New year, new faces as pair join solicitors’ team

We are delighted to welcome two new lawyers to the practice. The new faces are Sarah Burke, who is a private client executive in the wills and probate department, working alongside Partners Denise Ryan and Amy Jones, and Paralegal Shannon Heathcote, who joins Partner Sheila Roberts in the family department.

Sarah completed her degree at university in Manchester, attaining a distinction in legal practice course and LLM law masters degree at Nottingham Law School. She is soon due to qualify as a solicitor, and is also in the process of taking the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP) diploma towards becoming a trust and estate practitioner.

Sarah currently advises on wills, trusts, and lasting powers of attorney, and is motivated to supporting clients who are experiencing difficult life circumstances.

Shannon completed her degree at the University of Lincoln, following which she worked for the Nottingham County Court family department, enabling her to gain a great insight into all aspects of family law, and to develop her love and knowledge for this area of law.

Wills and probate and family are always very busy areas of law, and particularly so during January when, at the start of a new year, it is the perfect time to take stock of financial affairs and make sure you have everything in order, such as a Will and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

“As much as we may wish to avoid the subject, and it can be very uncomfortable to talk about, death is a fact of life. Your will is therefore one of the most important documents you make, so it is vitally important you get it right,” says Sarah.

As a nation we are living longer, but not always in perfect health so it is also important to have arrangements in place so that someone has legal power to act on your behalf should any life crisis arise affecting your ability to make decisions.

This is where Lasting Power of Attorneys are important — by putting arrangements in place in advance, you can appoint trusted people, whether friends, family, or professionals, to be on standby to help administer your property and financial affairs.

They can also make health and welfare decisions on your behalf should you find your- self in this position.

For family lawyers, January is also a busy time following the Christmas period, which many will have spent in fear as this time of year often brings with it an increase in incidents of domestic violence, with more time spent with abusive partners and parents, and higher alcohol consumption, and extra financial pressures.

It is also a time where people reflect on relationships and make life-changing decisions.

Family law is one of those areas that is complex and ever-changing.

In 2023 we saw a number of new developments that are likely to have an impact on families in the UK in connection with divorce and finances, domestic abuse, children and mediation. The Family Law Amendment Act received royal assent on November 6 and most of the amendments will come into effect on May 6.

The main purpose of the reform is to ensure that the best interests of the child remain the central focus of parenting proceedings as well as making the application of the law easier to navigate.

“I am really pleased to be joining such a friendly and well-established Newark practice and am looking for- ward to supporting our clients during what can be at times difficult circumstances” says Shannon.

“I am overjoyed to be back practising family law again, and cannot wait to see where this will take me.”

Senior Partner Denise Ryan said: “We are delighted to welcome Sarah and Shannon to the practice, and I am sure they will both be a real asset to our busy teams. These appointments come during an increased demand and an ongoing commitment to provide a continuing quality service to our clients into 2024”.