Howells Solicitors are offering valuable assistance to the Cardiff and Vale Citizens Advice Bureau by offering a free fortnightly legal advice service in Barry Town Centre.

The clinics, which started in November 2012, offer expert advice on a wide variety of legal matters ranging from family law, cohabitation disputes, divorce proceedings, employment law, property, landlord and tenant disputes, wills and probate, personal injury, general litigation matters and the availability of legal aid.

The clinics are provided on a pro-bono basis to bolster the essential services already offered at no cost by the Citizens Advice Bureau. Appointments are also available at Howells Solicitors Cardiff office on Newport Road for those residents who do not wish to travel to Barry.

Howells is delighted to be able to give something back to the local community in what are proving to be difficult times for so many. If you would like to benefit from this free service then you can contact the Cardiff and Vale Citizens Advice Bureau by visiting www.valecab.org or calling 0844 477 2020. Alternatively you can call Howells directly on 0808 178 2773.

by Tristan Lewis

We are opening the doors of our Caerphilly office on Saturday mornings to provide a free legal advice surgery. Caerphilly residents and shoppers will be able to call in without needing to make an appointment.

We made the decision to provide this service to make it easier for people with traditional Monday to Friday 9-5 jobs to receive face to face expert legal advice.

Mark Hobbs comments: "We really do want to make managing legal affairs as easy as possible. Many clients have commented on what a great service we provide and so we now want to focus on how they and others can access that service. Being at the top of Cardiff Road, a busy high street we also feel that we have a duty to local residents to be accessible in much the same way as our retail neighbours."

Contact details and an address for our Caerphilly office can be found here.

by Tristan Lewis

Howells was recently delighted to have the honour of sponsoring the fourth annual Future Entrepreneur Awards to celebrate the success of some of Cardiff’s brightest young business brains.

The event, presented by the University of Glamorgan and Cardiff Vale and College, and held at Cardiff City’s Hall, hosted the great and good of Cardiff’s media and business communities.

Those walking home with this year’s awards in the higher education category were the video production company Cardinal Films, who pipped runners up Sarah Millman with her web comic Kairos to the prize and Anita Nemkyova with her self-titled fashion label.

In the further education category first prize was scooped by Pri-Pod, a project to produce specialist photography tripods for wheelchair users. The two runners up were Delicia Do Brazil and Helping Hands.

The awards were established by the University of Glamorgan in 2009 to encourage entrepreneurship and enterprise among the university students and graduates in Wales. The deserving winners were the recipients of the much coveted Future Entrepreneur Award trophy along with a cheque for £1,000.

Mark Hobbs, managing partner at Howells, said: “As a firm we are delighted to support the Future Entrepreneur Awards which recognise and reward entrepreneurial spirit in today’s youth. The night was a major success we were delighted to be able to help.”

Read more about the event here.

by Tristan Lewis

Carers of all ages throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf attended an event hosted by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Carers Support Project at Mountain Ash Golf Club on Friday, November 30th, to celebrate Carers Rights Day.

Alison Huggins, a Wills, Probate & Asset Protection Solicitor from Howells Solicitors addressed the carers providing advice on a comprehensive range of legal subjects that might affect them including Lasting Power of Attorney, Wills, Court of Protection and many more including the topical issue regarding Care Home Fees.

“This is the third year Howells Solicitors has been invited to attend the RCT National Carers Day event,” explained Mrs Huggins. “We aim to provide as much general advice as possible during the presentation and then meet with any Carers that want to speak with us about specific issues relating to them afterwards.”

Mrs Huggins continued, “Carers provide an incredibly important role in society. Carers UK, estimate that carers save the economy £119 billion per year, an average of £18,743 per carer. We provide a comprehensive range of services that benefit both the carer and those they care for and welcome the opportunity to provide free advice at events such as this one organised by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Carers Support Project.”

by Tristan Lewis

Howells Solicitors hosted a charity Beaujolais Day lunch at the Grape and Olive in Swansea, followed by an evening function at VIP Club Rouge. The day raised a substantial sum in aid of Alzheimers Society.

Guests included Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Homes, Charles Church Homes, Persimmon Homes, Dawsons Estate Agents, Mallard Estate Agents, Sharon David Estate Agents, Peter Morgan Estate Agents, Cymru Homes, Gwenlais Developments, Peter Alan Estate Agents, Bellway Homes, Savills Estate Agents and Payton Jewell Caines Estate Agents

In the picture are Howells Solicitors team members with the cheque for Alzheimers Society. We raised £500 on the day and since then, the total is now up to almost £800.

The raffle winners were:

1   An overnight stay at The Celtic Manor Resort, donated by Howells Solicitors

Winner – Lorraine Evans Dawsons Estate Agents Llanelli

2   Signed football, donated by Swansea City Football Club

Winner – Alison Morris Dawsons Estate Agents Sketty

3   Sony MP3 player, donated by Heineken UK

Winner – David Parton Dawsons Estate Agents Mumbles

4   Family Ticket to see The Scarlets, donated by The Scarlets

Winner – Andrew Ciaburri Barratt South Wales

5   Dinner at Hansons Chelsea Restaurant, donated by Barratt South Wales

Winner – Andrew Davies Howells Solicitors

6   Dinner at The Grape & Olive, donated by The Grape and Olive

Winner – Lorraine Evans Dawsons Estate Agents Llanelli

7   Carluccios Champagne and Truffles, donated by Savills Estate Agents

Winner – Rachel Mullins Peter Alan Talbot Green

8   Selection of wine, donated by Dawsons Estate Agents

Winner – Alison Morris Dawsons Estate Agents Sketty

9   Champagne and chocolates, donated by Taylor Wimpey South Wales

Winner – Sian Turvey Howells Solicitors

10  Bottle of Champagne, donated by Peter Alan Estate Agents  

Winner – Carol Roseblade Peter Alan Estate Agents Swansea

11  Fitness Session, donated by Sports 24/7

Winner – Alex Taylor Peter Alan Estate Agents Gorseinon/Morriston

12   Large Cupcake, donated by Once Upon A Cupcake

Winner – Bethan Evan-Jones Financial Solutions Wales

13   Bottle Of Wine, donated by Peters Estate Agents

Winner – Sarah Hewitt Mallard Estate Agents Llanelli

14   Bottle Of Champagne, donated by Payton Jewell Caines Estate Agents

Winner – Alison Morris Dawsons Estate Agents Sketty