International Women’s Day provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on the achievements of women and celebrate the progress made not only in the legal profession but in all areas of life towards gender equality.
Historically women have faced numerous obstacles in accessing and excelling within the legal profession, for decades concerted efforts have been made to foster inclusivity and dismantle the systemic barriers that have hindered the progress of women in law.
On reflecting on International Women’s Day 2024 tangible progress can be seen with women in key roles within the legal profession such as in the Judiciary, in law firms and in academia. There are now greater opportunities for women in the legal profession and their contributions are becoming more widely recognised. Women continue to reshape the landscape within the UK legal profession by challenging stereotypes and breaking through barriers in what was once a male dominated profession.
Mayo Wynne Baxter have built and continue to foster a culture of inclusivity and actively promote gender equality within the firm. As a law firm we have implemented initiatives aimed at promoting gender diversity such as unconscious bias awareness, flexible and hybrid working arrangements, mentoring and coaching programmes. As well as a menopause inclusion group. Adopting and promoting such initiatives is crucial in creating an inclusive environment where women can thrive and advance in their careers. In our most recent diversity survey statistics show that women make up an impressive 76.92% of employees within the firm, of those 48.6% are Partners and 44% of Board members are women.
Whilst undoubtedly progress has been made Mayo Wynne Baxter recognise challenges remain within the wider society which will require a multifaceted approach involving legal reforms, cultural shifts and changes in societal attitudes towards gender roles and expectations. Mayo Wynne Baxter are committed to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusivity within the legal profession and wider legal community to create a future where every woman has the opportunity to pursue a career in law.
Legal directory success for MWB’s employment team
It is that time of year when the legal directories announce their rankings of the top lawyers and law firms, and we are pleased to say that the employment team at Mayo Wynne Baxter has been ranked in both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
It is a real achievement to be ranked in the directories because they base their assessment on independent research and confidential client feedback.
In the Legal 500, Mayo Wynne Baxter’s employment team was listed as a ‘firm to watch’. The 2024 edition of the directory was written before the Pure Employment Law merger was announced, so Pure also featured separately too. It will be great to see how the combined team gets on in the 2025 edition!
Chambers & Partners 2024 launched a few weeks later and therefore had been able to take note of the merger. We were delighted that the Mayo Wynne Baxter employment team was ranked for employment law in ‘The South’ (which covers a very wide geographical area!).
Some of the lovely comments featured in the directories included the following:
“We always get a same-day response, normally within the hour, which is fantastic especially when you are working on a complex issue. It’s comforting to know that the response is fast and always well-considered.” Client interviewed by Chambers
“They are calm, considered, commercial, and compassionate.” Client interviewed by Chambers
“The strength is in the ability to address the commercial and human elements of the claim with equal rigour and precision.” Client interviewed by Legal 500
Many thanks as always to all of the clients and contacts who kindly took the time to give their feedback about us to Chambers and the Legal 500. We are very grateful for your support and plan to keep up the good work!
On Friday 22nd September 2023, we further strengthened our position as the leading law firm in Sussex when we merged with Pure Employment Law in Chichester.
The union made Pure Employment Law part of the Mayo Wynne Baxter brand and added a new office hub in Chichester, The new location will also create more than a dozen jobs in the local area.
Acting for both employers and employees, Pure Employment Law was established in 2010 by employment law specialists Nicola Brown and Peter Stevens, who have more than 50 years of combined experience, having both previously worked at a large regional firm before setting up on their own.
The merger has further bolstered our existing employment offering and the new Chichester hub will expand our reach across Sussex, providing local clients with access to our 200-strong team of experts.
Nicola, who joined Mayo Wynne Baxter as a partner, said: “Our client base has grown massively in the past 13 years and we felt ready for the next step, so we began looking for a partner that could provide us with the infrastructure to grow. We’re delighted to become part of a firm that has such a great reputation in Sussex and that has shown its commitment to building a full-service offering for clients in Chichester.”
We have confirmed that we are now looking to recruit at least 12 additional legal professionals in the area, to support local clients with a range of legal services.
The merger follows shortly after our union with Lawson Lewis Blakers in Eastbourne in May.
Dean Orgill, chief executive partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: “We’re thrilled to have announced two key mergers, in relatively quick succession, that have not only brought in incredible expertise to our firm but also expanded our reach, taking us to nine locations across the region.
“We’ve had a landmark year for growth already but won’t be resting on our laurels. Our focus for the immediate future is recruitment and building a strong team.”
Martin Williams, head of employment at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: “Nicola and Peter bring with them bags of expertise and business acumen, so we’re delighted that they are joining our growing employment team. We are glad to be able to offer their existing client base a range of legal services and their team with excellent training and career development opportunities.”
There are no planned redundancies as a result of the merger. Mayo Wynne Baxter is proactively recruiting in Chichester and the wider Sussex area.
I undertook my Training Contract to become a solicitor between 2008 to 2010. I was, in terms of my professional life at least, still very much “in the closet”.
I had joined the firm I trained with along with a cohort of around 15 other trainees. There was a real mix of personalities, backgrounds and interests and it was a real eye-opener for me as I had gone through University believing the vast majority of solicitors were very much from one particular “group” in society – I had gone in with the impression that I and I alone was going to be the one that stood out but that wasn’t the case at all, everyone was different.
It did turn out, however, at least as far as I am aware even to today, that I was alone on one particular front- I was the only gay trainee.
I absolutely didn’t feel like I could let this slip on day one, two, ten or even on the last day of my training contract. Coming out to colleagues, even those that I had begun to consider my friends wasn’t an option. I was even asked the question directly “are you gay” and I said “no”. I don’t recognise that person I was 14 years ago.
I had a very strongly held belief that my career would be hampered by others’ opinion or views on my sexuality. I know now the trainees I had grown close to, socialized with, bonded with over our usual trainee gripes, fundraised with and struggled with would have absolutely supported me and it wouldn’t have made a difference as to how they treated me – but they weren’t the decision makers.
The decision makers were older, cis gendered, straight men and women and rightly or wrongly I assumed they wouldn’t have given me the same chances as my fellow trainees if they knew I was a gay man. I don’t recall seeing anyone else who was openly “out” in the office, I had no one to lean on or learn from and I certainly didn’t feel I could be myself in a professional office environment.
Fortunately for me, a friend came into my life at about the right time and they were the first person I felt I could be open and honest with and she enabled me to be myself outside of work primarily. Ironically, she was actually someone I worked with. Having a friendly face in and out of the office meant I could begin to be my more authentic self but never to the point of being an “openly gay man”. She was an ally in every sense of the word and emphasised to me the importance of having these people in your life!
It wasn’t until I qualified and began to feel a little more control over my future, that I was able to bring my true self to work and not shy away from discussing my life outside of work with colleagues – something I had avoided doing as much as possible before.
I won’t forget the first time I positively affirmed my sexuality at work as I felt a rush of adrenalin and fear when it rolled off my tongue but the reaction was one of total nonchalance – perfect. The conversation went like this, “you have a girlfriend right?” “no, I have a boyfriend,” “ah ok, cool, what’s his name?”
That was it, the plaster had been removed.
It is very difficult to appreciate how my work life has changed since 2008 to now and so much of this is down to culture changes in the office and wider society around acceptance and the value of welcoming all people from different backgrounds, characteristics and views at higher levels in businesses.
Since then, the firm I worked with underwent quite a significant change in culture and moved away from the quite stuffy firm it was to what is now a very friendly, open and accepting one where being yourself is recognised as a strength. Seeing other members of the LGBTQ+ community at senior levels in the firm provides reassurance that it isn’t a barrier.
I felt empowered to organise the firm’s inaugural participation in the Birmingham Pride Parade, I have represented members of the LGBTQ+ community on open discussion forums broadcast to staff, actively participated in LGBT Pride Month activities and have even been able to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community as potential clients for the firm by taking part in local networks designed to encourage members of the community to build links, grow their referral relationships and otherwise come together and support queer business owners and leaders.
There is still a long way to go in some respects when it comes to ending stigma and discrimination in all areas of life but when it comes to work – a place you spend so much of your time and energy, it is very reassuring that the vast majority of firms have taken such strides in helping to create environments where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves. I see a lot of trainees and more junior members of the firm actively partaking in LGBTQ+ inclusion groups and involving all members of staff in discussions about the community and I see many allies both old and new supporting them and it’s lovely to see. I wonder how my career would have taken a different path if I had simply had the courage to bring more of myself to work each day.
Just one final point and it was in fact the final message from our CEO at a recent firmwide partner conference – “Keep being yourself”. If that doesn’t sign this off appropriately, I don’t really know what else would.
Matt Parr, private client partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter.
We are so pleased to announce the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey and Sussex (KSS) as our new charity partner for the next two years.
The team from MWB visited the KSS Redhill Aerodrome to meet its doctors, paramedics, and crew, as well as the chance to see its life-saving helicopters in action.
Employees at the law firm voted to support KSS because of the vital service it delivers, and they are already organising fundraisers to contribute to the charity’s £45,000 daily operating costs.
Dean Orgill, chief executive partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: “It was a privilege for the team to meet the heroes who work at KSS and we are proud to support their work.
“It’s important to us that we support charities which take care of our local community and as Mayo Wynne Baxter expands from our Sussex heartland into Kent and Surrey, we wanted to select a charity which would represent our current and future employees.
“We know that 87% of the charities’ total income comes from donations. Every year it responds to more than 3,000 incidents where they provide cutting edge pre-hospital care, which could mean the difference between life and death.”
KSS is an independent lifesaving charity, which has provided world-leading pre-hospital emergency care whenever and wherever it’s needed, for more than 30 years. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 day a year it delivers the hospital room to the road side, a beach or a patient’s home.
KSS recorded its busiest year in its history in 2022, where it responded to more than 3,000 incidents, an average of nine patients every day.
We will be planning a calendar of fundraising activities and challenges, from office fundraising classics such as bake sales and raffles, to participating in KSS Heli Hike sponsored walks.
Kelly Heaton-Ralph, executive director of fundraising and philanthropy at KSS, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the employees of Mayo Wynne Baxter for voting for KSS as their Charity of the Year!
“We are excited to be able to work together on a number of fundraisers throughout the year, further raising the profile of KSS in Sussex, Surrey and beyond and building a strong partnership together.”
If you’d like to support KSS Air Ambulance, visit their website!
On Saturday 1st April 2023, we further strengthened our position as the leading law firm in Sussex when we merged with long-established firm, Lawson Lewis Blakers.
There are such great synergies between our two firms that a merger made perfect sense.
Lawson Lewis Blakers has always been known as a modern progressive law firm that can trace its roots in Sussex back almost 200 years.
Lawson Lewis & Co was established in Eastbourne in 1875 and grew organically and by merger, establishing an office in Peacehaven in 2000, and absorbing Lewes firm Blaker Son & Young (established approximately 1830) in 2012 to become Lawson Lewis Blakers.
The merger has seen Lawson Lewis Blakers now become part of the Mayo Wynne Baxter brand, taking the Mayo Wynne Baxter team to more than 220 people. Their Peacehaven office is now our eighth office in the Sussex area, and staff from their Lewes and Eastbourne offices have moved into our existing buildings in those towns.
Jeremy Sogno, director at Lawson Lewis Blakers, said when we announced the merger: “We were looking for a larger organisation that shared our values and could offer greater growth opportunities for our talented and ambitious team, as well as providing additional services and expertise to our valued clients; Mayo Wynne Baxter more than fits these criteria, and we are excited about joining forces and continuing our legacy within the local area.”
There were no redundancies as a result of the merger and Lawson Lewis Blakers’ clients can expect the same high levels of exceptional service from our friendly team. As part of MWB, clients will have access to a greater range of services and specialists in more areas of law.
They will also be offered our Satisfaction Guarantee whereby if they are not completely satisfied with the service received, they can deduct up to a maximum of 20% off their fee. No quibble.
Clients who had documents held for them by LLB can rest assured that they remain safe with us. Should you wish to retrieve your Will or Deeds then please click here.
We are expanding our presence on the South East coast, we are merging with Eastbourne firm Lawson Lewis Blakers.
The union will see Lawson Lewis Blakers become part of the Mayo Wynne Baxter brand, taking the team to more than 220 people and adding £2 million to our turnover.
Acting for businesses, people and their families in Eastbourne, Peacehaven and Lewes, Lawson Lewis Blakers has significant experience in private client and family law, residential property, employment, commercial transactions and litigation.
No money will exchange hands as part of the merger and there are no planned redundancies. MWB will provide career progression and development opportunities for those joining from Lawson Lewis Blakers and continues to proactively recruit talented teams and individuals across the region.
Jeremy Sogno, director at Lawson Lewis Blakers, said: “We were looking for a larger organisation that shared our values and could offer greater growth opportunities for our talented and ambitious team, as well as providing additional services and expertise to our valued clients; Mayo Wynne Baxter more than fits these criteria, and we are excited about joining forces and continuing our legacy within the local area.”
With origins traced as far back as 1835, Lawson Lewis Blakers is no stranger to mergers, with the latest iteration of the brand forming when Lawson Lewis & Co and Blaker Son & Young merged in October 2012. MWB is also a firm steeped in history, having served the local community for more than 150 years.
Dean Orgill, chief executive partner at MWB, said: “Lawson Lewis Blakers is a long-standing firm with an excellent reputation and an ambition to grow – for its people and its clients. We see ourselves being stronger together and look forward to welcoming the whole team to the Mayo Wynne Baxter brand.”
Lawson Lewis Blakers’ Peacehaven office will become our eighth hub in the Sussex area, expanding our geographical footprint and remaining close to existing clients in the area. The deal is expected to complete later this year.
We are part of legal and professional services group Ampa, and this partnership with Lawson Lewis Blakers is in line with the wider group strategy of investing in and bolstering the brands within the group portfolio to truly unlock their potential.
Ampa, which has recently achieved B Corporation accreditation, also includes full-service Midlands law firm Shakespeare Martineau, national consumer legal brand Lime Solicitors, uninsured loss recovery experts Corclaim, planning consultancy Marrons Planning and cyber security experts CSS Assure.
The Ampa group of brands has been named as one of the UK’s top 100 large companies to work for as well as top 25 law firms in the Best Companies list 2022.
All Ampa brands are recruiting talented lateral hires and teams, and the group is proactively looking for like-minded businesses to join the group as either standalone brands or bolt-ons to its existing portfolio.
We are so pleased to be a part of legal and professional services group Ampa – and the group has now been awarded B-Corporation certification!
Organisations with certified B-Corporation status are legally required to consider the impact of business decisions on their people, customers, suppliers, communities and the environment, ensuring a balance between purpose, people and profit.
The benchmarks in order to achieve accreditation are incredibly high and the auditing process is rigorous, with non-profit B-Lab independently scoring companies across governance, workers, community, environment and customers to determine the business’ social and environmental performance.
In order to achieve certification, a company must:
Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing our risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards.
Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.
Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.
Dean Orgill, our chief executive partner, said: “This is a key milestone in our ambition to change the world of business for good. We believe we can be both purposeful and profitable and our B-Corporation values are embedded in our business strategy and fully supported from the top-down. We also take great pride in helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals.”
“As we continue to grow our group, we are looking for likeminded professional services brands to join Mayo Wynne Baxter and the wider Ampa group, whether they have B-Corporation status or not, and we can support them in their growth strategy as well as better business practices to people and the planet.”
Ampa also includes the brands Shakespeare Martineau, Lime Solicitors, Marrons, CSS Assure and Corclaim, employing more than 1,300 people over 18 hubs across the UK and is the largest legal and professional services group to have achieved B-Corporation accreditation.
Helen Hay, group head of culture and sustainability at Ampa, said: “This is a huge achievement for us and demonstrates our commitment as a group to use business as a force for good for our people, planet, communities and clients.
“We’re really proud to have achieved our highest score for how we treat our people, including our approach to pay and reward, our wellbeing initiatives and benefits and embedding professional development support and opportunities across the group of brands.
“We keep ourselves accountable through our responsible business ambitions that are constantly tracked and analysed, pushing us to do better and achieve more. So far, we have achieved a number of our ambitions across diversity and inclusion, reducing landfill waste and carbon emissions, as well as supporting young people in our local communities.”
Among other ambitions, in 2022 the group increased racial diversity at a membership (equity stakeholder) level by more than 3%, against a target of 2%, supported more than 400 young people through a variety of career development events, and significantly reduced its paper use.
We started this year with some exciting news. We joined Ampa – the UK’s leading group of legal and professional services companies. As a result of this merger, our clients now have access to more than 900 experts across the group. These include new service areas such as planning, cyber security, data protection and risk management, to name a few.
It has always been important to us that we continue to innovate and find ways to better serve our growing client base. Over the last decade, this has included mergers with other firms and developing technological solutions like our LawEasier service.
The move to join Ampa supports our shared plans for growth and increases our service offering for clients across the South East. Ampa is a group of distinct and respected brands with complementary specialist areas, talented experts, and a united goal to fulfil our clients’ needs and their growth ambitions.
Together, we can now provide you with market-leading support on a vast range of varied and complex issues—all in one place. Wherever, whenever you need us.
While we will retain our distinctive brand and continue to operate as a separate LLP, joining Ampa means that we can also speed up our expansion plans. We are now looking to recruit talented people and teams across Sussex, Surrey, and Kent as Ampa’s regional anchor brand in the South East.
Ampa shares our values of collaboration, integrity and providing exceptional service. We’re delighted to join the likes of Shakespeare Martineau, Marrons Planning, Lime Solicitors, Corclaim, and CSS Assure, in the group.
“We’re excited to be taking this next step in our firm’s evolution and look forward to building on our services for our clients and communities. Joining forces is a very positive move for each of us.” Dean Orgill, Chief Executive Partner at MWB.
Our identity as Mayo Wynne Baxter will remain. We are proud of our established reputation, and it is one of the things that made us attractive to Ampa. A crucial part of our identity is our people and, as we are looking to expand the firm not to reduce it, there are no plans for any redundancies.
Ampa’s origins are in the Midlands through Shakespeare Martineau – a well-respected and substantial law firm with ten offices including London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Sarah Walker-Smith, Group CEO at Ampa, said: “A key benefit of our group is shared access to greater support for the benefit of our clients, whether that be from other legal professionals across different brands or our combined business operations capabilities. Alongside bigger buying power and significant opportunities to collaborate on projects, we will deliver enhanced benefits for our people and clients in life and business.
“Each brand in our group is empowered to deliver on its growth ambitions and retaining autonomy whilst collaborating with each other when it makes sense to do so for the greater good.
“Mayo Wynne Baxter has a unique geography, local market affinity, excellent client relationships, strong employer brand and a great reputation – which is why it is so important that it maintains its brand and market positions. It has been great to meet and now go into partnership with a similarly progressive business and like-minded people to help us drive the Ampa vision.”
The transition to the group is expected to be completed by 1st May 2022 and the merger will take Ampa to a turnover above £100m for 2022/23 and a group of more than 1,100 people immediately.
This is good news for MWB, but more importantly, it is good news for our clients.
With over 100,000 female solicitors currently practicing in the UK, it is hard to imagine a time when women were not allowed into the profession. And yet it was only 100 years ago in 1922 when the very first female solicitor was admitted to the roll in England.
Carrie Morrison was enrolled in the profession following the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 coming into force, which paved the way for women’s entry into the legal profession for the first time. This followed several previous legal attempts to allow women entry into the profession, most notably Bebb v Law Society, which challenged the Law Society to admit females to its preliminary exams, on the basis that women came under the definition of a ‘person’ in the Solicitors Act 1843.
The 1919 Act was momentous legislation which meant that Morrison, together with Mary Pickup, Mary Sykes and Maud Crofts, were able to complete their Law Society examinations and finally qualify as solicitors.
Morrison’s career as a solicitor was very much one of standing up for those unable to defend themselves. During the years following her qualification, she spent her time working as a Poor Man’s Lawyer, a service that was established in 1891 and was the inspiration for our current legal aid system. Morrison often represented prostitutes in court and was the solicitor for the Women and Children’s’ Protection Society.
Most notable was her work towards the Divorce Law Reform and Morrison was the first lady solicitor in living memory to represent a woman petitioner, under the Poor Person’s Rules. Together with her ex-husband, also a solicitor, she advocated to make the divorce process more reasonable and fairer for both parties, as the law required that the process should be adversarial, with one party ‘placing blame’ on the other. It is particularly poignant that we celebrate Morrison in the same year that the divorce law is finally leaving behind this archaic legislation and moving towards a more amicable process based on ‘no-fault’.
In 2020, the Law Society honoured Morrison by having a room, currently known as the Old Bookshop, renamed in her honour at its historic headquarters in Chancery Lane.
In Scotland, Madge Easton Anderson became the first female solicitor in the UK when she was admitted to the roll in 1920. Anderson also practiced as a Poor Man’s Lawyer within her community in Glasgow and in 1937, she qualified as a solicitor in England, making her the first woman to qualify in two jurisdictions in the UK. She established the first all-female law firm in London with two other women, Edith Annie Berthan and Beatrice Honour Davy, proving her to be a true pioneer.
We owe a great deal to the likes of Carrie Morrison and Madge Anderson. They fought with sheer determination for women to have the right to work in law, a profession that was dominated by men at the time and is now, according to the Law Society, 51% female.
The coat of arms of the first female President of the UK Supreme Court, Baroness Hale, carries the motto ‘Omnia Feminae Aequissimae’, which means “women are equal to everything”. Carrie Morrison and Madge Anderson proved this to be true and as female professionals working within law, we are proud to continue to strive towards this.