Firms’ News

Paris Smith Opens an Office in Avalon House

Paris Smith has now opened an office in Bournemouth’s landmark, Avalon House; joining its offices in Southampton and Winchester. The new Bournemouth office will be an all service offering that includes corporate and commercial, employment, family, property, dispute resolution and private client services.

Staffed by a number of Dorset based lawyers and led by Poole resident partner, Frank Prior, the new office will improve the firm’s offering to its existing Dorset clients and attract new ones. 

Laceys expands their Wills, Probate, Trusts and Tax team

Laceys are proud to announce the expansion of their Wills, Probate, Trusts and Tax team with the addition of Rebecca Suthers and Laura Neerunjun - two highly skilled legal professionals who bring over 40 years of combined experience with them.

Meet Rebecca Suthers

Rebecca, who joins the firm as a Partner and Chartered Legal Executive, specialises in Lifetime Estate Planning, asset protection, and creating lasting strategies for individuals and families. Known for her approachable and thoughtful style, Rebecca is a trusted advisor, even with the most complex estates and trusts.

Meet Laura Neerunjun

Laura, who joins the firm as an Associate, offers expert guidance on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, inheritance tax planning, and estate administration. Her empathetic and detailoriented approach ensures clarity and peace of mind for clients navigating sensitive situations. 

Fiona Knight’s Wacky Charity Wing Walk!

After being knocked off her bike a year ago, fracturing her hip 3 weeks into her retirement, Fiona Knight, ex-President and Treasurer of the BDLS, has had to abandon a 1,000 mile charity cycle around Scotland scheduled for September this year. Determined to support the East Dorset Branch of Parkinson’s UK, Fiona chose to honour the memory of her late brother, uncle, ex-partner’s mother, and a dear friend - all of whom were affected by the disease. Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disease that affects muscle control amongst other symptoms and for which there is still no cure.

What to do? A single event is a lot less preparation than a 1,000 cycle ride. By chance Fiona was in the Cotswolds and there was a slot free for a Wing Walk at Aerosuperbactics. Meant to be?!

Wing Walking dates back to the 1920's in America and the early aviators like Lindbergh took part. It was introduced into the UK over 40 years ago by Vic Norman who founded Aerosuperbactics at Royal Flying Corps Rendcomb Airfield. 10 miles outside of Cirencester. Rendcomb was opened in 1916 as by then so many pilots were being lost on the Western Front in WW1, new training facilities had to be found to train replacement aircrew.

Fiona was blessed with amazing weather and it was all smiles to start with!

1st Briefing by International Wing Walker Kirsten (recently featured in BBC TV series). She was on top of the biplane which had to ditch into the water at Sandbanks Ferry at the Bournemouth Air Show in September 2021. No worries then!

2nd Briefing by Pilot David. He was flying the biplane which came down and flipped in Poole Harbour in 2021! Oil pipe failure caused a complete loss of power investigators found. Good Fiona is not superstitious!

It had all seemed a good idea at the time to Fiona! Story of her life! Note to herself – stop thinking!

Fiona felt really scared when being strapped in but too late to change her mind! Her hands remained tightly clenched around the small seat rest for the entire journey but it was all in a good cause – East Dorset Branch of Parkinson’s UK. Whilst up there, she thought of all that people with Parkison’s Disease go through along with their family and friends. Amazing views over the Cotswolds and she made it! What a relief! What an amazing experience.

Fiona says thanks for members' interest, support, encouragement, and kind donations. She could not have done it without you. £3,700 has been raised so far for the local branch of Parkinson’s UK for their local projects making it all so worthwhile. Her Just Giving page is still open: https://www.justgiving.com/page/fiona-knight-7?utm_ medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Fiona's husband Charlie is hoping she does not have any other map cap brain waves! Watch this space! 

Legal secretaries begin their training contracts

Three legal secretaries at Preston Redman Solicitors will commence their training contracts in September 2025: Elicia Gravett, Alexander Ayoub and Katherine Hellewell.

Alex has been with the firm since August 2024 as a legal secretary in the Commercial Property team. His first seat will be with the Civil Litigation department where he will be supervised by Hugo Haub and Lousie Boyle. Alex holds a business degree from the University of Exeter, a Post Graduate Diploma in Law and is currently in the midst of his SQE studies alongside his Training Contract.

Elicia has been with the firm since 2023, after graduating with a Law degree from the University of Sussex. Elicia’s first seat will be in the commercial property department supervised by Jeremy Clough. Elicia is currently completing the Legal Practice Course and Masters at the University of Law.

Katherine joined in August 2024 working in the property department. Katherine’s first seat will be in the property department supervised by Jodie Lillington. Katherine completed her law degree at the University of Exeter graduating in 2022 and completed her Legal Practice Course and Masters in Law at the University of Law with distinction in 2024.

We wish them all the very best as they take this exciting next step in their legal careers. 

Preston Redman Solicitors

– Trainee Solicitor qualifies

Preston Redman are delighted to share that Jshan Kumar qualified as a solicitor in August. Jshan joined the firm in June 2022 as a legal secretary in the Private Client department before becoming a trainee in August 2023. He has completed seats in the Property, Litigation, Private Client and Corporate department. Jshan attained his Law Degree at Bournemouth University and has recently completed his Legal Practice Course and Masters in Law at BPP University alongside his training contract.

Jshan will be qualifying into the Corporate Department led by Jeremy Clough and Mark Lello. 

Ellis Jones Solicitors appoints Henrietta Frew as Partner

A regional law firm has promoted a key member of its banking and finance litigation department to Partner. Ellis Jones Solicitors has appointed Henrietta Frew to the top ranks of its management team in recognition of her hard work, talent and contribution to the success of the company. She has become the 24th Partner at the 183-strong firm, seven years to the month in which she joined. Henrietta started at the company in July 2018 as a Solicitor before being promoted to Associate in 2020 and Senior Associate in 2021. She acts on a diverse range of legal matters with specialisms in commercial disputes, health and social care disputes, banking and finance litigation and professional negligence claims. 

Celebrating 25 Years of LA Marine

In 2025, LA Marine proudly marks 25 years as Lester Aldridge’s specialist marine and shipping law team. Operating from the firm’s Southampton, Bournemouth, and London offices, the team combines local accessibility with international reach, delivering seamless support wherever clients operate.

LA Marine was founded when Lester Aldridge recruited three experienced shipping lawyers to establish a dedicated marine and shipping law practice at its new office in Southampton. Over the years, the team has expanded its expertise and innovated in marine law, pioneering solutions for leisure marine operators and advising on emerging issues in commercial shipping and logistics. Today, LA Marine’s legacy continues under the leadership of partners Linda Jacques and Philippa Langton, who bring decades of specialist experience. Earlier this year, Nicky Nelson joined as Partner in Southampton, bringing over 35 years of experience, including 22 years as Director and General Counsel of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Supporting the partners is a skilled team of solicitors, including Elisabetta Scanferla, Helen Whitaker, Jessica Slater, Sasha Rusakova, and Stephanie Flemming.