Well, here we are, in the next decade.
And, having celebrated our first 10 years in business last year, it promises to be the most significant yet for James Legal, with ambitious plans to bring our fresh and caring approach to law, to more people across the Yorkshire & Humber region and beyond.
Starting with the opening of a second office in Beverley!
Yes, you can now visit us at Annie Reed Court in the town, as well as at our existing base off Hull’s Hedon Road.
And our expansion into other areas of the region has also seen us welcome a host of new team members – with more to join us shortly.
Last Autumn, we welcomed highly respected conveyancer Nicky Mounsor and her support team Courtney Scott and Catherine Blake, as well as experienced legal assistant and administrator Maria Gooding
And now Leon Lurie and Dominic Hudson – who have an enviable reputation for legal excellence, delivered with genuine kindness over many years, have also joined our Beverley team.
Dominic specialises in the full range of family legal matters, from divorce and separation to child custody, financial arrangements and pre-nuptial agreements.
While Leon, with his extensive experience across the wide range of law – particularly Wills, probate, inheritance planning and property-related matters – has taken a mentoring and consultancy role within our team, bringing his wealth of knowledge and insight to support them in delivering the best possible outcomes in even the most complex circumstances.
James Legal Founder and CEO, Nick Miller, said: “James Legal has grown tenfold since I first established it in 2009, but this growth has been organic and steady, as it was fundamentally important to us that we remain true to our founding ethos of doing things differently by being honest, fair, transparent and caring towards all our clients – and always focusing on doing what was in their best interests, even if that meant advising them against expensive legal action.”
He added: “Having established a firm base in the region, and a reputation I’m extremely proud of, the next decade is about accelerating that growth, by establishing new offices in different parts of the region and bringing more experts in who reflect our ethos. Nicky, Leon and Dominic are prime examples of this and we will be announcing other – equally positive – new additions to the James Legal family soon. This will ensure our amazing team is the strongest and most skilled it has ever been, for the benefit of the people we serve.”
More about Leon and Dominic
Leon is hugely well-known and respected throughout our region and beyond, having practised law here for more than five decades.
Having dealt with almost every area of law and specialising in Wills, probate, inheritance and property-related matters, and lasting power of attorneys, he has helped many a family navigate a suitable course through even the most complex situations and has earned his reputation by offering honest, wise and unbiased advice when people need it.
Dominic qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and has worked with Leon ever since training with him and our other senior solicitor Chris Hutchinson at another firm in Hull, where Leon was a partner.
Leon left there in the 2000s, to establish his own property conveyancing firm, where Dominic joined his step-dad as a partner. Towards the end of that decade, they renamed the practice Hudson Law, with offices in Hull and Hessle. Dominic’s brother Oliver built up the Hudson’s estate agency business which shared offices with the legal firm.
However, sadly, Leon’s wife Judy (Dominic and Oliver’s mum) died in 2016, and the trio decided to rethink their future direction after that.
“The office just wasn’t the same without Judy,” said Leon.
“So, we decided to fold the company – apart from the estate agency side of the business which Oliver still runs – and look for opportunities to make a new start working for another firm.
“We tried a couple of stints with other solicitor firms in the region but they didn’t really suit us, and then the opportunity to join James Legal came about last year and we just felt this firm was the perfect fit for us.”
Dominic added: “We’d worked with Chris and Sarah from the James Legal team on various cases over the years and so we knew how the team operate from things they’d told us, and when the opportunity came up to become part of that, it was just too good to miss.
“The James Legal ethos is exactly what we used to aim for as part of our Hudson’s practice. The work environment and approach to looking after clients is the same, being involved in helping to establish a new office is really exciting and having the backing of such a diverse and approachable team to enable us to deal with practically any issue a client might have, is fantastic too. We’re both really excited about what the future has in store.”
Leon added: “Having practised for so many years, I’ve seen most scenarios that life presents, and my age and experience mean I can hopefully offer plenty of sage advice to our clients, even if their situation might seem a complex or even desperate at the outset.
“I hope that I can also bring a particular, first-hand understanding of the issues older people face in today’s world, including remaining active and learning to continue as a single person following a bereavement.”
Read Leon’s and Dominic’s full profiles and watch this space for further team announcements, coming soon!
If you think you could benefit from Dominic or Leon’s expert, approachable legal advice, get in touch via (01482) 225566 or info@jameslegal.co.uk to book an initial appointment.