Solicitor Ben Parmenter has qualified as a Notary Public, becoming one of just 800 members of the oldest and smallest branch of the legal profession in England and Wales
Ben, 41, who is head of wills, trusts and probate at Birkett Long’s Colchester office, qualified as a solicitor in 2010 and has worked for Birkett Long for nearly 10 years. He said studying for his notarial exams at University College London was far tougher than law school.
“I was lucky that Birkett Long supported me through two years of intensive study,as well as being able to call on the expertise of two experienced Notary Publics within the firm,” he said.
“It is important for us to be able to assist clients with all of their legal needs. If a client needs the services of a Notary Public, maybe for a foreign land sale or commercial contracts for use in different jurisdictions, Birkett Long is able to help.”
Ben spent eight hours a week studying Roman Law, civil law, private international law and notarial practice, while continuing his day job as a solicitor.
“The notary profession is quite distinct from the better-known solicitor or barrister arms of the legal profession,” he said.
“After starting the academic stage, it quickly became clear this was going to be a tough course.”
Notaries, who take an oath of allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury, are required to authenticate and certify signatures, especially on documents for use abroad.
Managing partner Adrian Livesley said: “Birkett Long’s strategy is to be a full-service law firm, so we are delighted that Ben has successfully passed his exams and qualified to practise as a Notary Public, adding to the experience and services we offer. We appreciate the hard work Ben put into this achievement.”
Birkett Long has offices in Chelmsford, Colchester and Basildon.
Financial adviser Compass Wealth Management Consultants has welcomed two new staff.
Nathan Attwood has joined the Hampshire-based firm as an independent financial adviser and will be based at its new Ipswich office at Epsilon House.
Nathan worked as a financial adviser for more than 19 years, mainly for a large international bank based in Ipswich.
Robert Cater has joined the compliance team as a training and competence supervisor. He brings more than 11 years’ experience.
Stowmarket malt firm Muntons has appointed Arthur van der Meijden as malted ingredients European sales manager.
He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the food ingredients industry. He is a trained chemist and food technologist and has spent the past 20 years working in the food ingredient and food manufacturing sectors.
Arthur, who will be based at Muntons’ office in the Netherlands, will be taking up his role this month.
Ipswich-based law firm Prettys is expanding its corporate and commercial law department with the appointment of Tharek Choudhury.
Tharek, who worked at Aspen Morris Solicitors in London between 2015 and 2017, has gained valuable experience working in different business areas to build his skills and knowledge before joining Prettys as a fully qualified solicitor.
Senior partner Ian Waine, said he was delighted to welcome Tharek to Prettys.
Ipswich-based PR firm Genesis has appointed Jack Alderton as digital account executive.
Jack previously worked in the travel and tourism industry where he gained valuable experience in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), social media and copywriting.
Director Penny Arbuthnot said: “He is a great addition to the Genesis team.”
Jack, 23, from Stowmarket, said: “I am thrilled to be part of the award winning team at Genesis.”
A highly experienced agricultural machinery industry professional has joined Suffolk agricultural machinery maker Claydon as exports manager
Simon Revell will report to commercial director Spencer Claydon at the firm, which is based at Wickhambrook, near Newmarket, and specialises in seed drilling equipment developed by Jeff Claydon, its founder.
Simon, who has known Jeff for years, said: “I am delighted to be working for this progressive UK-based family business.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here