rachel broughton
New team unveiled at Averta
Rachel Broughton moves on as Employment Judge
Averta Employment Lawyers is expanding its team and sadly, saying goodbye to director Rachel Broughton.
Rachel has been with the firm since 2007 and is leaving to take up an appointment as a full time Employment Judge.
Alan Jones, director at Averta said: “I have worked with Rachel for nearly 20 years, first at DLA Piper, and at Averta since 2007. She is an outstanding lawyer and will be much missed by me, her colleagues and clients. However, we are all very proud of her appointment to the position of Employment Judge, which reflects not only on her outstanding capability, but the perception of Averta in the legal community’’.
Andrew Lester adds depth, Andrew Spooner returns
Andrew Lester has joins Averta as an associate. Andrew comes via ORJ in Stafford, having previously been a partner at Bowling & Co Solicitors in London where he headed up the employment law team, advising SMEs, partnerships and Individuals as well as representing clients at the Employment Tribunal.
Return of Andrew Spooner
Andrew Spooner returns to the firm as a litigation consultant, alongside his work as a part time District Judge. He was formerly chairman of Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and practises as a Mediator. He has been a consultant at Averta in its early days before moving to Wright Hassall for several years.
Izzy Canning to qualify in early 2020
Izzy Canning, who joined as a trainee paralegal in 2016, becoming a trainee solicitor in July 2018, will qualify as a solicitor in early 2020 and will continue to give excellent support to Averta’s clients thereafter.
Paralegal Melanie Denis
Melanie Denis has joined the firm as a paralegal. Melanie has a Law Degree from Aston University and is current studying for a Master of Law (LLM) at Birmingham City University and will graduate in 2020. She is bilingual, being fluent in French.
David Sykes, director and one of the founders of Averta Employment Lawyers says:
“Whilst we are very sad to see Rachel move on, we are delighted to have Andrew Lester and Melanie onboard, as well as Andrew Spooner back. Our reputation as the best niche firm for employment means we are able to attract the best talent around.”
Averta makes it into The Times Best Law Firms 2019
Averta Employment Lawyers has been named as one of The Times Best Law Firms 2019. The 200 firms on The Times Best Law firms are regarded as leaders in their areas of practice.
Research was conducted by Statistic for The Times, to find out from the UK’s lawyers which of the 10,000 plus law firms in England and Wales they would recommend. Five hundred law firms were then recommended and the firms with the most votes made it to the top 200
According to The Times:
“Established in 2004 by a pair of former DLA Piper partners to provide practical and robust advice to directors, senior executives and professionals, as its name suggests, Averta Employment Lawyers has become recognised as a leader in the field of employment law. Since opening its doors 15 years ago, the firm has acted for more than 7,500 individuals and on many occasions has advised large groups of employees in reaching settlement agreements.”
The partners, David Sykes, Alan Jones, Rachel Broughton and Anne Mannix, have long been recognised as leaders in employment law. Many of Averta’s clients are referred to them by major commercial legal firms, who do not specialise in representing individuals.
According to Averta director, David Sykes: “Since day one our success has been built on the premise that other lawyers can confidently recommend clients to us. Being included in The Times Best 200 Law Firms demonstrates that the Averta team is maintaining the high standards in terms of service and delivery, we have aspired to from day one.”
The full list of 200 can be found at thetimes.co.uk/bestlawfirms
Legal 500 Recommends all Averta’s Birmingham Partners
We are delighted to have all our Birmingham partners recommended in the 2018 Legal 500 West Midlands Employment category, which went live today. Averta was also ranked in Tier two, which is a commendable performance for a niche firm.
According to Legal 500:
“Averta Employment Lawyers LLP is a niche practice that represents senior employees on high value claims, and is 'commercial', 'pragmatic' and 'able to work to tight deadlines'.”
Commenting on the partners, it described Alan Jones as “'hugely experienced' and 'not afraid to give straight advice'. Fellow founder David Sykes has extensive experience handling restrictive covenant and corporate related employment issues. Also recommended is Rachel Broughton, who specialises in discrimination and diversity claims.”
Strong performer in the legal market
Sykes commented: “It’s comforting for our clients, and our fellow professionals who refer clients to us, to know that each partner is acknowledged by Legal 500 as a strong performer in the legal market’
For 29 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the legal sector across the world, with a comprehensive research programme which is revised and updated every annually.
Averta's Rachel goes Bargain Hunting
Some non-employment news here - Averta Employment Lawyer’s director Rachel Broughton has filmed an episode of BBC One’s Bargain Hunt with her mother who is a keen antique collector.
In Bargain Hunt, two teams have £300 and one hour to buy antiques which they then sell at auction. The team that makes the most money from their purchases is the winner. Each team is accompanied by an expert who helps guide them round what might be the best buys. Contestants don’t have to be antique experts, but the BBC are interested in people who do love antiques and collectables. Enthusiasm is as important to being selected as knowledge, but a combination of both is perfect for the programme.
Following a day of filming a few weeks ago, Rachel and her mother will be returning to Malvern today (8th March 2018) to auction what they bought in filming. The episode is due to air in the Summer; the exact date is still to be confirmed.
Rachel had great fun filming with their team’s expert John Cameron, Anita Manning and the rest of the wonderful BBC crew. She refuses to tell us what she and her mother bought but she has been heard mumbling something in the office about a golden gavel!
Here’s a sneak preview of Rachel taking part alongside her team’s antique expert, John Cameron. John has worked as an expert on two other BBC antiques shows, ‘Cash in the Attic’ and ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.’ He has also worked at an auction house to become a chartered surveyor of antiques and fine art and is accomplished at putting contestants at their east and making sure they have fun.
Bargain Hunt is on BBC One at lunchtimes during the week; it airs at 12.15 and as we appreciate that it is not a good time for most of us at to watch the programme. However, you can catch up on the BBC iplayer by following this link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006nb9z
Birmingham employment solicitor appointed as social mobility ambassador for the Law Society
Averta's Rachel Broughton new social mobility ambassador for Law Society
Averta Employment Lawyers’ Rachel Broughton has been appointed as a social mobility ambassador for the Law Society of England and Wales. Broughton, who is a director at Averta, will in her capacity as an ambassador be helping the Law Society to inspire people from less privileged backgrounds to consider a career in the law.
The Law Society Solicitors for Social Mobility campaign aims to highlight how the solicitors' profession is made up of accomplished and talented individuals from all walks of life, and how many will have experienced and overcome socio-economic hurdles in pursuit of their career ambitions and professional success.
Broughton comments:
"I feel very humbled to have been appointed to my role as a social mobility ambassador with the Law Society. I came from a close-knit mining community in South Yorkshire and although I had an extremely happy childhood there were no role models and little guidance on how to pursue a professional career, let alone a career in law. This project is about making those role models more visible and making the path to a career in law more understandable and accessible.”
“I believe that improving social mobility is not just a moral cause but is also important for the legal profession, to make sure we get the most able people who represent society as a whole. I want to help show young people from less privileged backgrounds that it is possible to have a good career in law, if you work hard and are determined. I will say however that the drive and fight to get to where I am today forced me to develop tenacity and nurtured an empathy which has served me and my clients’ well.”
Law Society president Robert Bourns said: "I am proud and delighted to introduce the 2016 Solicitors for Social Mobility: the Ambassadors.
"With the Ambassadors, we want to provide examples and support for people aspiring to a career in law, to inspire the next generation of solicitors from all backgrounds."
Broughton joined Averta Employment Lawyers in 2007 becoming a partner in 2008 and is now a director. She had previously worked as a senior associate for eight years at DLA Piper in Birmingham, alongside Averta’s other directors, David Sykes and Alan Jones.
Averta’s Alan Jones says: “Rachel not only has a sharp intellect she is a tenacious lawyer and fights hard for her clients while displaying an unusual degree of empathy which means she regularly receives plaudits from clients facing challenging situations. ”
This is the second year the Law Society has run the Social Mobility: the Ambassadors campaign, which was launched in October 2015 with 10 ambassadors and are further 10 are being appointment this year. To be appointed to the role, solicitors must have attended a non-fee paying school, been part of the first generation in their immediate family to attend higher education, be passionate about social mobility and fair access to the profession, and want to inspire others to follow their career ambitions.
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