By Dave Robson
They say there’s no substitute for experience – and with Greystone Legal, that’s exactly what you get in all facets of employment, business and commercial law.
Since Paul Humble and Ben Healey set up Greystone Legal on Aycliffe Business Park in 2017, pledging a no-nonsense but friendly and thorough approach to legal advice, it has become a “go to” firm for employment and commercial law.
In 2020, Paul and Ben were joined by consultant lawyer Sharon Langridge, a senior employment solicitor with more than 25 years of specialist experience.
But when recent arrival Robert Crampton is added to the mix, it takes those experience levels up another notch.
Robert, from Harrogate, brings with him over 23 years’ experience of providing advice on commercial business and construction transactions.
Since qualifying as a lawyer in 2000, much of his work has centred around contract work and business-to-business relations.
What makes him such a good “fit” at Greystone Legal is his ethos of providing straightforward, practical advice for any size of business and getting to know and understand the client – just what Paul and Ben set out to do when launching the firm seven years ago.
And yet Robert came on board after finding himself opposing Greystone in a case involving a software development contract for a London IT firm.
He recalled: “We were working on the same deal but on different sides. We took a very similar, collaborative approach. We weren’t pitted against each other, we were working towards an end to find a mutually acceptable way of getting to where things needed to be.
“At the end of the day, firms don’t want a long, protracted legal procedure – they want to be moving on and making money.”
“But it all went well, we had a chat at the end of it and wondered if there was something we could do in the future.”
Robert describes his role as “representing clients’ interests, making sure they are getting the business and making sure they comply with the regulations and statutory requirements.”
And he believes that while there is an element of risk in any business relationship, with care and expertise, that risk can be managed so it doesn’t negatively impact on a firm’s profitability.
With around 500 businesses on Aycliffe Business Park, Greystone already has a wide range of local clients, including electricals giant Ebac, who they act as inhouse general counsel on all employment and commercial law matters, but is keen to further extend its “close to home” clientele.
Ben commented: “Our ‘close to home’ approach is designed to build deeper relationships with our clients, allowing Greystone to better understand and meet the specific needs of their business. Some businesses here may be using legal firms from the big cities, but they have an excellent source of experienced lawyers right on their doorstep.”
Ebac chairman John Elliott said of this approach: “They deal with all our employment law and commercial contracts and are very approachable, nothing is too small or big for them to deal with.”
And for firms unsure if their existing terms of conditions are up to scratch, Greystone offers a free health check, no matter which sector they are in.
Ben said: “Whenever a business enters into a transaction, there is an agreement, whether it’s verbal or in writing. The dangerous ones are those who have no written terms, or those that have terms but do not understand them or have not checked they are up to date – often they have just sat on them or not properly updated them. People even take them from the internet.
“However, we look at it all right from the beginning, limit the client’s liability and ensure they use them correctly going forward.”
Robert added: “I’ve been passed contracts where people’s risk has been unlimited. If that exceeds the amount of insurance the company holds, a claim could finish the business.
“And yes, on more than one occasion, people have cut and pasted contracts from the internet.”
Paul added: “Some businesses can view dealing with contracts as a distraction but it’s vital to get it right. There’s a legal agreement involved and parties should ensure they are properly protected.
“We are approachable and take a practical approach – and we won’t reinvent the wheel for a client if they already have something suitable in place.”
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