A music fan with a taste for travel has joined one of the fastest-growing law firms in Wales.
Solicitor Kaye Jones is a new appointment to the private client department of Swayne Johnson which has six offices in the area, at Denbigh, Ruthin, St Asaph, Llandudno, Bangor and Tattenhall, near Chester.
Kaye, from Deganwy, will specialise in private client work with the company which dates back 175 years but which has expanded rapidly to open four new offices since 2010.
She went to Ysgol Aberconwy, in Conwy, and gained her law degree at Aberystwyth University before completing her studies at the College of Law at Christleton, near Chester.
She said: “I started off doing secretarial work at a number of firms before joining Mackenzie Jones in St Asaph, where I qualified as a Solicitor in 2010. I was there for 13 years before applying to join Swayne Johnson.
“I had heard so many good things about the firm. They’re doing so well and have been expanding quickly and at the interview I was just so impressed with them.”
Her appointment coincided with lockdown but, with a busy and thriving private client department at Swayne Johnson allowing for continued growth, Kaye was delighted to join the team from the beginning of July. She has been at the St Asaph office since then as part of the private client team headed by director Lynette Viney-Passig.
She had spent much of her career in personal injury litigation but wanted to switch and has spent the last few years handling wills, estate administration and Powers of Attorney.
Kaye said: “I have completely changed my specialism and I’m really enjoying it. At Swayne Johnson, I have a fantastic opportunity to become more involved with Court of Protection matters too.
“Although you see some very sad cases where people have lost capacity and need help it is very rewarding if you can make a difference to them and their families.
“That’s the expertise they have here at Swayne Johnson and if need be they can take charge and look after a person’s best interests.”
During the pandemic that has meant much of her work has been over the phone but Kaye added: “We do have clients coming to the office and we have facilities here to be able to meet them face to face, either behind a screen or outside in a private courtyard.
“We can even go to a client’s home and there are ways and means of working with them including using video conferencing.
“I never thought that I would specialise in the area I work in now but private client is such a varied field and no day is ever the same.
“I really enjoy working for Swayne Johnson, they’re a great firm with so much expertise and they are very focused on providing opportunities for you to progress.”
The company now has six offices across North Wales and Cheshire, from Bangor in the west to Tattenhall, Chester, in the east with a total workforce of 53, including eight trainee legal assistants, with 18 staff dedicated to private client law.
They also have two of only three Court of Protection deputies in Wales, appointed to handle the affairs of those unable to do so themselves and the firm have also pioneered the use of online legal services in Wales.
Swayne Johnson Managing Director Sarah Noton said: “We’re delighted to be able to make Kaye our latest high calibre appointment as we continue an expansion that has seen us grow from two offices to six in the last 10 years.
“We cover a huge geographical area and provide a comprehensive range of services with real expertise as well so that clients don’t need to look to firms from outside the area for the legal skills they need.
“But at the same time a big part of what we do at Swayne Johnson is about relationships. Clients don’t want faceless people, they want someone who can help and Kaye brings that to her role.”
When she’s not working Kaye’s interests are varied, she enjoys graphic design and is learning to crochet and she also loves travel and has visited Hawaii, California and New York, Bali, Thailand and the Amalfi Coast of Italy in recent years.
She also enjoys music, plays keyboards and has seen her favourite band, Nashville-based country rockers Little Big Town in the UK, Ireland and even in Los Angeles.
Kaye added: “I like to be near the front and the band even recognise me now and give me a wave.”
For more information about Swayne Johnson go to http://www.swaynejohnson.com/
