EVERETT TOMLIN LLOYD AND PRATT – SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR 200 YEARS

November 2009

In 1809 Britain was at the height of the industrial revolution and George III was on the throne.

• The naturalist Charles Darwin was born in Shropshire.
• Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky.
• The poet, Alfred Tennison, was born in Lincolnshire.
• The law firm now known as Everett Tomlin Lloyd and Pratt was born in Pontypool.
  

The lawyer Thomas Edwards began to practice in Pontypool 200 years ago. At that time only the wealthy could afford the services of a solicitor. In criminal matters the prosecutor was usually the victim of the crime, a person was presumed guilty unless they could prove their innocence and, if convicted, a man was likely to be sent to war or transported to the colonies! The typewriter had not been invented and documents were written by hand with a quill, a far cry from today’s fast paced hitech working environment.

In 1902 the firm became known as W J Everett. When Howard Everett was called up during the 2nd World War, Peter Tomlin was recruited to look after the practice and in 1945 the firm became Everett and Tomlin, moving to it’s current addresss at Clarence Chambers in 1965. The firm merged with Cwmbran firm Charles Pead & Co in 1995 and with Lloyd and Pratt in 2002, a firm which was established in Newport as long ago as 1885 under the same name. The Pratt family was represented in the firm continuously from 1885 until the mergaer in 2002 – latterly by Arthur Pratt and his son Tim Pratt.

The 19th Century was the heyday of the “family solicitor” and many of our clients say that they still view us as this. We rarely advertise as most of our clients come back to us time after time, recommending family and friends.

Serving people and businesses in South East Wales for 200 years has given us in depth local knowledge and a distinct advantage when dealing with local matters. We have a team of over 40 dedicated staff and 9 of them have been with the firm for over 20 years.

Whilst all this may paint a picture of a traditional practice the secret of our survival must be due to our ability to adapt and to move with the times whilst continuing to offer excellent service.We provide a wide range of services and our solicitors are specialists in their fields.

For our business clients, we believe we can compete directly with larger city firms at competitive rates. Our property department can handle transactions and leases of business premises and development land. We have recently expanded our litigation department and have welcomed Christopher Williams to the firm, a solicitor with expertise in IT and Intellectual Property Law.

For our individual clients we are confident that we can meet their legal requirements. We are franchised by the Legal Services Commission which means that, for those who meet the financial criteria, we may give free legal advice in many areas including family law, crime, employment, debt and housing.

Our personal injury department offers a free first appointment and will usually act on a “no win no fee basis”. We have recovered millions of pounds in compensation for our clients. Some claims management companies who advertise on the television or approach you in the street will refer you to a solicitor miles away, with your entire claim being dealt with over the telephone or by correspondence. A local firm such as ours offers the same terms but with the advantage of local knowledge and personal contact which we believe allows us to achieve better results for our clients.

Our conveyancing department is able to offer a full range of services including Home Information Packs at competitive prices.

Last year Jason Pearce joined the firm and is the only solicitor in Newport and Torfaen to be a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Jason specialises in wills and trusts and advises on estate and tax planning. He also speaks Mandarin.

Our objective for the future is to continue to grow and improve on the range and quality of servies we offer. By doing so we plan  to be around for another 200 years!

Contact Us

Everett Tomlin Lloyd and Pratt have offices in Newport and Pontypool. Contact our office on 01495 763333.