Why having offices in both Kent and Sussex makes sense

As a firm, we’ve been established for more than 50 years and one of the things which sets us apart from other local practices, is that we boast offices in both Kent and Sussex – something which very few of our competitors do.

Why having offices in both Kent and Sussex makes sense

UK 200 Group

As a firm, we've been established for more than 50 years and one of the things which sets us apart from other local practices, is that we boast offices in both Kent and Sussex – something which very few of our competitors do.

While around 30 miles separate our two offices in Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, we work closely across these locations, making sure our clients receive the same high level of service, whichever office they use.

Joined together by the Hastings line railway since the 1850s, both towns are in many ways quite different. The most obvious being that Hastings is a seaside town and Tunbridge Wells is more defined by its parks and Georgian buildings. Both towns have drawn visitors over the years – Tunbridge Wells for its spa waters and Hastings for its sea water.

As firms, we are involved with our community in both towns and members of the local chambers of commerce – West Kent and Hastings Area. Tunbridge Wells and Hastings are home to different types of businesses and are different economies. Hastings has benefited from regeneration over the years and boasts some well-established as well as exciting new enterprises. It encourages the arts and has a can-do attitude. On the other hand, Tunbridge Wells has many service-based and professional firms and is home to many business people who either work in the City or have escaped the rat race.

Interestingly, both our offices are based in older buildings, which were originally houses. When John Fisher retired recently, after working for us for more than 40 years, Paul Garside remembered that they joined at a fairly similar time. The two gentlemen ended up tossing a coin for the best office. Paul lost and was given a converted bathroom, while John enjoyed the relative luxury of one of the bedrooms!

Some of our colleagues, Phil Grinsted being an example – have worked in both locations. Like many members of the team, he has been with us for a while, in Phil's case more than 20 years. He started off in the Hastings office and then a few years later when his focus turned to payroll, and with the introduction of automatic enrolment pensions, it made sense for his role to move to Tunbridge Wells.

Across the firm we have colleagues who specialise in particular areas and we are able to share this expertise across the two locations. For example, Partner Karen Braddel, who is based in Tunbridge Wells, focuses on our Trust and Estate work and is also professionally trained in Will drafting, Probate and LPAs, which she is able to offer to clients of both offices. Also, Richard Young has a particular expertise advising private schools and academies and he offers this across both locations too, if needed.

While the two offices share a common CRM system and team members travel between both locations frequently, the Partners also make sure that the entire team meets face-to-face regularly, particularly at Christmas, when they share a festive get-together.