New Chichester law firm aims to bring a more human approach to legal services
A new law firm has opened its doors at Northshore Boatyard in Itchenor, Chichester, with its founders promising a different approach to supporting clients through some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
Henney Turner Law has been established by solicitor Parissa Henney and CILEX lawyer Louise Turner, whose combined expertise spans family, education and criminal law.
The pair, who have worked together previously, say their complementary specialisms were a key reason for launching the practice.
“Louise and I have worked together before, and I think our specialist areas complement each other because Louise deals with criminal and education law, and I deal with family law in the main,” Parissa said.
“We both have criminal defence duty backgrounds, so we have practised in legal aid before, but our practices have progressed and changed over the years.”
While recognising the continuing importance of legal aid, the pair say they also saw a demand for private legal services where they could devote additional time and resources to individual clients.
Louise added that their shared experiences as working mothers also helped shape the partnership.
“We have a lot in common, and the way that we work is very complementary to one another,” she said. “We also have the same very high standards when looking after clients.”
A new home in Itchenor
The firm has chosen Northshore Boatyard as its base, attracted by what Louise describes as a growing and forward-thinking community.
“There’s a real growing community here. It’s got a very lovely, friendly, community vibe,” she said.
The waterfront setting also offers a welcome change from the traditional office environment.
“Our work is very stressful, so it’s good for us to be in a place where we can go out for a walk if we want,” Louise explained. “We can also go somewhere outside of our office to meet a client if it makes them feel more comfortable.”
For Parissa, the surroundings were an immediate attraction.
“When we first visited here, we just walked down to the harbour and along the coastline. It was very peaceful, and a good chance to escape the computer screen and reflect,” she said.
“Wellbeing is such an important topic, I think for everyone, and it’s becoming more and more important that we look after ourselves to be able to do the best job we can for clients.”
The pair hope to collaborate with other Northshore businesses and hold networking events as the firm becomes established.
Supporting families through times of crisis
Henney Turner’s three areas of specialism - criminal, education and family law - are, according to its founders, closely connected.
Louise explained that clients facing criminal proceedings may also require education or family advice, particularly when children are involved.
“It’s happened naturally that we’ve come together and built our firm around this ethos: that families can come to us at a point of crisis and we will help to resolve the legal issues they’re struggling with,” she said.
Parissa added that clients can find it difficult to see the outcome when dealing with highly emotional circumstances.
“Focusing on the solution can be very hard for people when they’re in the thick of it, especially in such an emotive area of law,” she said. “We’re here to help them navigate through that.”
One particular area of Louise’s work is education law, including advising parents prosecuted for failing to secure their child’s regular school attendance.
She explained that such cases are often more complex than the public perception of parents taking their children on holiday during term time.
“Most of the families that I deal with are not being prosecuted for simply taking their children on holiday,” she said. “They’re being prosecuted because they cannot get their children into school regularly because they have unmet needs - usually special educational needs that are undiagnosed.”
Louise added that prosecution can result in criminal conviction, potentially creating serious circumstances for parents in professional occupations.
“I suppose you could say that’s my passion project - representing families in those sorts of critical situations,” she said.
Putting people first
The firm’s philosophy is summed up in its aim of “solving life’s legal problems” through a “genuinely human approach”.
Clients have direct access to both founders, which Louise said can effectively provide “two lawyers in one”.
Parissa added that their collaborative approach allows for better communication between solicitors.
“There’s not that barrier of communication. When there are two firms involved in one case, there’s a lot of process and procedure to go through to speak to the other firm,” she said.
The pair say their experiences as professional women and mothers have also shaped their approach to the firm.
“We’ve got a lot of lived experience,” Louise said. “We’re mums, we’ve got children, we work hard. We’ve got families to look after and, as with every family, there are problems to be solved. I think we bring that lived experience to our roles and how we run this firm.”
Looking to the future
Henney Turner’s ambitions extend beyond building its own client base, with hopes to recruit solicitors, provide work experience and offer training positions.
Louise says she is particularly keen to encourage young people to consider careers in criminal defence.
“There are not many students choosing criminal law,” she said. “I would like personally to encourage students who are thinking of studying law to seriously consider criminal defence because it’s such an interesting job.”
The firm already works with Chichester College and Chichester University, and has been involved with All Rise Workshops - a charity that runs mock trials in schools.
For the founders, community involvement is about more than encouraging future lawyers.
“It’s also about getting an awareness in children to know what the law is, why we need it and why it’s important to you as a person,” Louise said.
After receiving what they describe as a warm reception from the legal community, Henney and Turner say they intend to build on that support - while maintaining a practice that puts personal service at its core.
“We’re not the traditional setup, and we don’t intend to be,” Louise said. “We want to be different and known for our exceptional client service and human approach to cases.”