Inksters' 2010 Roundup
31 December 2010
On the last day of 2010 we look back and reflect on the past year at Inksters. Again it has been an eventful one:-
InkstersGive
The fundraising efforts for Habitat for Humanity following on from our Global Village Challenge in Argentina at the end of 2009 continued well through 2010. In particular 2010 saw many legal eagles from England to Canada and the USA wearing the InkstersGive T-Shirt. InkstersGive Blog came 8th in the top 25 Scotblogs Awards, 5th in the top Newcomers of 2009 and 23rd in the top 100 Scottish Blogs. We received a nomination for Corporate Social Responsibility Firm of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland 2010. Brian Inkster was invited as a VIP guest speaker to the Thrive Business Breakfast Exclusive Event: Corporate Social Responsibility at The Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh. At the InkstersGive Blog we also covered the James Morrison Street Party, The Children in Need Twitter Scams and No Water for Brian and Nicola on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The InkstersGive Blog featured in the UK Blawg Roundup by Michael Scutt in Its not Blawg Review and also in Midsummer Madness. The Scots Law Student featured the InkstersGive Blog in his Burns Edition of Blawg Review.
Quality Solicitors
Brian Inkster attended the Quality Solicitors Conference in March and put the case for the QualitySolicitors Brand to the delegates at the Alternative Business Structures Conference in May as part of a 'Dragons Den' style 'What the experts say' session. We were one of 40 law firms in the UK and of only two in Scotland to be selected as members of QualitySolicitors to take part in the Barnardo's Free Will Scheme. Indeed the first Barnardo's free will in the UK was written by Inksters.
Investor in People
Inksters were re-accredited as an Investor in People, 10 years on from when the firm first achieved the standard in 2000 and not long before we turned 11 on 1 May.
Recommended Law Firm & Award Nominations
Inksters, for the second year running, achieved Recommended Law Firm status following independent research carried out by The Law Awards of Scotland. Inksters were one of only 64 law firms in Scotland to have been accepted into the register of Recommended Law Firms. As well as the nomination for Corporate Social Responsibility Firm of the Year (already mentioned in the InkstersGive section above) Inksters also received an award nomination at the Law Awards of Scotland for Marketing Team of the Year.
Social Media, Webinars and Blogs
Inksters' pioneering use of Social Media continued to draw attention in 2010. The Metro featured our use of Twitter in Estate Agency. Brian Inkster took part in a webinar discussion about how UK lawyers are using social media organised by American Attorney and Social Media Expert, Adrian Dayton. In March we incorporated improved Web 2.0 participation into this website. Michael Scutt talked with Brian Inkster in a PodCast on the JobsWorth Blog. Inksters sponsored the first media140 Scotland event at the CCA in Glasgow on 17th June. In July Brian Inkster was on a webinar Jam Session on 'Tackling Twitter for Business Development' organised by US based 85 Broads. The Scotsman featured Inksters' tweeting in 'It's time firms get tweeting to find potential new clients'. Inksters' encouragement of our Solicitors and Trainee Solicitors to tweet was picked up by the Guardian and The Law Career Blog. Inksters featured in a blog post as one of eleven great social media marketing examples to steal ideas from: Gordon MacIntyre Kemp writing for the Drum referred to Inksters as 'Cool Guys in Uncool Sectors'! Brian Inkster answered the question 'Do you Twitter?' for the Private Client Adviser published in November. During 2010 Inksters sponsored Charon QC's excellent series on Muttley Dastardly LLP: Perhaps the antithesis of Inksters. The series takes a satirical look at the fictional corporate law firm Muttley Dastardly LLP and the musings of their senior partner, Matt Muttley.
Trainee Summer School
Brian Inkster was involved in this year's Trainee Summer School giving a talk on IT use by Trainee Solicitors for the WS Society at the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow in August. That, however, had its own IT problems!
Crofting Law
It was an important year for Crofting Law with the passage of the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill through the Scottish Parliament. Brian Inkster was in Stornoway in January at the Future of Crofting Conference. He submitted views on the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Goverment in February. He attended meetings of the Crofting Reform Focus Group at the Scottish Parliament in his capacity as Hon Secretary of the Crofting Law Group. Following the Bill being passed Brian provided views from a solicitor on the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 at the Crofting Law Conference in Fort William in September. He repeated this talk for the Agricultural and Rural Law Conference in Glasgow in October. In November we became Crofting Law experts for CaseCheck. Brian Inkster attended the Crofting Law Group AGM in December.
Servitudes
Brian Inkster continued to lecture in the Law of Servitudes at the University of Strathclyde with an updated version of the talk on Moncrieff -v- Jamieson. 2010 also saw us receive a number of new instructions on cases concerning access and parking rights where we can draw on our experience in Moncrieff -v- Jamieson to assist clients with
Ugli Mediation
Inksters became the recommended Scottish law firm of Ugli Mediation, a new mediation service launched in Edinburgh in May.
Seminars and Tips for Law Students
Inksters' staff kept up to date with the law attending seminars on cohabitation and on family and property law. Our Trainee Solicitor, Louise King, did a Guest Blog Spot at Michelle Hynes-Mcilroy's blog on Tips for Law Students.
Kathleen Simmonds
Kathleen Simmonds finished her Traineeship with Inksters becoming a Solicitor and Notary Public. We were delighted to offer her a position with us as an Assistant Solicitor.
We are now looking forward to an eventful 2011.
Happy New Year!
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