Well another interesting week with national politics resembling a series of House of Cards. While all this has been going on though it is really important that we work as hard as ever to service our clients but also to promote the north east region and to celebrate business success wherever we can.
We had celebrations of our own last week. One of the lovely things about working at Jacksons is that we have a really loyal staff some of whom have given amazing commitment and service over many, many years. It has to be testament to our family friendly approach that 15% of our staff have been with the firm over 20 years and a handful more than 40 years. We said goodbye to one of these last week. Linda Marr first worked at Jacksons in 1968 and last week she decided to retire. We are sure this was not goodbye, as she will be in to visit and check we are keeping her precious stationery cupboard in the condition she expects, but in the main she is going to spend her time with family and friends. We will miss her cheerful presence, but it was lovely to see Stockton office gathered on Thursday to enjoy a special retirement cake and to wish Linda well.
Last Friday was also a significant day for the firm, as a whole, as it was our first day as an ABS or Alternative Business Structure. Sounds strange, but the way law firms are regulated enables us to enter into partnership with other lawyers only unless we get permission from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to become an ABS. Jacksons felt that we would be able to be more innovative under a more flexible structure and it would also enable us to enter partnership with some of the people who are crucial to managing our business professionally but who are not lawyers. We have therefore sought permission to change and this has been granted to us as from today. To the outside world and indeed to our clients and the Jacksons staff day to day this makes no difference as we are still the same entity we were before but as from today our head of finance Suzanne Graham has joined the partnership. It feels right to us that she should be rewarded for her hard work and contribution to the firm and we look forward to working with her as partners and to continuing as a progressive partnership in the years ahead.
Who knows what this week will bring ..British success at Wimbledon hopefully!
