Bendall & Sons past:
The firm was established in 1880 by Thomas Partridge Bendall in offices in Rous Road, Newmarket. He relocated to Rutland Chambers in 1900, where the firm continued to practice until 1978 when lack of space initiated the move to 23 High Street. The arrival of Thomas’ sons Reginald and Archie between 1900 and 1902 led to the expansion of Bendall & Sons, as it then became, with the opening of an office in Soham, another in Ely and, in 1912, in Mildenhall, which Archie opened in premises beside Lloyds Bank. When Archie died in 1935 the firm was bought by the Morgan & Nicholls partnership, neither of whom survived much beyond WWII. Geoff Ashton Roberts bought into the firm in 1947, gradually buying out his partners Thomas Sills and Andrew Myers to become sole principal in 1955. The Mildenhall office moved to its current premises around 1970. By the end of the 1970s Geoff Roberts had been joined by five partners but in 1983 the partners decided to go their separate ways and Ely and Soham offices became independent practices. Geoff Roberts continued in the practice until 2000.
Bendall & Sons present:
ANDREW GEDDES - partner
Andrew took articles with London solicitors Lovell White & King and was admitted as a solicitor in 1967. He was a partner in a London firm before moving to the country, joining the Bendall & Sons partnership in 1977. Andrew divides his time between the Mildenhall and Newmarket offices and specialises in private client work (property, trusts, and wills & probate) and commercial law.
DEBORAH SPENCER - partner
Deborah gained her LLB at Manchester University and was admitted in 1979, working for various firms throughout East Anglia and the North East. She first worked for Bendall & Sons from 1983 to 1985 and, after raising her family, rejoined the firm in 2002, becoming a partner in 2003. Deborah is based in Mildenhall and specialises in private client work.
JACQUELINE SPENCER - partner
Following a career in the travel industry in the UK, some years in Portugal and raising her family, Jacqueline retrained as a solicitor and was admitted in 2002. After working as a conveyancer in Cambridge she joined Bendall & Sons in 2005 becoming a partner in early 2008. Jacqueline works in the Newmarket office and specialises in property matters and probate.
JOHN ERIKE - associate
John is a graduate of the University of Cambridge (Gonville & Caius). He was admitted in 1990, joining Bendall & Sons in 1991 from another practice in Hampshire. John specialises in family law and general civil litigation. A particular area of interest is the steadily increasing law relating to unmarried couples. John is based in Mildenhall has responsibility for the firm's family and litigation matters.
LINDA MONUMENT - legal executive
Linda qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives in 1991 and served on the National Council of ILEX from 1997 to 2004. She is a district councillor and former mayor of her home town in Norfolk. Based in Mildenhall, Linda specialises in probate and the administration of estates, will preparation and inheritance tax advice, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Court of Protection matters.
BRIDGET GILTINANE – legal executive
Bridget became a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives in 2004. Bridget has expertise in dealing with all family disputes, from high-value divorce settlements to more modest financial matters. Bridget is based in Newmarket and deals with disputes between co-habiting couples, issues relating to children and all disputes which arise as a result of the breakdown of a family relationship. Bridget is practical, knowledgeable and empathetic with all her clients, many of whom go on to recommend her to their friends and family as the need arises. She is a member of Resolution
Resolution:
Resolution lawyers sign up to a code of practice whereby we agree to deal with your matter in a sensitive way. A Resolution lawyer will not use inflammatory language either in letters to or in conversation with your former partner/their representative. Instead, we will try to find the best solution for you with the least amount of fuss and stress to you. We try to limit the emotional upset insofar as we are able to.
Conduct matters in a way which is both constructive and non-confrontational
Avoid the use of inflammatory language both in letters and in conversations
Retain professional objectivity throughout the matter and respect for everyone involved
Take into account the long term consequences of actions and communications by the client and by the representative as well as the short term implications
Encourage clients to always put the best interests of the children first
Emphasise to clients the importance of being open and honest in all dealings, and the potential consequences of non-co-operation
Make clients aware of the benefits of behaving in a civilised way during the course of the matter
Keep financial and children issues separate and never mentioning financial issues in the same letter as child-related issues
Ensure that the client has a chance to consider balancing the benefits of any steps against the likely costs – financial or emotional
Inform clients of the options available for dealing with their matter e.g. counselling, family therapy, round table negotiations, mediation, collaborative law and court proceedings
and is trained in collaborative law.
Collaborative law:
Collaborative law is a relatively new way to deal with family disputes. It involves you, your partner and each of your representatives having a series of round-table meetings (called 4-way meetings) to try to resolve issues between you in as amicable a way as possible.
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