It was great to get together with so many to enjoy this year’s British Wills & Probate Awards and to do so, face to face at the wonderful Grand Hotel, Birmingham.
The British Wills and Probate Awards celebrate and showcase the hard work, innovation, and excellence of so many within the Wills and Probate Industry, across many different disciplines and categories, 21 in fact!
At a tough time for the UK, and the world, it was good to have some fun, see new faces and celebrate the entrepreneurialism, innovation, and hard work of so many people in so many organisations.
Thank you!
To our guests and all the delegates who attended, we had a fantastic time with you all and we’re sure you’ll agree it was great to be able to get together and celebrate the dedication, innovation, teamwork, and customer service of so many across the wills and probate sector, in what has become an excellent annual celebration.
Great to be involved in the British Wills & Probate Awards
Participating in this yearly celebration of the legal sector means a lot to us at Executor Solutions. Particularly in current challenging circumstances.
We work closely with many legal teams, solicitors, and executors and have an eye on the wider sector. We feel that supporting and celebrating the hard work of so many is important and something we enjoy.
In addition we’re always keen to learn more about the needs, challenges and good practise in the wills and probate space.
It’s great to do this all in less formal settings!
Proud to be Headline Sponsor
We were thrilled that this year we had the opportunity to be headline sponsor for this year’s awards, having previously been category sponsor and champagne reception sponsor.
Leading the celebrations with Today’s Media is something we took great pride in.
Our Group Business Director, Michael Edwards said:
After a year like no another, it was great to be back in the room at a British Wills and Probate Awards. Great to see faces both familiar and new, we can’t wait for next year! Congratulations to all of the winners, highly deserved and it was clear to see just how much it meant to you!
Our Group Managing Director, Barry Mattock said:
It means a lot to Executor Solutions to be leading the celebrations today.
Judging at the Awards
We are very privileged to also be involved in the award judging with our MD, Barry Mattock, being part of the judging panel.
It’s Very Exciting for me to be on the panel of award judges for this year.The opportunity is to learn a lot. What we can learn as a business to support solicitors and probate practitioners.It’s an honour to do this.Barry Mattock, Group Managing Director, Executor Solutions.
Working with Today’s Media
A special mention is undoubtedly required for Today’s Media, who did a fantastic job in organising the awards in what has been difficult, changing, and uncertain circumstances.
Thank you again for the opportunity you provide on a yearly basis to down tools and celebrate with our fellow legal professionals, it really does go a long way. And another mention is also needed for the Grand Hotel in Birmingham, what a venue it was to hold the awards!
It’s fantastic to partner with a like-minded organisation in Executor Solutions who have provided a huge amount of support over the last 9 months in bringing the awards together to make them the success they were on the night.
David Opie, Managing Director, Today’s Media
Congratulations to the highly commended, and the winners
It was a bumper night, with award being handed out across 21 categories! That’s a lot of winners and ‘highly commended’s!
Best use of Technology:
- Highly Commended: Brachers LLP
- Winner: Estatesearch
- Sponsored by IHT Loan from Tower Street Finance
Best use of Marketing & Social Media:
- Highly Commended: Finders International
- Winner: Friends Legal Solicitors
- Sponsored by Today’s Legal Content
Probate Research Firm of the Year:
- Highly Commended: Finders International
- Winner: Fraser & Fraser
- Sponsored by Provira
*NEW* Funeral Plan Provider of the Year
- Highly Commended: Avalon Funeral Plans
- Winner: Golden Charter Ltd
- Sponsored by Safe Hands Plans Limited
Community Involvement Award:
- Highly Commended: Marcus Bishop Associates Limited
- Winner: Stanford Legal Services
- Sponsored by Honey Legal
Court of Protection Team of the Year
- Highly Commended: Freeths LLP
- Winner: Shoosmiths LLP
- Sponsored by Anglia Research
Will Writing Sole Practitioner of the Year:
- Highly Commended: Touch Solicitors Ltd
- Winner: Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited
- Sponsored by Will Aid
Best Contentious Wills & Probate Team:
- Highly Commended: Serle Court
- Winner: Shoosmiths LLP
- Sponsored by Inheritance Funding from Tower Street Finance
Will Writing Firm of the Year: North & Midlands
- Highly Commended: Will & Probate Services
- Winner: Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited
- Sponsored by The Institute of Paralegals
Will Writing Firm of the Year: South
- Highly Commended: Thy Will Be Done (Spain) Ltd
- Winner: Heritage Wills
Will Writing Firm of the Year: National
- Highly Commended: Heritage Wills
- Winner: Farewill Ltd
- Sponsored by Friends Legal
Probate Provider of the Year Small Firms (Under 75 staff)
- Highly Commended: Sterling Trust Corporation Limited
- Winner: Farewill Ltd
- Sponsored by Just Clear
Probate Provider of the Year Large Firms (Over 75 staff):
- Highly Commended: Shakespeare Martineau
- Winner: Kings Court Trust
- Sponsored by CLS Property Insight
Most Rewarding Charity Initiative:
- Highly Commended: Safe Hands Plans Limited
- Winner: The Burnside Partnership
- Sponsored by Inheritance Advance from Tower Street Finance
Innovation of the Year:
- Highly Commended: Comentis Ltd / Honey Legal
- Winner: Broomhead & Saul Solicitors
- Sponsored by Ampla Finance
Private Client Team of the Year:
- Highly Commended: Morrisons Solicitors LLP / Taylor & Emmet LLP
- Winner: Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP / Emmersons Solicitors
- Sponsored by Pro-Gen Research
Young Practitioner of the Year:
- Highly Commended: Lois Dixon – Farnworth Rose Solicitors
- Winner: Oliver Simpson – Taylor & Emmet LLP
- Sponsored by The Law Superstore
Solicitor Firm of the Year: North
- Highly Commended: Oliver & Co Solicitors
- Winner: Brabners LLP
Solicitor Firm of the Year: Midlands
- Highly Commended: Flint Bishop LLP
- Winner: Fishers Solicitors
Solicitor Firm of the Year: South
- Highly Commended: Simpson Solicitors South West
- Winner: Grant Saw Solicitors LLP
Solicitor Firm of the Year: National:
- Highly Commended: Weightmans LLP
- Winner: Hugh James
- Sponsored by Inheritance Data
The Today’s Wills and Probate Industry Champion:
- Michael Culver
- Sponsored by Arken.Legal
And to those who used the #BWAPAwards2021 in their social media posts, it was great to see photos from you all on the night, and we’re glad to see that everyone had a fun time celebrating!
If you missed the awards, or would like to re-watch them, a link to the stream of the event can be found HERE.
We’re looking forward to next year’s awards already!
In what was another successful edition of the British Wills & Probate awards, we’re already looking forward to doing it all over again and seeing everyone’s happy faces again, as we celebrate the excellence of so many within the wills and probate sector.
See you all next year, at the 5th edition of the awards, wherever they may be!