Member Article

Third Archers solicitor gets official elderly approval

A newly qualified solicitor at a Tees Valley law firm is celebrating today after being the third person in their Wills Probate and Trusts team to be accepted into the Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) professional group.

Wendy Edwards is now an Associate Professional Member of the SFE, joining her fellow colleagues, solicitors Irene Cox and Rosemary Young, who are both Full Professional Members. The firm now has three of the five Stockton-based solicitors who are members of the SFE. Wendy’s route to becoming a solicitor was slightly different to the traditional route of taking a two year training contract in various areas of law. Instead, after undertaking her Law Degree at Teesside University in order to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive and then a Solicitor, she studied with ILEX whilst working as a full time legal assistant in Wills, Probate and Trusts with financial and training support at Archers Law.

Wendy said: “With my admittance as a solicitor, I am delighted to be accepted into the SFE. They have their own strict code of conduct to ensure that the elderly are dealt with honestly and fairly and it is important for us to give our clients that peace of mind.”

She said: “After joining Archers in 2006 as a legal assistant, I was pleased to be able to utilise their professional development programme and undertake my training in house to become a solicitor whilst working full time.”

Specialising in wills, power of attorney, probate and care fee planning, Wendy is keen to stress the importance of sorting out your affairs as early as possible, having seen the heartbreak and family divisions that can occur when provisions are not put in place.

David Collier, Head of Wills, Probate and Trusts at Archers Law, says: “As a firm we are committed to providing sound legal advice and our investment in the professional development of our employees is key to us delivering this. Wendy’s recent appointment as a solicitor and SFE member complements the existing skills in the department and confirms our plans to develop the team. “In light of the recent disappointing announcement by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling that unregulated providers can carry on writing wills, we believe that as a regulated law firm we provide legal advice that has protection and clarity combined with our accredited skills and longevity of experience.”

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