Ramsdens solicitors are based in Yorkshire and specialise in all aspects of law, servicing businesses and individuals covering various sectors. Ramsdens today is a regionally focused law firm with 14 offices across Yorkshire with 270 staff of which 31 are partners.
The history of the firm dates to 1870 when it was first established in Huddersfield. In a short space of time, the firm has grown exponentially from 1999 – 2013 due to numerous mergers and acquisitions, converting to an LLP in May 2006. It also became the first practice in the country to be awarded the LawGroup Conveyancing Standard and successfully achieved the Lexcel Practice Management Quality Standard in 2007.
All employees at Ramsdens aspire to five key values; Excellence, Integrity, Investment, Teamwork and Commitment. All staff believe client satisfaction is the measure of their success and strive to meet and exceed client expectations, these objectives are made possible through great teamwork and commitment from fellow colleagues.
Ramsdens’ Key Information
Location – Yorkshire
Years in business – 148
Expertise – All aspects of law for businesses and individuals
Accreditations – The Law Society accredited in Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS), Wills & Inheritance Quality, Lexcel Practice Management Quality Standard, Mental Health, Family Law, Children Law and Personal Injury
Awards – Yorkshire Legal Awards winners of Law Firm of the Year in 2011, 2015 and 2017 and Residential Property Award in 2017. Finalists at Solicitors Journal Awards 2017 for Law firm of the Year. Highly commended for Regional Firm of the Year at LFS Awards 2017 and winners of the Conveyancing Law Firm of the Year 2014 and Law Society Excellence in Conveyancing Practice Award in 2014
Managing Partner – Paul Joyce
Ramsdens find its clients appreciate a clear and practical approach when it comes to helping them to resolve any problems they may have, and aim to fully understand the issue so that they can advise appropriately and correctly.
They know the legal world is moving at a fast pace and so have invested heavily in the latest technology to maximise the efficiency and speed of work. This ensures they have access to the latest procedures so they can give the best possible advice and support to clients.
Ramsdens have gained an abundance of external recognition over the years through the achievement of many awards and accreditations, highlighting the hard work and commitment to client satisfaction. More recently, 2017 was a significant year for the firm which saw them win ‘Law firm of the Year’ and ‘Residential Property Award’ at the Yorkshire Legal Awards. The Awards, which was launched in 2000 and organised by Barker Brooks Communications, is a prestigious event which brings together the legal community to celebrate the best of Yorkshire’s legal talent.
In addition to the many awards Ramsdens has achieved throughout the years, numerous honors have been presented to individual lawyers within the firm for striving to achieve excellence too. Karen James who heads up the Residential Property Team at Ramsdens was the recipient of the very special ‘Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year Award’ in 2015 – essentially a one off lifetime achievement award where she was described as being ‘streets ahead of her competition’ The achievements of individual staff reflects the ongoing progress of the business, which continually prides itself on providing an excellent level of service to its clients and is mirrored in the accomplishments to date.
In February 2018, the firm launched a new specialist department where they brought together a multi-disciplinary team to support Professional Service firm clients and deliver a focused and highly relevant service.
Just a month later, Ramsdens acquired York based Burn & Co Solicitors; this deal makes the firm one of the largest full practice law firms in Yorkshire and has further strengthened the firm’s offering in the North Yorkshire legal market.
The announcement of three new partners and promotion of nine staff to senior roles further contributed to this, with the firm further bolstering its Family, Private Client, Corporate and Commercial and Commercial and Residential Property teams.
In addition to its dedication to growth and development, Ramsdens’ also prides itself on being involved with and supporting various charities by raising awareness through events and activities. Each member of staff is entitled to 1 day volunteering each financial year and in 2017/2018 staff volunteered over 500 hours to local charities and community groups and raised over £15,000 for 27 charities.
The year ahead sees Ramsdens launch its long awaited bespoke client portal – a truly interactive service for its conveyancing clients and a safe and secure platform for document and information sharing, instant messaging and 24-7 updates in real time. Developed by their in-house IT Company and fully integrated with their case management system, apart from improving the client experience and reducing stress, it is also expected to increase efficiencies, save time and reduce risk.
Ramsdens believe the property market will face some challenges in the months ahead with the continuing uncertainty over Brexit, low stock levels in the North of England, a lack of qualified conveyancers in the job market and increasing regulatory demands and lender requirements slowing down transaction times when everyone involved in the process are crying out for speed. There is a real appetite for change in how conveyancing services are to be delivered in the future and Ramsdens are genuinely looking forward to innovation and technological advances that will inevitably be part of these changes.
