Managing partner, Cheshire
Matthew Vernon’s career has progressed impressively. He joined Hill and Company, based in Altrincham, as a paralegal in 2015, qualified in 2017, became a partner in 2019 and ascended to managing partner in 2022.
He started at Hill within six months of finishing university, securing a job as a conveyancing clerk. ‘I’ve been fortunate. It’s a wonderful firm to work for. My predecessor, Irene Seaman, has always been keen to advance people who work hard and show loyalty to the firm.’
Vernon says that a conveyancing clerk ‘is what I would call a paralegal in modern parlance’. He assisted the conveyancing solicitor, initially ‘doing the basics’, such as opening files and raising requests for money transfers. He then began drafting contract packs and correspondence to ‘the other side’, such as estate agents. He eventually moved on to running files under supervision. Towards the end of 2015, he was offered a training contract.
Vernon remained in the conveyancing department for a while, but was exposed to other areas of work such as wills and matrimonial law. During his training contract, a solicitor left the firm and new people joined. The transitional period gave him the opportunity to take on more work to ensure clients remained fully served. ‘It was an amazing experience for me. It was a busy time and quite a stressful time, but I had plenty of support.’
‘You’ve got to wear many hats’ when working in a small firm, Vernon adds. ‘You have to get on and work, pull your weight. Everyone has to be working for the same goal. I was given that opportunity very early… If I had not been willing to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty, and take on everything else, I would not be in the position I am today’.
'On the private client side of things, there was work to be done. We had enough conveyancers by that point. I felt I made a bigger difference to people and it was work that I was good at and enjoyed'
By the time Vernon became a salaried partner, he had transitioned from conveyancing to probate. ‘Towards the back end of my training contract, when I qualified, I was running a mixed bag of conveyancing, wills, probate and power of attorney.’
He enjoyed conveyancing, ‘but the trouble is it is so high-pressure and high-stress for clients’. Even a small conveyance was time-consuming. Balancing conveyancing and private client was difficult. ‘On the private client side of things, there was work to be done. We had enough conveyancers by that point. I felt I made a bigger difference to people and it was work that I was good at and enjoyed.’
Vernon remains involved in the conveyancing side of the firm’s business, advising staff and ‘troubleshooting little quirks that pop up with transactions’.
On becoming managing partner, Vernon says that Seaman was looking to take a step back and hand over the reins. She is now the firm’s senior partner. Seaman mooted the idea of Vernon becoming managing partner in 2021 and he was given more exposure to management matters. The shift from partner to managing partner is a big one, he says. As well as managing the business, he’s dealing with firm hires, staffing issues, accreditations, regulators and law societies.
Vernon provides a 24-hour service to clients who appoint him as an attorney or deputy. He explains that many elderly or disabled people have no one to advocate for them. One client developed dementia, which came on quickly. Confused and scared, she would call him in the middle of the night. Matthew would call an ambulance and go to her home to make sure she was safe. ‘She had a tendency to wander. She had my number by her phone.’
Hill and Company was recently appointed as a panel deputy for a local authority: ‘That’s something we’re keen to expand on.’ The firm is also hoping to sponsor a ‘warm space’ (a free, heated, and safe community location designed to help people struggling with high energy bills or isolation). ‘If we can help, we should help. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I have the resources of this firm. I fully recognise that this firm has been around since the late 1840s so I’m a custodian of it. Its legacy is my duty to protect, preserve and pass on to the next generation.’
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