A Lifetime in Law

This year, 2012, I will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the year I qualified as a solicitor. There are now over 120,000 solicitors in England and Wales, most of them a lot younger than I am, and I can safely say that I am one of the most experienced solicitors in England, through no fault of my own!

Before I qualified as a solicitor, I had two years as an articled clerk in Bradford; three years doing a law degree at Manchester University; one year studying for Law Society exams at the College of Law in Guildford, and "S"-levels, "A"-levels and "O"-levels at Wheelwright Grammar School in Dewsbury. Since 1975 I have lived in Ilkley where I now practise from my home. From 1977 I had an office at various addresses in Bradford, mainly at 15 Sunbridge Road, Bradford BD1 2AY. In 1984 I took over the practice of Gerard Dennison at Windle & Sullivan, a long established firm from 38 Piccadilly, Bradford. In 1998 I went into partnership with Robert Kandler who had been my trainee solicitor.

In my time I have carried out many different types of work: conveyancing - buying and selling houses and commercial properties; leases and all sorts of landlord and tenant matters; writing Wills; administering estates with grants of probate or letters of administration; immigration appeals helping clients to enter the country and stay here; civil litigation including accident claims; compromise agreements and above all family law in all its manifestations. I've taken on : divorce cases; financial relief matters; disputes about children, residence orders, contact orders, adoptions and care proceedings; injunctions and nullity cases. Family law is most satisfying and the area in which I claim the most specialisation. A major part of my work now involves helping elderly people with Lasting Powers of Attorney and deputyships. As we live longer we need more help from solicitors than ever used to be the case and I am here in Ilkley to give that help.

I am a member of Resolution, the former Solicitors' Family Law Association. I am also a member of Solicitors for the Elderly.

Although I live in Ilkley I am actually the nearest solicitor to Addingham and I have many clients in Ben Rhydding, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston, Otley, Guiseley and Skipton.

My latest venture is into the practice of family mediation. I have gone through extensive training as a Mediator and am willing to undertake mediations in Ilkley, LS29 generally and further afield. My experience as a family lawyer means that I have more of an understanding of the outcomes available as a result of mediation than those who are not legally trained (of whom there are many).

I no longer carry out legal aid work having realised that the bureaucratic regime of the Legal Services Commission was bad for clients and solicitors.

Ilkley solicitors are changing. My firm is now the smallest in town because all the other small firms have been swallowed up by bigger firms whose head offices are miles away from here. I give good service, my charging rates are very reasonable (because my overheads are low) and I am always available because I work from home here in Ilkley. I can safely say that I am the only solicitor practising in Ilkley who has celebrated as many as 35 anniversaries since qualification and who has not yet gone down the route of calling themselves a "Consultant," whatever that means.

I literally have a lifetime in law. You can gain access to the services I offer by telephone or email or face to face and above all you can gain access to all my experience as a solicitor in Ilkley and Bradford and roundabout.

Contact me on 01943 816207 or email at smb@e-solicitors.co.uk

Steve Butler, February 2012