Laws of Success

Coffin Mew, one of the largest regional law firms on the south coast, had a milestone of a year in 2015 and now holds a bold vision for the near future in terms of client service, online presence and community support…

 

Coffin Mew’s reputation, underpinned by integrity, has been built over its 125 year heritage, continuing to deliver an exceptional client service within a range of legal specialisms; from corporate and commercial, commercial real estate, residential property, planning, wills, trusts and probate, family and tax, employment and dispute resolution. Here are just a few things that make Coffin Mew the dynamic, client-centred and supportive firm that it is known to be:

Growth – The past year saw a large amount of growth for the firm. In May, Coffin Mew, at the time with four offices based in Portsmouth, Southampton, London and Gosport, opened a new, fifth office in Brighton. This opening was a catalyst for more growth, recruiting eight new members of staff, adding to the 14 Partners and 140 plus personnel, and taking on numerous new clients. The firm grew by 18 per cent over 2014/2015 and completed some 850 separate commercial property transactions – a trend which will be continued in years to come.

Like many of their clients, the firm has an undeniable focus on success, as well as the much needed, always present focus on client needs and service excellence. This is reflected in its bold vision to double its turnover over in the next 18 months, yet still continue to offer its focused, personal and reliable service to its clients. This entrepreneurial spirit matches perfectly with its new location in Brighton, as a vibrant business start up focus and highly innovative city.

Nick Leavey, Partner and Head of Coffin Mew’s Brighton office and the firm’s Commercial Property team commented:

Coffin Mew is an entrepreneurial firm with an entrepreneurial client base. Since its launch, the Brighton team has gone from strength to strength, shaking up the local legal market. Our efforts have been recognised by external commentators with the influential Chambers and Partners Guide to the Legal Profession naming Coffin Mew as one of the highest ranked Brighton firms. 2016 will see continued growth, new clients, larger premises and we will continue to engage with and support the local community.

This growth is being achieved across the board for Coffin Mew, including within their online presence. A new website has recently launched, kicking off 2016 with a bang, together with a new communications platform delivered by Passle.

The new website includes an interactive online chat facility, allowing visitors to quickly ask a question or seek advice. Alongside this, a new residential conveyancing calculator and sleek online payment facility combine to streamline visitors’ experience.

Through Passle, the Coffin Mew team can easily provide local insights and opinions on the latest legislative changes and developments that will help drive and inform your business and personal decisions.

Supporting the Local Community – As in all other locations, since May, Coffin Mew has become an integral part of the Brighton community and business network. The team reaches out to the local community and shares best practice in a variety of ways: they are active members of the Brighton Chamber of Commerce and partners with Brighton & Hove Arts Council among other things. Most recently, Coffin Mew ran a survey called Brighton Business Pulse, measuring the ‘pulse’ of the Brighton community, allowing them to understand and highlight the issues within the local business community.

Complementing the entrepreneurial community across the south coast, particularly in Brighton, the firm has introduced a new service hoping to support new business startups and innovative ideas – Modus: First Call. This is a subscription service that provides clients with access to real-time telephone and email advice at a fixed price for the year. The team specialise in start-ups and scale-ups for whom this service also provides a sounding-board to help tomorrow’s leaders achieve their objectives.

Mark O’Halloran, Partner at Coffin Mew explains:

What many of our clients and small businesses tell us is that they want access to expert legal advice, but worry about the cost. Another concern is that cash flow can vary considerably month to month and the arrival of unexpected bills can cause real problems.

By getting the right advice at the right time, Coffin Mew believe that many issues can be dealt with quickly and at a lower cost, in turn helping not only many clients but many entrepreneurs with an innovative idea to implement.

Coffin Mew is also involved with local charity. South East hospice charity, Naomi House & Jacksplace, which provides expert care to more than 280 life-limited and life-threatened children, young people and their extended families, recently named Coffin Mew as its Outstanding Corporate Supporter for 2015 at its annual charity awards.

Coffin Mew’s staff voted Naomi House & Jacksplace as their charity of the year and set the CSR team to create a range of engaging and fun events for everyone to enjoy and contribute to.

Sue Bowler, Partner and Head of Coffin Mew’s Services to Vulnerable People team said:

We are in a somewhat unique position as some of Naomi House’s clients are our clients; we have a significant team that specialises in supporting vulnerable and disabled clients, so we have been able to share our knowledge with Naomi House by doing things such as delivering legal training to the senior care team and organising a fundraising gig in partnership with our award-winning band.

A Client-centred Approach – The key to overcoming challenging situations, which law firms like Coffin Mew often deal with, is a strong relationship with the client in question, including trust, understanding and longevity. The team at Coffin Mew always aims to see challenges and opportunities from the client’s perspective and will always make recommendations based on the specific situation in hand.

 

Visit www.coffinmew.co.uk to see the new website in action.