The Worcester office – nearly back to normal!

Thank goodness for the vaccination!! All of us at the Worcester office are now double jabbed and we are starting to see a return to the “new normal”. Following the first lockdown in the spring of 2020, the office was closed for a few months, but then reopened with everyone taking the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of both themselves and their colleagues. Since the reopening last year, colleagues have come and gone with the current team consisting of a senior solicitor David Wilkins, his paralegal and legal assistant Jemma Hughes and their admin assistant Kara Cowie. Lindsey Foster, who had been a trainee solicitor here at Worcester, returned to the Birmingham office a few weeks ago to complete her training, and we all hope that when she qualifies next year, we will see her back in some role. The Worcester office primarily deals with public law cases, but also handles some private law and is in a position to deal with the criminal cases as and when required. It is hoped that a private law solicitor will join in the new year and there is no doubt that the Worcester office is thriving and building up an excellent reputation in Worcester and beyond.

The Worcester Family Court, couldn’t be closer to our office, in that the Shirehall, which is where the judges and district judges sit, is next door, while the magistrates court is across the road. Worcester, like all other courts in the region, moved to remote hearings when the pandemic started, but have been one of the first courts to bring back attended hearings and it is a real pleasure to be able to do these hearings once again. The “new normal” almost certainly means that a lot of directions and case management hearings will remain remote, as they represent a more efficient use of time both to the course and the lawyers, but contested and more significant hearings are now being routinely listed for attendance. There is a general consensus that this is a better way to operate, and it is a pleasure to meet friends and colleagues once again – something that was very much missed during the lockdown.

Worcester as a city has also reawakened, and there is a buzz about the place that was missing for much of last year. The restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops have all reopened, with very few significant closures, and the university students are back. The racecourse can be seen from the office, and there is a spring in the step of the racegoers as they head from Foregate Street Station down the hill to the racecourse for the regular meetings.

It has been nearly two years now since Greens opened the Worcester office, and it would be fair to say that everyone who has worked there has enjoyed doing so, even if only visiting for the day. Inevitably, Worcester is a very different place to work in than Birmingham, but now that normality is returning, there is no reason why Greens office in Worcester should not go from strength to strength. For anyone with public children law problems, private law issues, including divorce, or problems with the Police, the team here in Worcester are here to help!

Worcester