Introduction
Dear clients and other readers,
The theme for the Summer edition of
our quarterly Review is ‘building for
the future’, something which will be
dear to the hearts of any parent no
matter how old their children. We all
have to make choices in life, and to
react to life’s events be they good or
bad. That applies nowhere more so
than for those who suffer a serious
personal injury which can transform
in an instant one’s ability to live life
as before. If you read nothing else in
this Review, I would encourage you to
look at the piece on the Spinal Injuries
Association. I was amazed to see
the commitment shown by a young
wheel-chair user recently who came
to speak of her personal experience
at a fund raising event which some of
our lawyers had organised amongst
the Barlow Robbins staff. Life clearly
had not stopped for that young lady;
it had suddenly become dramatically
different but that only served to inspire
her to help raise funds for those who
had helped her. Quite amazing.
As for the future of this firm, that is
utterly intertwined with how well we
help our clients by providing pertinent
legal advice that is useful in shaping
their futures. We aim to be there
for you not just once, but to form
long-term relationships which may
transcend generations as the issues
on which we were once consulted by
parents become questions which are
asked by their children. For example,
just what is the best way to help an
adult child financially and just when is
the moment when ‘a bit of help to get
on the housing ladder’ becomes an
Inheritance Tax planning opportunity?
Our article on ‘The Bank of Mum &
Dad’ may provide some insight.
As for the Barlow Robbins family, we
are about to welcome another annual
intake of trainees and are continuing
to make senior hires, including a new
Corporate Partner to strengthen that
team. We look forward to our future
with confidence.
With best wishes,
Bernd Ratzke
Managing Partner Client Services
The Review - Summer 2015