Tuesday 31 July 2018

WELCOME TO THE AWDRY BAILEY & DOUGLAS ‘MEET THE LAWYER’ SERIES

OLIVER GRAY - OVER TO YOU…


  
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?

I am commercial solicitor working in ABD’s Marlborough office. I have a particular interest in business law and always love a challenge.

WHAT AREA OF LAW DO YOU WORK IN?

I work primarily in commercial law, which incorporates both commercial property and corporate commercial matters (business law). I do also however undertake additional work in high value and complex residential property matters and certain areas of Data Protection Law.

TELL US ABOUT  YOUR JOURNEY TO THE LAW?

Even before I began my A-Level in Law, I knew that it was the career I wanted to pursue.

After leaving school I completed my Law Degree at the University of Plymouth. I then completed my Post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at Bristol Law School (University of West England). This was shortly before I came to work at Awdry Bailey & Douglas.

During my time at ABD I initially began training with both the commercial and litigation departments and, after undertaking litigation work for approximately 7 months, moved from ABD’s Devizes office to Marlborough to focus solely on commercial work. Alongside my work at ABD, I have also completed a Masters Degree in Advanced Legal Practice, focussing on complex and protracted contract disputes and contract formation.
  
WHAT ARE 5 WORDS A CLIENT WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE YOU?

Practical – There will always be a need to look beyond the purely legal aspects of a matter in order to find practical solutions. 

Realistic – I have found it very important to manage my clients’ expectations and, particularly when negotiating, this is important to ensure that a reasonable and realistic approach is taken. 

Modern – the law is ever changing and it is important not only to stay up to date with this, but in a more practical sense, to take advantage of technological advances such as electronic submissions and registrations to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Diligent – given the significance in law of matters as seemingly insignificant as the type of punctuation used, I take a meticulous approach to my work.
Positive – involving solicitors can be fairly daunting, even for regular clients. I always try to keep a positive outlook and to inspire the same in my clients.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT TO DATE?

My career highlights to date have certainly been my involvement in a number of very high value cases, both for company purchases and sales and in respect of development work on a number of sites in the UK. I found it immensely rewarding to be entrusted with such significant work and to have been able to undertake this alongside a team of hardworking and competent colleagues.


WHAT/WHO INSPIRES YOU?

Though a fictional character, I have always been inspired by Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. I can recall reading an article in the Law Society Gazette whilst at university which extolled the virtues epitomised by Atticus Finch revolving largely around his patience, practicality, honesty and integrity.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Outside of work, I am a regular gym goer, hiker and have a particular interest in martial arts. I trained in Mixed Martial Arts for several years whilst at school, earned my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at 16 and continue to practice occasionally alongside my more recent interest in Aikido.

I am an amateur coleopterist (i.e. I collect and study beetles) with a particular interest in African flower beetles. I have been doing this for at least the past 5 or 6 years and have a formidable collection of Asian and African beetles. I have not however collected any specimens for over a year as I now prefer to photograph beetles instead.


I am also an avid reader and enjoy reading both fiction (generally fantasy) and non fiction (specifically Naval History) books.

Monday 16 July 2018

New Local Charity Support Announced




Awdry Bailey & Douglas are proud to announce Greatwood as its local charity of the year 2018/19. Greatwood is a Marlborough based charity that, via equine facilitated learning, uses rescued and rehabilitated former racehorses to help educate disadvantaged children and young people with Special Educational Needs.

With offices in Marlborough, Devizes, Chippenham and Royal Wootton Bassett, Awdry Bailey & Douglas supports one local charity in Wiltshire each financial year and is exploring the possibility of a longer term partnership with Greatwood.  

After the Greatwood charity was founded in 1998, the rescue and rehoming of former racehorses began to develop into more, and the innovative and educational programme Horse Power was developed. Designed for young people aged 5-24 with cognitive, physical, emotional and social challenges or disabilities, Greatwood aims to make a real difference to the learnersfuture lives and careers as well as facilitating their social mobility. Over the last 11 years, they have educated in excess of 2,000 disadvantaged young people from Wiltshire and adjoining counties.



Tim Hotchkiss, a partner at Awdry Bailey & Douglas saw the work that they do firsthand. “I could not have been more impressed with the Greatwood site at Rainscombe Hill Farm and their innovative methods of using former racehorses to educate children and young adults. It is the dual charitable purpose of caring for both young people and animals that is so endearing to me and our members of staff. At Awdry Bailey & Douglas, we recognise that beyond providing legal advice and expertise to our clients, we have a responsibility to actively engage with and contribute to the wider community in our local area. Our staff are passionate about supporting our local communities and raising money for charity. They are very much looking forward to getting involved in every aspect of the work that Greatwood do, including fundraising events throughout the year, supporting their annual Charity Race Day at Newbury Racecourse and getting stuck in to corporate volunteering at Rainscombe Hill Farm as regularly as possible.“


To find out more about Greatwood please visit their website http://www.greatwoodcharity.org/index.html

Friday 13 July 2018

Summer Ball 2018

ABD decided to do things a little differently this year, with a “Golf themed” Summer Ball.  The Ball was held at the picturesque venue of Wellington Barn with members of staff having the opportunity to test their crazy golf skills late into the night on the mini golf holes.  The winning team even managed to win a days extra holiday for their members of staff with other guests winning Amazon vouchers. 



Welcoming drinks were offered on arrival which were much needed after such a scorching day of sunshine. 

Once seated, the whole room engaged in a Charity Auction.  The following prizes/services were auctioned by Tom Paget and Alexander David and ABD are proud to announce that the auction managed to raise an outstanding sum of £515.00 for the fantastic charity that is the Starlight Children’s Foundation



There were some fun and great lots on offer:   
  1. Tim Hotchkiss and Alexander David’s garden and cleaning service – offering a lawn       mowing and car cleaning service.
  2. David Turley’s DIY – Dave has offered one whole day of his time to help out with those DIY jobs which you simply don’t get round to doing. 
  3. Nicola Hunt - our resident artist unveiled an original artwork which was snapped up.
  4. Alistair Everett in Fancy Dress  – Alistair shall be wearing a fancy dress costume around the Firm’s Chippenham Office or at the Firm’s Sport’s Day.

Stay tuned for future updates as the members of staff begin carrying out their chores and tasks!

Following on from the auction, all guests had the opportunity to win several luxury raffle prizes.  These included a trip for two to the Shard followed by a meal at Marco Pierre White’s City restaurant and Laurent-Perrier luxury pink champagne with two flute glasses. 




 All guests then indulged in a delicious 3 course dinner courtesy of Clever Chefs and went on to dance the night away on the dance floor. 

Many people also took advantage of the fun photo booth by ‘striking a pose’ whilst using various different props.

Written by:



Wednesday 11 July 2018

Prenups … Sharing more than an intimate meal for two…

As unromantic as it may seem, over the past 12 months Peter Berry at Awdry Bailey & Douglas has dealt with more enquiries about Prenups than during the last 10 years.

Why are so many people looking at Prenups?

More than ever before, people are choosing to marry later in life. The number of weddings for men aged over 50, and for women aged 35 to 39 years has increased substantially. The figures for over 65s have increased by over 40%!   

For younger couples, social attitudes are changing and the number of family businesses and people who are self-employed continues to grow.  



So why might a “Prenup” be on your wedding planners list?   

Do you:

Own your home?
Run a business?
Have a pension?
Have savings?
Have children from a previous relationship and possibly grandchildren too?

Have you:

Received an Inheritance from your parents, or relatives?
Invested in rental properties, or made long term financial plans?
Sold your business, and looking to enjoy your hard earned cash?
Been divorced before, and worked hard to rebuild your financial security? 

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then you should think about a Prenup. Starting a conversation about this is never going to be easy. Fears of arguments and embarrassment are entirely understandable. However, talking through the reasons often opens up a depth of conversation about feelings, wishes and about family. 



A Prenup is worth a lot more than the paper it’s written on. 
If the agreement is drafted by a specialist and adheres to legal requirements, you should expect to be bound by its terms as long as it is fair. 
At #ABDlaw we can help you prepare a prenuptial agreement that can stand the test of time. 
Contact Peter Berry on  01672 518620, or via email on peter.berry@awdrys.co.uk where he will be happy to offer a free until consultation or or visit our website.