MEMBER ZONE MEMBERPROFILE


NAME: Stephen Smith COMPANY: EMW JOB TITLE: Principal, private client


WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? I started in insurance before moving into law, specialising in professional negligence. I acted on the world’s first cancerous transplant negligence case, and for the past 20 years have been handling family law cases, especially complex financial cases.


WHAT DOES YOUR COMPANY DO? We are more known for working with businesses on their commercial, corporate and property work but recognising that our clients also have personal legal needs, we are expanding our private client offering so that it now includes acting on family law cases.


HOW DID IT ALL START? For EMW, it all started when a small law firm opened in Northampton in 1992 and by the end of the 90s it had moved into Milton Keynes, into the office you see on Knowlhill today. For the past 20 years EMW has been able to grow alongside Milton Keynes and the businesses within, as well as reaching out to advise in areas such as London and more recently Crawley.


WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR? Career wise I’ve had a few, including acting for a professional footballer on a PI case, which meant I had to interview several football managers including Billy Bremner and Eddy Gray from Leeds United. I also acted on a large and complex divorce case resulting in leading judgment on Capital Gain Tax consequences.


WHAT IS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN – AND DID IT WORK OUT? Giving up working within the insurance industry and going back to law college. I like to believe it did!


WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST IN YOUR JOB? How, after so many years advising people, you can still be surprised by the things people do.


WHICH BUSINESS PERSON OR COMPANY DO YOU MOST ADMIRE, AND WHY? Richard Branson. He isn’t afraid to take risks and look at new ways to provide services. Plus he owns his own island so must be doing something right!


WHAT EXCITING PROJECTS IS YOUR BUSINESS WORKING ON? We’ve always listened to our clients and shaped our services around their needs, which is why we are now offering family law services, and why I’ve joined the private client team! This mean we can now advise on matrimonial financial divorce claims, pre and post nuptial agreements, cohabitee disputes and private law children act cases.


WHAT MADE YOU JOIN MILTON KEYNES CHAMBER? EMW joined the MK Chamber, after initially being members of the Northampton Chamber, and like many businesses (of all shapes and sizes) we find the membership a useful tool for the growing business community, and we’re delighted to be a part of it!


Call: 0345 070 6000 Email: stephen.smith@emwllp.com Visit: www.emwllp.com


Milton Keynes Chamber runs a calendar of training courses at Northamptonshire Chamber’s base in Waterside Way, Northampton, but did you know we also offer bespoke training? This allows our service to be delivered at your site and is charged by the day, not the delegate, making it very cost effective. We work in partnership with training providers in our membership


to deliver our bespoke service to improve and develop the skills and knowledge of your employees. The Chamber has an extensive team of experts covering a wide


variety of subjects. And because you can build your own training course, you can ensure it suits your needs and budget - saving you time and money. As a Chamber member, you receive a significant discount on all training courses that we offer!


To find out more call 01604 490490 or email training@chambermk.co.uk


APRIL/MAY 2020 inbusiness 31 MEMBER BENEFITS


For full details of all the benefits available to chamber members, visit: www.chambermk.co.uk


CHAMBER FX Exclusive foreign exchange member package offering free health check, low transfer fees and free account opening. Key benefits include bank-beating exchange rates.


CHAMBER HEALTH PLAN Provided by Westfield Health, Chamber Primary Health Plan can give members cover from just £5.57 per employee, per month.


CHAMBER PROTECTION This includes four services: Chamber HR, Chamber Health & Safety, Chamber Legal and Chamber Tax. They include an advice line covering HR, employment law, legal, health & safety, tax and VAT, legal and health & safety documents and legal expenses insurance cover.


PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER TRAINING


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