The Summer We Turned Sporty

The end of an unforgettable season.

This Summer at Crane & Staples has been full of achievements, celebrations and community spirit. As we step into Autumn, it is a great opportunity to look back on everything we have been part of over the past few months. From charity challenges and networking opportunities to exam successes and directories recognition, it has certainly been a season to remember.

A particular highlight has been the formation of our sports teams, with colleagues showcasing skills in football, netball, golf and obstacle courses. So, while we never hosted an end-of-summer blowout at a beach house, we think we can officially call this era at Crane & Staples The Summer We Turned Sporty!

Please read on for some highlights from Summer 2025.

Staff Updates

Joiners

This summer, we have welcomed several talented new colleagues to the Crane & Staples team:

• Gavin Yeung joined as an Associate Solicitor specialising in Family Law.
• Saffron Foley joined as a Paralegal in our Family Team.
• Our new Trainees, Sebastian Schofield-Bezer, Angus Moore and Rian Shah commenced their training contracts on 1^st September.

• Amy Davies joined as a Paralegal in Employment and Dispute Resolution.
• George Scutt successfully completed a summer work experience placement, supporting specialist projects across the firm.

All of our new colleagues have settled in brilliantly and already made their marks, forming fast friendships along the way.

Leavers

Sadly, this summer we bid a fond farewell to former colleagues Juliette Fletcher and Abbie Wastell-Child. They have both secured roles at other excellent firms and we wish them every success!

Qualifications and Exams

There were lots of professional achievements to celebrate this Summer at Crane & Staples:

• Eloise Bishop, Elizabeth Rowlands and Abbie Wastell-Child qualified as Solicitors after completing their training contracts. Eloise and Elizabeth specialise in Wills, Trusts and Probate, and we are delighted that they have joined our busy Private Client team.

• Jonny Baynes passed his SQE1 exams. Balancing a full-time training contract while studying is no easy feat, and Jonny still achieved excellent scores. This is a testament to his dedication and hard work.
• Sheryl Hartigan progresses to the next stage of her CILEX qualification, undertaking a professional project at the firm.
• Crane & Staples achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification. This government-backed accreditation demonstrates our commitment to high standards of cyber security and provides independent assurance that our systems are protected against common cyber threats. Thank you to our team for their diligence and to the experts at Lucid Systems for their support in achieving this milestone.

Awards

HLS Awards

In June, we raised a glass to the local legal community at the Hertfordshire Law Society Excellence Awards. While we did not take home a win on the night, David Bird was recognised as joint runner-up for the Lifetime Achievement Award, and we were proud to have nominated Sheryl Hartigan for Paralegal of the Year.

Resolution Awards

In July, Sian Churchill was announced as a finalist at the highly prestigious national Resolution Awards. Sian is nominated for Legal Aid Practitioner of the Year, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to legal aid in family law and to helping vulnerable clients access justice. The Resolution Awards take place on 18^th September in Westminster! This will be our first time attending, and we are looking forward to a glamorous evening, celebrating leading family lawyers across the country.

Legal Directories

Also in July, we found out that our Private Client team are ranked Band 2 in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2025 for Private Wealth Law in Watford, Uxbridge, and the surrounding areas.

This excellent result reflects the dedication, expertise, and client-focused approach of every member of the Private Client department, who were praised for being:

• “Highly competent and knowledgeable”
• “Genuinely engaged and approachable”
• “Able to deal with complex matters in a professional manner”

Special congratulations to our individually ranked solicitors:

• David Bird – recognised for his impressive ability to handle complex estate matters
• Samantha Webb – praised for her client care, clarity, and professional, personable approach
• Georgie Christou – the only ‘Star Associate’ for Private Wealth Law in our region, highlighting her outstanding expertise and communication with clients.

Thank you to all the clients and professional colleagues who supported our submission,

We eagerly await the release of the upcoming Legal 500 and Chambers UK guides to see how our other departments are ranked this year. Watch this space!

Summer of Sport

Aside from Wimbledon and the Women’s Euros, there were other sporting events taking place this summer.  From obstacle courses and hikes to golf, football and netball, we think it is finally time to invest in an official C&S sports kit!

Golf

At the end of May, David Hughes was joined by clients for the inaugural Ashbourne Insurance Golf Day, which raised £5,000 for CHEXS and The Brain Tumour Charity. A huge thank you to the team at Ashbourne and the organisers for hosting us.

Football

In September, the newly formed Crane & Staples football team played their first outing against Taylor Walton LLP. Taylor Walton proved to be a strong opposition and ultimately won the match, but it was played in excellent spirit and showcased some outstanding performances on both sides. Special mentions go to goalkeeper Rian Shah, who made several fantastic saves, and Jonny Baynes, for organising and captaining the team.

With upcoming fixtures against Debenhams Ottaway and Ashbourne Insurance in the diary, we are looking forward to seeing how our team will progress.

We are also inspired by the Lionesses and have a women’s team as well as a mixed team ready to compete.

Netball

Our netball team competed in a tournament hosted by Taylor Walton LLP, finishing runners-up in their first-ever outing as a newly formed squad. Some team members had never played before and were given a 15-minute crash course before the tournament began. Despite varying experience levels, everyone gave their all and fought hard in every game. A huge thank you also goes to Megan Latschrauner, who qualified as a Level 2 netball coach this summer, for captaining our team.

Separately, some of our junior staff took part in the Hertfordshire Junior Lawyers Division (HJLD) Netball session, blending competitive play with fun and networking opportunities.

We are looking for teams to join us in friendly sports matches. Please contact Jonny Baynes and Megan Latschrauner if your organisation would like to play with (or against) us!

Charity and Fundraising

Supporting charitable causes is important to everyone at Crane & Staples and we continued our fundraising efforts this summer with a range of different activities.

Spartan Race

At the end of May, Albert Green, Jonny Baynes and Juliette Fletcher completed the Spartan Race, tackling 20 gruelling obstacles, including mud pits, climbing walls, and barbed wire crawls. Together, they raised over £450 for the London Legal Support Trust, supporting access to justice for vulnerable people.

Macmillan Mighty Hike

We are very proud of Accounts Assistant, Karen Halliday, who completed the Macmillan Cancer Support Jurassic Coast Mighty Hike in an impressive 8 hours and 33 minutes, finishing 248th out of 1,400 hikers.

Karen has already raised £740 in support of Macmillan Cancer Support, with donations still open. To support her, you can donate here.

What a brilliant achievement for such a fantastic cause!

Helping Herts Week

4^th-11^th July was Helping Herts Week, where all donations made to Helping Herts were match-funded, doubling the impact for 12 Hertfordshire charities. Our team enjoyed a tea and cake event to raise funds and show support. This was a lovely way to come together for a meaningful cause.

Willow Firewalk

In July, Sian and Michael Churchill bravely completed the Willow Firewalk! They walked barefoot over hot coals to raise funds for the Willow Foundation, a local charity that provides Special Days for seriously ill young adults.

Sian’s achievement is particularly inspiring, showing that even with a disability, you can achieve incredible goals. Together, Sian and Michael raised over £400.

A special thank you to Welwyn Garden City Town Centre for inviting us to take part, and to the organisers and hosts who made the event possible. Well done to all the brave participants!

With the festive season fast approaching, we plan to find more fun and creative ways to continue to support worthwhile charitable causes that are close to our hearts.

Professional Networking and Training

We value opportunities for development, networking, and collaboration across the legal community and were pleased to attend several professional events this Summer.

Hertfordshire Law Society Dinner

On 6^th June, our team enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Hertfordshire Law Society Dinner at Hatfield House. We would like to thank the Hertfordshire Law Society for hosting another brilliant event, with special recognition to HLS President Massimo Trebar, Law Society President Richard Atkinson, Judith Gower, the sponsors Review Solicitors, and HLS Vice President, our very own Michael Scutt.

HFJB Training Session – The Voice of the Child

On 11^th June, Crane & Staples colleagues attended a thought-provoking training session hosted by His Honour Judge David Vavrecka and our own Danielle Peters, Head of Training at the Hertfordshire Family Justice Board. The session focused on Voice of the Child in the Family Justice System and included expert contributions from Dr Maria-Teresa Martinez and Steve Brown. This event provided valuable insights for professionals in family law, social work, education, psychology, and children’s services.

We look forward to the next HFJB event, ‘Neurodiversity in the Family Justice System’ , wich takes place on 8^th October. Tickets and information are available here.

Herts Chamber Event at Hertfordshire Zoo

Michael Scutt had a roaring time at a unique networking event, hosted by Herts Chamber of Commerce. The event took place at Hertfordshire Zoo, and Mike got close enough to the tigers to take this great photo.

Covert Recordings - Training with 3DJB

In September, our family team and junior lawyers attended an insightful seminar on advocacy and covert recordings, hosted by Amy Stout and Anushka Kangesu of 3DJB. The session covered:

• Effective and ethical cross-examination techniques
• Strategies to safeguard vulnerable witnesses
• The nuanced role of covert recordings in modern practice

We would like to say a very big thank you to Amy and Anushka for giving up their time to come to our offices for this tailored training session. We look forward to future training from the 3DJB team.

Community and Social Events

Supporting the local community is one of the firm’s core values. This Summer, we managed to do this in Wicked new ways!

Screen on the Green

Our team swapped legal briefs for broomsticks to celebrate our sponsorship of the Wicked singalong at this year’s WGC Screen on the Green on 15^th August. Staff spent their breaktimes filming a fun, Oz-themed advert to be shown before the film. You can watch our advert here:

A huge thank you to all our colleagues who took part. Special thanks to the real stars, our staff’s children and grandchildren, who played the wickedly-talented little munchkins.

The event itself was extremely Popular! Some of our team enjoyed a glass of wine at the outdoor cinema, as the sunset turned WGC into Oz, and the packed-out crowd sang their hearts out.

Thank you to all the organisers, and event staff for helping bring some summer movie magic to the community. It was wonderful to see local businesses, residents, friends, and families enjoying films and sunshine together.

Wicked Tickets Giveaway Winner

A special congratulations to local resident Kay Sale, winner of our social media West End tickets giveaway. Her winning entry was a brilliant poem celebrating what makes Welwyn Garden City so wonderfully Wicked:

"Why is Welwyn Garden City positively WICKED?
Let me tell you why so it’s truly depicted.
From Sherrardspark Wood’s, calm, leafy shade,
To Mill Green Museum, with history displayed.
With gardens green and shops so bright,
Welwyn’s a city that feels just right.
The solicitors here are sharp and wise,
Giving great legal services with excellent advice.
So wicked it is, in the best, possible way,
A place where we love to live and stay!"

Congratulations again, Kay, and thank you to everyone who participated in this fun community event.

Welwyn Festival

At the end of June, some of our team had a fantastic day at Welwyn Festival, in the scorching hot weather. A special thanks to the always fabulous Paint Party by Rachel for joining us at our stall and offering free face painting for the children.

Thank you to everyone who visited our stand and to the organisers for putting together such a well-run event. It was a wonderful day of sunshine, conversation, and community spirit.

Pride Bingo

In June, the Crane & Staples team came together to celebrate Pride Month. We played a fun game of musical bingo and held a pizza party. We also made a donation to the LGBT+ charity GALOP UK. Happy Pride from everyone at Crane & Staples!

Theatre Trips

Some of the team enjoyed trips to the theatre, including:

• Choir of Man - a brilliant performance enjoyed by colleagues, arranged by Sheryl Hartigan.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream - attended by Sian Churchill and colleagues at 3DJB.
• Saving Mozart - Jeff Twiggs celebrated his granddaughter Izzie’s starring role in this West End production.

What’s next at Crane & Staples?

Summer may be over but, there’s still plenty to look forward to at Crane & Staples in 2025. From conferences, awards, and even more sporting fixtures, to fabulous festive celebrations, events already lined up include:

• HJLD End of Summer BBQ – 18 September,
• Resolution Awards – 18 September: Sian Churchill is a finalist for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year.
• HFJB Family Law Conference – 8 October: Neurodiversity in the Family Justice System Book here.
• World Mental Health Day – 10 October: Activities will include massages from our neighbours at Elley Spa.
• Football matches with Debenhams Ottaway and Ashbourne Insurance.
• Great Legal Bake Off – 4 November.
• Strictly Come Dancing Staff Sweepstake.
• Christmas celebrations such as the St Francis Christmas Tree Festival, Toy Drive, Christmas Jumper Day, and of course, the staff Christmas party!

Beyond professional achievements, we will also celebrate some really exciting personal milestones for our staff, including house moves, weddings, and new babies.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this epic summer at Crane & Staples.

Above all, our focus remains on client care and providing quality legal advice to the community, all year round.

We look forward to the next season!