On 2nd October 2000, Birds Solicitors opened its doors for the first time with a staff of 8 people and coinciding with the coming into force of the Human Rights Act 1998. On our twentieth anniversary, the firm is 27 strong with 21 lawyers.
Over the last twenty years we have established a reputation for hard work, thorough preparation and a reliability to provide excellent advice to clients. We have seen a few departures in that twenty years although our staff retention, especially for solicitors, has been very good; four of the original eight are still at the firm.
Ex-Birds lawyers have become judges at the Crown Court and the Supreme Court in Turks and Caicos. Others have moved on to regulatory practice at the General Dental Council, Eversheds Sutherland, the Nursing and Midwifery Council or to work at such establishments as Unison. Some have gone to the Bar, here and abroad, others have set up their own practices and some have left the law (one to become a London Tour Guide) or emigrated to Australia.
The firm would like to thank everyone who has worked for it over the last twenty years past and present. The firm can only be as good as the people that work for it and we have been fortunate to have had some exceptional lawyers and advocates as well as dedicated administrative staff.
We would also like to thank everyone that has worked with the firm over that period especially Counsel, experts, other solicitors with whom we have co-defended, court and CPS staff with whom we interact every day, LAA contract managers and professional support including from our accountants at Sanders Group who were with us when we first set up the business. Many of the barristers we have instructed over the years have become QCs and judges and remain in touch with us.
We would also like to thank our clients for having faith in the firm and instructing us, entrusting us to represent them in their cases at times of great stress and to those who recommend us to their friends!
We are very pleased to have maintained a presence in the legal directories (Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners) throughout the last twenty years and we have had some really exceptional comments in this year’s edition of Legal 500.
Little did we know 20 years ago that we would not see another increase in legal aid rates, that we would face cut after cut from Governments of every colour, that a junior barrister we instructed regularly would go on to become the leader of the opposition and that our eu.com domain would outlive the UK’s membership of the EU.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to make the firm the firm a success and to all of you fellow professionals still providing quality advice to your clients within an increasingly fragile legal aid system.
Steven Bird
