The office will be closed between 23rd December and 1st January, reopening on the 2nd January 2024. If you have an urgent query please call the office number. Our out-of-hours answering service will be able to take a message. These messages will be checked periodically by a member of staff and dealt with appropriately,
Given the unprecedented impact of the spread of Covid – 19 across the world we wanted to provide details of how we are approaching matters as a Firm and, in particular, how we plan to look after our introducers and their clients.
All of our team have the tools and technology to work effectively from home and provide ‘business as usual’ level support. Most of the team already work from home on a regular basis and so our systems and processes are already set up for this purpose. We plan to limit staff being in the office to a minimum. In the meantime, we are also reviewing all processes to see if any can be further improved.
In most cases we engage with our clients over the phone and so we can, and will, continue to do this as normal. We are also providing training in non-advice related areas to other team members so that we have more cover in place should illness affect any particular member of the team. We are postponing any face to face meetings and visits unless they are deemed urgent from a time perspective and the right precautions can be put in place.
We all have a responsibility and duty to protect each other and our families so finally, whilst our “business as usual” approach to supporting both our clients and introducers is paramount, please bear with us if things take a little longer than usual.
Thank you as always for your continued support. If you have any other queries which we may not have covered, do please get in touch.
Angus
Pavilion Row has been reaccredited as a STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) Employer Partner after first receiving the accreditation in 2016.
STEP is the worldwide body in the area of Trust and Estate planning. The accreditation recognises Pavilion Row as an employer that encourages continuous learning and professional development, and supports its employees in developing their knowledge, skills and expertise.
Angus Houston, managing director at Pavilion Row, said: “We believe all clients should receive highly qualified and knowledgeable advice. STEP and the accreditation provides us with the platform to support our staff in growing and developing their knowledge so that they, in return, can give clients the best possible advice.
Pavilion Row is delighted to announce two new appointments to the team; Lorna Jessop as director and Head of Finance, and Jenny Slater as director and Head of Legal Practice.
Lorna is a Chartered Accountant and has been working with us in a financial capacity for some time. The new role will see Lorna taking on the regulated aspects regarding finance.
Jenny is a solicitor and a full member of STEP. Originally from the South West, Jenny has recently moved to Yorkshire. She has many years’ experience in both large and smaller firms including setting up an ABS for a financial adviser firm. In Jenny’s capacity as Head of Legal she will be responsible for leading the legal team through our next level of growth whilst maintaining Pavilion Row’s ethos for the delivery and quality of our client service.
Pavilion Row has today, 1st February 2018, become an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) licenced and regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
Angus Houston, Managing Director of Pavilion Row, said “Our new ABS status is a significant milestone in the growth of the business. We continue to offer advice based legal services for wills, powers of attorney and probate / estate administration and ensure that all our advisers are STEP qualified which means that they are recognised as some of the most experienced and qualified individuals in this area of work. The ABS status adds to this by giving further protection to our customers through the Legal Ombudsman and a compensation fund.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.
Our colleague Dawn, is a trained Dementia Friends Champion volunteer. As a volunteer she runs free 1 hour information sessions where people learn some key messages about dementia and commit to turning understanding into action. In our commitment to support Dawn and the Dementia Friends initiative we are now running regular Dementia Friends training sessions from our offices.
The sessions are open to all and the next session will be at 9.00 am on Friday 17th February.
If you are interested in attending, you can book the session via the Dementia Friends website or alternatively contact us.
If there are several of you who wish to attend a session then it maybe possible to run the training at your offices. Please contact Dawn directly to discuss this.
Further sessions will be arranged, so if you can’t attend on the 17th then please register your interest with us and we will inform you of new dates.
For sometime now there has been on going debate discussing the pros and cons of regulation in the Will industry with the Legal Services Board commissioning a number of research projects looking at this area. Angus shares his views on this topic in the STEP journal this month, read the article here.
Pavilion Row, has chosen to become a member of the Business Partners scheme to highlight its commitment to Yorkshire’s thriving artistic life and, in particular, to celebrate the work of Opera North, the only national opera company based outside London.
Angus Houston, Pavilion Row’s Managing Director, said:
“At Pavilion Row, we pride ourselves on our individual, flexible approach and value this chance to join forces with an arts organisation that is as committed as we are to creativity, innovation and excellence and to presenting the very best of what the North has to offer locally, nationally and internationally.”
Opera North launched the Business Partners scheme in 2015 to build connections with and between those business leaders who value the role the arts play in enriching life in the North and who are keen to further Yorkshire’s vast cultural, social and economic potential. It enables businesses to get closer to the Company and to gain an insight into all of its activities, including its projects with schools, young people and the wider community. Pavilion Row becomes a member of the scheme alongside such companies as Yorkshire Building Society, Yorkshire Water, KPMG, William Jackson Food Group and Land Securities.
Jo Graham, Opera North’s Business Development Manager, said:
“Opera North is a unique cultural and economic asset to Leeds and the wider Northern region. A registered charity with a £16m annual turnover that contributes significantly to the region’s economic and cultural wealth, it is at the forefront of the Leed’s burgeoning international reputation.
“The Business Partners scheme gives organisations the chance to get to know us better and also to work with us to promote everything the North of England has to offer. We are delighted to welcome Pavilion Row on board.”
Earlier this year the Legal Services Board (LSB) published a report that recommended the regulation of will-writing services. The report also suggested the need to investigate the associated area of probate and estate administration work.
Recently they issued a call for evidence asking for feedback to help determine whether recommendations for regulatory protections should be made to the Lord Chancellor.
Pavilion Row fully support the need for regulation and have responded to the LSB’s call for evidence suggesting that it should include;
The Yorkshire Post’s ‘On the Spot’ is profiling Angus this week
Article taken from Yorkshire Post, Tuesday 11th October, http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/people-and-careers/on_the_spot_with_angus_houston_1_3858631
Angus Houston is managing director of will and probate service Pavilion Row, based in York.
What was your first job?
Farm labourer during the harvest season.
If not in your present job, what would you like to do?
Food and wine critic for Egon Ronay.
What was your worst mistake?
Allowing redundancy to affect my confidence – it’s business not personal, so move on.
What would be your ideal day away from the office?
Lunch at the Feversham Arms, Helmsley. The hotel where my wife and I were married.
Name the one person you would most like to have dinner with?
Putting my allegiance to Leeds United firmly to one side, Alex Ferguson. I admire his continued focus, drive and man-management skills.
What was your best subject at school?
Can’t remember…probably economics and not the ‘home’ variety (see next answer).
What are your hobbies?
I love to cook but I am clearly not as good as I think I am. My wife keeps booking me onto cookery courses.
What would you do if you won the Lotto?
Holiday homes in Scotland and Italy, a year travelling the world going to all the Formula One Grand Prix events and then invest in other young businesses to help them grow.
What is your top time-saving tip?
Concentrate on what you are good at and outsource the rest.
What is your favourite time of the day?
At home with a glass of wine relaxing after a long day.
What is your favourite garment?
My kilt in the family tartan – timeless , comfy and smart.
What is the best thing about being in Yorkshire?
It’s okay to be thrifty.
What would your epitaph be?
Moving On.
The will-writing industry has commanded a lot of press attention over the last few weeks. This is a result of a report published by the Legal Services Board Consumer Panel recommending that the industry should be regulated.
A key concern arising from the report was the poor technical quality of the wills. One in four of wills examined by the panel were found to be inadequate. It states “the same proportion of wills prepared by solicitors and will-writing companies were failed”.
Angus Houston TEP, Pavilion Row Ltd states that “The report demonstrates the strong need to standardise the level of qualification a professional needs to provide will services. This is something that I have advocated for some time.”
Will-writing forms part of the specialist area of trust and estate planning. Currently the only professional body in this field is the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and true specialists in this area are members of STEP. Full members of STEP can be identified by ‘TEP’ after their name.
STEP has also recently launched an industry recognised exam for will writers providing a benchmark qualification in this area of law.
When looking for somebody to advise on and prepare your will Pavilion Row recommends that you use only a full member of STEP or somebody who has passed the STEP will preparation exam. A professional with these qualifications will be able to provide a copy of the STEP certification if requested.
Pavilion Row’s objective has always been to provide best advice to our clients therefore all our will consultants are STEP members or have passed the STEP will preparation exam.
-Ends-
For more information please contact Angus Houston, CEO Pavilion Row on 0845 634 4185
Note to Editors
1. Pavilion Row are specialists in the field of probate and wills. We provide probate and will administration services to professional introducers including solicitors, accountants and other financial professionals. For more information about Pavilion Row Ltd see www.pavilionrow.com.
2. The Legal Services Consumer Panel full report on regulating will-writing can be found on; http://www.legalservicesconsumerpanel.org.uk/publications/research_and_reports/index.html
© Pavilion Row 2022. Pavilion Row is authorised and regulated by The Council for Licensed Conveyancers. It is registered under number 3354 under the provisions of the Legal Services Act 2007. Pavilion Row Limited is registered in England and Wales, Company No. 7211297 Registered Address, Renishaw Business Park, 40 Ravenshorn Way, Renishaw, Sheffield, S21 3WY. All Advisers are STEP qualified. Click to read our website Terms of Use. Click here for Complaints Procedure.
