First Published Deal of the Year

Business success stories/commercial deals always go down well with the press. Particularly, when all around us businesses are finding it difficult to cope with the economic downturn.

A recent Latimer Hinks success story gained coverage almost immediately. In previous times (before the economic downturn) this type of press story may have been passed over as not being "big" enough. We believe all of our press stories are worthy of press attention!

Jill and Paul Jackson bought a freehold rural pub which had been empty for 2 and a half years.
Latimer Hinks Expertise Helps Re-open Historic Pub

Well done the Jacksons! and well done Nicola (partner at Latimer Hinks) for ensuring that the Jackson's dreams have a good start!

New Year, New Us

Latimer Hinks was originally established in 1892 and last year it was decided that the Latimer Hinks image required an update, a new corporate identity. I believe that this is only the third image change in nearly 120 years! Hopefully you can tell from the photos that the left image is previous signage.

A modern, fresh, clean image which would sit well with our private as well as corporate clients was required. This was the easy bit - the hard bit was having 10 very different partners agree on an image!!

The challenge was on! Everything was due to roll out on the 4th January 2010. Partners evetually agreed on a logo and we were off!

All the stationery, pop up displays, folders etc were delivered in the run up to Christmas ready for use on the Monday we returned to work.

The shop front and reception signage was to be replaced during the Christmas holidays by Signs Express in Darlington. Whilst on Christmas leave I heard an announcement that Priestgate (the street on which Latimer Hinks sits) had been closed due to a hole appearing in the road!! Luckily our contractor liaised with the council and managed to "get the job done."

So far so good - but the job still continues! I will keep you updated on the rest of our ptomotional update!

DIY Wills - Don't do it!

We live in a society where, to save money, we attempt tasks ourselves that really should be undertaken by professionals.

You may have seen (and possibly heard) about home improvement DIY disasters. People make a living from creating cartoons relating to such disasters, but have you ever considered what may happen if you attempted a DIY Will? A Will than can be purchased "off the shelf"?

Andrew Way, Partner at Latimer Hinks comments on a recent court case relating to DIY Wills.

Court Case Highlights Danger of DIY Wills

DIY Wills are a risky business. Problems can arise if the Will was not correctly signed and witnessed. Drafting mistakes can leave the Will open to misinterpretation and could possibly render the Will useless. Not taking care of details such as this can prove very costly and sometimes distressing for those left to deal with it.

So, to avoid your Will being deemed unlawful or challenged by family members, good instructions, advice and legal guidance should be taken.

The North East Property Forum Meet Again!

Residential and commercial professionals met to discuss the state of the regional property market. Tim Haggie, Managing Partner at Latimer Hinks chaired the meeting and appeared in the video/podcast - an alternative method of promoting Latimer Hinks.

I attended one of the previous meeting and was surprised at how well the professionals from competing organisations communicated - there is, after all, strength in numbers!

Yell.com Comments - conveyancing

Just today Yell.com contacted Latimer Hinks in the hope that our conveyancing department could answer a few questions. I'm not sure why or how they decided to contact Latimer Hinks for the answers (above all other conveyancers), but we're very grateful! Yell.com attracts a MASSIVE amount of traffic to their website - let's hope it does the same for us!

Here are the questions and answers:

By Nicola Neilson, Partner at Latimer Hinks Solicitors, Darlington

Conveyancing: What are my rights (to a property) if I'm married or unmarried or in a civil partnership?
An individual’s rights differ in each of these situations. Therefore, it is vital for people to seek the advice of a solicitor to make sure that the appropriate legally binding agreements are drawn up which suit their circumstances.

Conveyancing: I want to sell a property - why do I need a solicitor?
A solicitor ensures a client’s interests are protected at every stage, can guide them through any complex issues that may arise, makes sure the contracts are correctly drawn up and checks things such as the ownership of the property, rights of way, access, or future developments in the area are in order.

Conveyancing: I'm buying a house and I want to rent it out. How will a solicitor help?
A solicitor has the expertise to advise on the legal obligations and the rights of someone wanting to rent out their house as well as tenancy agreements and other legal documentation.

Now you know how a solicitor can help!

Stamp Duty Land Tax Increase - complete purchases ASAP

It's extremely difficult for first time buyers to be able to take their first step onto the property ladder.

Stamp Duty Land Tax makes a hefty dent into any savings put aside to purchase a house. In order to help first time buyers the government raised the SDLT exemption to £175,000.

Currently, buyers purchasing properties over £175,000 are liable to pay 1% of the pruchase price in SDLT.

Over £250,000 to £500,000, 3% is required and
Over £500,000 4%, is required

BUT from the end of the year the threshold will return to £125,000. This will cost the buyer an extra £500 on a £175,000 property.

So, if you're waiting for a property purchase to complete this year, you may want to try to push it on a little quicker. I'd rather have £500 to treat myself for Christmas than let it go in Stamp Duty Land Tax!!


For further details - Home Buying to Get More Costly by the End of the Year

I Confess, I have Sinned!!

Have you confessed?
Originally uploaded by Patty - watersmedia.com

I have committed what I feel to be the No.1 blogging sin.

NOT BLOGGING REGULARLY

My only excuse is that I have been SO busy.

I am organising for Latimer Hinks (as well as all my other duties) a total revamp of the corporate identity, new website, new posters, new copy, new banners etc etc. I'm run off my feet! I should have an image of a guineapig in a wheel!

BUT

Blogs must be regularly updated to hold interest. I even wrote Top Ten Blogging Tips - and consider the list as Top Ten Commandments.

For some reason I have placed "regularly updating" at number 9 - i think i need a rewrite!

What do you consider to be the ultimate blogging sin?

Sharing Information - a test

Just been browsing the internet and decided to try out a "share" button on the Law Society Gazette web page.

The article I wanted to share related to one of Latimer Hinks' trainees becoming a solicitor.

What you see below is the result of "sharing" with blogger. It seems a little strange that the links are without titles - has anyone else come across this? I thought this would be a quicker way to write a blog entry, but as you can see, a little more work in required!

[object Object]

Posted using ShareThis

Latimer Hinks Highly Rated in Legal 500 & Chambers

Latimer Hinks' partners have been recognised as experts in their particular fields by the Legal 500 and Chambers UK

Legal 500 - Published for over twenty years, the Legal 500 Series provides the most comprehensive worldwide coverage currently available on legal services providers, in over 100 countries. Used by commercial and private clients, corporate counsel, CEOs, FDs and professional advisers - as well as by other referrers of work both nationally and internationally - the series is widely regarded as offering the definitive judgement of law firm capabilities.

Chambers UK - The UK Guide lists both solicitors and barristers in over 70 specialist areas of law. Since 1989, Chambers have been researching the UK legal profession, identifying the leading lawyers and law firms through interviews with thousands of lawyers and their clients. Their reputation is based on the independence and objectivity of research.


Full press story and glowing comments can be found by visiting Latimer Hinks

I think we deserved a pat on the back!!!

Promotion Through North East Property Forum Video/Podcast

I had a trip out of the office yesterday. Tim Haggie, managing partner at Latimer Hinks was once again chairing the North East Property Forum and I was invited along by our PR company, Recognition to see how the meeting is filmed and documented.

I arrived in time for a few nibbles before the meeting - this also gave me the opportunity for a little networking. Everyone was relaxed, competitors were chatting - it all seemed very much unlike "work"!

I also believe I managed to avoid "being captured" by the Northern Echo photographer (without being too obvious).

Very quickly it was time to sit down and "get down to business". You can see the full video here Property Forum Video September. I've managed to upload it to YouTube, hopefully people will be interested enough to "rate" the video - any comments will be appreciated.

Here is the Northern Echo press story - Region's House Sales Surge by 80%