A North East firm of solicitors has strengthened its Board, with the appointment of two new Directors.
Nicola Bennell, Head of Conveyancing at Sunderland’s Richard Reed Solicitors and Private Client Solicitor and Head of Department, Annaliese Barber, have both taken up new roles as members of the Board.
Ms Bennell has been at the Frederick Street-based firm for seven years, having started her career working at Northern Rock in the fraud department.
The knowledge she gained about mortgages and property during that time fired her interest and was the springboard to her moving into a career in law says the firm.
“I was always interested in conveyancing from day one,” said Ms Bennell. “It’s the hands-on aspect that I enjoyed and that’s never changed.”
“Being on the Board – which has been a process which has taken about a year is not only a great honour – but also means that I can be involved in other aspects of the business.
“It’s a real privilege to be a custodian of a well-respected brand and be part of its future growth.”
The new department head’s words were echoed by Ms Barber , who is also looking forward to the directorship.
“It’s a great responsibility to be part of deciding what Richard Reed will do moving forward,” said Ms Barber, whose work as a Private Client Solicitor includes dealing with a variety of legal matters including Wills, Trusts, Administration of Estates and Court of Protection work, ”
“I decided to take up this apprenticeship to give me additional tools which can only be useful in managing other people and hopefully in my new role as a Director.
“I’ve already learned a whole host of skills which are really useful outside of my day to day law work and these will definitely be a help with the new responsibilities I’m now taking on.”
Ms Barber is also qualified as a Notary Public which allows her to oversee the authentication and certification of signatures, authority and capacity relating to documents used in other countries. She is also currently undertaking a Level 5 apprenticeship in Operations Department Manager to enhance her skill set.
Sarah Reid, Managing Director at Richard Reed, said that both Nicola and Annaliese would be excellent additions to the Board.
“Nicola and Annaliese have long been integral to our team, and we are delighted to see them join the Board, where their expertise will undoubtedly strengthen Richard Reed’s success.” she commented.
