am, it was time for training to commence. I woke up fresh and ready to tackle whatever the training had in store for me, reassuring myself that, (perhaps by avoiding those unpopular left turns) my mishap on Saturday couldn’t possibly happen again – how unlucky could one girl be?  Fully prepared with my shiny and undented bike, my illuminous pink helmet, and my well-padded cycling leggings, I headed out the door: all the gear but no idea…

I jumped onto my bike and cycled without incident to the meeting point at Glass House Lane with Mike, Marcus and his daughter. At this point I was all jokes and laughter, completely oblivious to the challenges and struggles that would face me. When we arrived at Glass House Lane, I was greeted with big smiles by my fellow cyclists from Gilbert Stephens Solicitors.

Beautiful views

It was rapidly clear that Don Middlemost had taken his place as our commander-in-chief, outlining where we would be cycling and where each of us would be positioned in our convoy. At this point, I still imagined it would be a nice relaxed ride and that we would be out for only an hour or so, pootling along and having fun. This may have been a mistake…

We cycled for what seemed like an eternity through so many villages that, despite being local, I had never heard of before. This being Devon, we climbed up so many hills that it felt like I was making an attempt on Mount Everest and my legs quickly turned to jelly.

It was still early in the day when I started feeling these effects and I began to think that the pain would never end! At every junction, my fellow cyclists stopped to wait for me, but as soon as I caught up with them they would enthusiastically yell “go, go, go” we were off again!

Exhausted!

Every time I asked how long we had left to go, I would get the answer ‘a little while yet’, but for me ‘a little while yet’ seemed to go on forever. By that time, it was safe to say that I felt like I was the weakest link. Thankfully Mark Dowling was there to take me under his wing by encouraging me to keep going and I was motivated by remembering that we were doing this for Force Cancer Charity, so I kept pushing myself past limits I thought I couldn’t reach.

At last I reached the end of the ride, jumped off the bike and promptly collapsed at the side of the road (“jumped” might be overstating it given my complete lack of energy). Every muscle in my body was aching and I thought, at that point, that I would never cycle again.  I hadn’t realised that cycling would be so difficult, but when I found out we had covered 32 miles, it was all worth it and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, especially as the last time I didn’t even manage a mile!

Our route

The first training session was harder than I could have ever imagined but I will keep going. This is a sponsored event after all, and so it should be a challenge. My continuing mission is to raise money for Force Cancer Charity because the struggle I am going to go through is absolutely nothing compared to the people and families living with cancer.

Our next training session is Sunday 29^th April – keep following for my progress and that of my fellow Gilbert Stephens cyclists – it will get easier….. won’t it?!

Still smiling!

If you would like to donate to our cause please follow our Giving link here https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GilbertStephensNello

Kim McDonald answers your employment law questions

What should I do if I feel I am being treated unfairly at work?

If you feel you are being treated unfairly at work you should request a copy of the employer’s grievance procedure and submit a full written grievance detailing all concerns. The employer should then meet with you to consider this and provide you with a response following the meeting. If you are unhappy with the response you receive you will have the opportunity to appeal the decision and a further appeal meeting will be held and a further decision made. If you are still unhappy with the outcome you would need to consider your options and possibly take legal advice.

My boss has said I am not entitled to holiday pay as I am self-employed, I believed I was an employee and entitled to this, what is the difference?

Your status depends entirely on the details of the working relationship and facts of your individual case. Determining factors include but are not limited to whether you are paid holiday pay, sick pay and the amount of control the employer exerts over you in relation to how and when you complete the work. If your status is questionable you should take independent legal advice from a solicitor.

I keep hearing the phrase “gig economy” what does this mean?

This refers to a way of working based on temporary jobs/working and completing individual separate jobs paid on an individual basis resulting in short-term engagements only.

Gilbert Stephens’ Column in Grow Magazine

Look out for Hayley Martin’s column in Grow Magazine, she will be doing a regular column answering your questions.  You can download issues of Grow here

Gilbert Stephens enters a new era with Radio Exe

Gilbert Stephens Solicitors have teamed up with Radio Exe to sponsor the Breakfast Show with Ben Clarke from Monday 26th March.

Partner Terry Bastyan said “This is an exciting new commitment for us, radio advertising isn’t something we’ve considered until now but it feels the right time and it’s great to be able to support our local radio station”

Marketing Executive Dana Mulligan commented “I’m delighted that Gilbert Stephens have chosen to work together with Radio Exe, I’m particularly thrilled they’ve chosen to sponsor Ben’s show,  I’m sure many of us have listened to Ben over the years!”

Radio Exe is the music and news station for Exeter, Mid and East Devon and with 6 offices in the region it’s the perfect partnership for Gilbert Stephens.

Dana continued “Radio Exe are a locally owned station run by people who love Devon; Gilbert Stephens are local solicitors who support and get involved with the community at each of their branches, it’s the perfect match”.

Tune in to Ben Clarke’s Breakfast Show on 107.3FM Mondays to Fridays from 6-10am.

Halifax First Time Buyers Event

Gilbert Stephens Solicitors were delighted to be able to support the Halifax’s First Time Buyers event which took place at the Halifax’s High Street branch in Exeter on 22^nd March.

Buying a first home can be a daunting journey, this event was designed to reassure those who attended, ensuring they left informed about the process of becoming a home owner and could feel more confident in taking that step.

One of our conveyancing experts, Partner John Brindley talked at the event explaining how the buying process works from the point of instructing a solicitor and he was there throughout to answer any questions.

It was wonderful to see so many people looking to purchase their first home and feeling positive about their future in Exeter.  At Gilbert Stephens we offer clients considerable expertise in all residential property matters, our aim is to make the buying of property as easy and quick as possible and we welcomed the opportunity to help ease worries for some first time buyers!

A few more photos from the event:

A fond farewell to Jane Gawn

It was a day of mixed emotions at Gilbert Stephens today as we said a fond farewell to our conveyancing solicitor Jane Gawn. We are of course very happy for Jane who is off to enjoy a well deserved retirement but we are very sad to see her go! Jane has been an invaluable member of our team since 1992 when she qualified as a solicitor. We enjoyed a gathering at our Exeter office to wish Jane well and Terry Bastyan presented a beautiful bunch of flowers. We’ll miss you Jane!

Cheryl Bolt – Trainee Solicitor Blog

As a trainee solicitor I am required by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority to undertake a period of recognised training (more commonly known as the Training Contract). I am very fortunate that Gilbert Stephens offered me a training contact as these are traditionally very competitive with not many places on offer. I had been with Gilbert Stephens for 3 years before beginning my training and as the firm hadn’t had a trainee in over 4 years they certainly put their faith in my abilities by agreeing to provide a training contract.

The period of training usually consists of training in four distinct areas of law, each known as a different “seat” of the training contract. One of those areas must be contentious, meaning relating to an area of law which is contested.

My first was my contentious seat in our Litigation Department. Litigation is a term used to describe proceedings initiated between two opposing parties to either enforce or defend a legal right. Each of our litigation fee earners have expert knowledge of specialist areas of civil disputes.

I was very fortunate to be able to spend my time in the Litigation Department shadowing each of our litigation fee earners. I gained valuable experience in a wide range of specialist civil matters such as employment law, personal injury and debt recovery to name a few.

Some of the core areas of law, such as contract law and tort, were familiar to me from my law studies and it was very interesting to see how these core areas of law are applied in practice. The area that interested me most whilst in the Litigation Department was employment law.  Employment law is a key area of law that affects and ultimately protects anyone who is employed and yet from my experience it seems that many people (both employer and employee) are not in the know about these rights.

The most challenging aspect of my time in the litigation department was the court deadlines that we have to adhere to. Whilst many civil disputes become resolved and do not end up in court there are some which do not and ultimately end up going through the court system. When going through the courts, the judges set very strict timescales and deadlines that all parties and their respective solicitors must adhere to, which is challenging to meet whilst also undertaking various other work.

Whilst television programmes like Suits focuses on the American legal profession, these shows tend to glamorise the idea of going to court and it certainly does not happen like that in practice. The lead up to Court is very time consuming, hours of preparation are needed to prepare the court bundles. Court days can be very long, with little time for breaks, and can go on past normal working hours – although luckily I only had to experience this once whilst in the litigation department!

I certainly enjoyed the variety of challenging work the litigation department provided me. From gaining experience in critically drafting (some rather long) letters of claim to researching guidelines on the compensation levels for injuries in order to quantify in money’s worth the damage caused it is safe to say that not one day was the same in litigation.

Halifax – First Time Buyers event

Gilbert Stephens Solicitors are supporting the Halifax’s First Time Buyers workshop at their High Street Branch on 22^nd March 2018.   Our expert in conveyancing, Partner John Brindley, will be speaking and will be on hand to ask any questions about the legal process of buying a property and any concerns you may have.  Sarah Heath and Hayley Martin-Herkt will also be attending to offer assistance.  If you have any questions about buying your first home this will be an excellent event to attend and starts at 5.30pm – be sure to register your attendance.

Inspirational Women at Gilbert Stephens – Kim McDonald

There are plenty of inspirational women at Gilbert Stephens and in celebration of International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day we will be featuring 3 in the month of March.  Today we are featuring Kim McDonald, Kim is a partner and works in our Civil Litigation department.

Kim obtained her LLB law degree from Reading University following which she successfully completed the post graduate Legal Practice Course at Exeter University. Kim joined Gilbert Stephens in 2006.

Kim deals with all aspects of civil litigation matters including debt recovery, neighbour disputes and Landlord and Tenant matters. Kim also has experience dealing with a wide range of personal injury claims including road traffic accidents, accidents at work and occupier’s liability.

Kim advises on employment issues and acts for both employers and employees

Here’s Kim’s answers to our questions:

Who has been the most inspirational woman in your life and why?

My Mum who is hard working and has devoted her life to ensuring her family are happy and well cared for.

Who inspires you the most professionally?

Working Mothers who are successful in their career as I know how difficult it is to juggle a busy and very demanding job with being a mum.

Have you got a favourite inspirational quote?

Not one that is suitable to write down!

What drew you to working in law? 

My father was a policeman and the law has always interested me.

What do you love most about your job?

The client contact and helping people resolve difficult situations

What advice would you give to a woman just leaving education

Never get disheartened or give up your dreams due to knock backs. To achieve something to be proud of it will never be easy to get there but the journey will ultimately provide you with the experience and confidence to excel once you are there.

If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

To hear other people’s thoughts, I imagine every one of my cases would settle quicker that way!

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Stubborn, hardworking and fair

What does being an inspirational woman mean to you?

Being successful doesn’t make a person inspirational to me but their positive attitude and hard work it takes to achieve their goals is the inspiring story

What do you enjoy doing outside of the office?

Spending time with my family

And finally…….. if there was a zombie apocalypse how would you survive?!

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