Hutchinson Thomas appoints first non-solicitor partners

Hutchinson Thomas Solicitors, the full-service law firm with offices in Neath and Swansea, has promoted three members of its team to partner – two of which become the first non-solicitor fee earner partners in the firm’s history.

The three new partners are Sandra Pickering – who works in the firm’s probate department – Ros Street, and Christopher Edwards – who both work in the firm’s property department.

The internal promotion of Chartered Legal Executives Sandra Pickering and Ros Street sees a change to the hitherto traditional structure of the firm, by including, for the first time, staff who hold positions other than that of solicitor as partners.

The recent appointments mean that Hutchinson Thomas now consists of 16 partners and employs 61 staff.

Working within Hutchinson Thomas’ probate department, Sandra Pickering is a qualified Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, and her areas of expertise are probate, wills, and lasting powers of attorney. Her promotion to partner comes as she celebrates 20 years with the firm this year.

New partner at Hutchinson Thomas, Sandra Pickering, said: “During my time at Hutchinson Thomas, the firm has always enabled me to keep up to date with the changes affecting the law in my area of practice by facilitating the necessary training. It’s also great to be able to share knowledge and experience as a team, and as colleagues we often discuss difficult cases together, in order to get the best outcomes for our clients.”

The other non-solicitor fee earner to be appointed partner at Hutchinson Thomas, chartered legal executive, Ros Street, has been with the firm for 25 years.

Starting as a legal secretary when she first joined, Street transferred to the position of legal executive, and now works within its property department. Her specialist area is that of residential conveyancing.

Recently appointed partner at Hutchinson Thomas, Ros Street, added: “It is a huge step forward for Hutchinson Thomas to appoint its first non-solicitor fee earners as partners. I am immensely proud of what I have achieved and grateful that I work for a firm that has stood behind me at every step of the way.”

The third staff member to be made partner at Hutchinson Thomas is solicitor, Christopher Edwards, who has been at the firm since 2014. Working within the firm’s property department, Edwards is a specialist in residential conveyancing, commercial property, leasehold, and freehold transactions. His specialities also include acting for developers, as well as some of the more unusual areas of property law, such as claims for adverse possession of land.

Newly promoted partner at Hutchinson Thomas, Christopher Edwards, said: “I am delighted to become a partner at Hutchinson Thomas. Being able to bring my own ideas and experience and energy to the firm is something I am very much looking forward to in my new role. I hope I will be able to add something positive to an already well established and well-run legal practice.”    

Lead image: From left: New partners at Hutchinson Thomas – Sandra Pickering, Ros Street and Christopher Edwards