Legal staff recognised at ceremony for long service

Staff who have worked at law firm Smith Partnership for more than 200 years combined have been recognised for their long service.

Ten employees were recently rewarded at a special ceremony, which took place at the firm’s headquarters in Friar Gate.

The staff all work across the company’s various offices in Derby, Leicester, Burton, Swadlincote and Stoke.

Each one has worked for either 20 years, 25 years or 30 years.

Among them were two employees with 30 years’ service, legal secretary Paula Ward and Andrew Hambleton, who joined the company not long after it formed in 1991 and works in its debt recovery department.

Andrew was due to receive his 30-year award last year, but the ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic.

Also receiving awards were Adele Mosley, Jo Plant and Lorraine Horton, who have completed 25 years’ service, and legal secretary Sheema Gohil, Sanjeev Siniara, Jo Banfield, criminal clerk James Lamming and High Court advocate Vaz Vaitha, who have all reached their 20-year anniversary.

Andrew said: “It was a very pleasant feeling to have been recognised for long service and for showing such a commitment to the firm, but I do really enjoy the work I do, not least because it’s always very busy.”

Kevin McGrath, managing partner of Smith Partnership, who presented the long-service awards, said: “Staff are at the very heart of any successful company and these long service awards are testament to the commitment and loyalty that our employees show us. We’re very grateful to them all.

“In particular, to have reached 30 years, as Andrew and Paula have, is an incredible achievement.

“Both will have seen a huge amount of changes in both the company and the way we do business and it’s remarkable to think that they have both been with Smith Partnership since almost the very beginning.”