High-profile solicitor to head up new £400,000 HQ

A renowned conveyancing solicitor has joined Talbots Law to spearhead the firm 's move into a flagship new premises at the Waterfront in Brierley Hill.

Prayag Patel will front Talbots Law 's national conveyancing department and new build teams, which will be based at the new facility.

A £400,000 investment, the new HQ was officially opened by West Midlands mayor Andy Street, recently and will house all key management teams.

In his 18 years with Premier Property Lawyers, which formed part of the original MyHomeMove and, more recently the Simplify Group, Prayag saw his role grow from newly qualified solicitor to head of conveyancing.

This included taking responsibility for the Leicester and Newcastle sites and doubling the size of his team in just five years.

Prayag said: “It 's an incredibly exciting time to be joining Talbots and what impressed me most is the ambition of the team to build on the already incredibly high volume and quality of service we offer.

“I believe that my background in volume conveyancing positions me perfectly to lead this department into an exciting future and I 'm thrilled to have a chance to play my part in it and emulate the success I 've enjoyed in my previous role. ”

Dave Hodgetts, CEO of Talbots Law, added his support: “Prayag is a high-profile addition and his success to date speaks for itself.

“People are our greatest asset and we 're delighted to have such an excellent lawyer and leader joining our senior team. ”

Talbots was in the top 10 law firms in the UK for conveyancing last year by volume, with more than 13,000 conveyancing matters handled in 2021.

It also won the British Conveyancing Award for New Build Team of the Year for 2022.

In the past 12 months, the company has grown considerably in other areas, adding new departments, joining the Real Living Wage Foundation, and taking the decision to become an Employee Ownership Trust in November 2021, meaning the staff now own 100% of the shares in the business and have greater control over future growth.

Prayag 's addition also lends weight to Talbots ' “#Project100 ”, which is the company 's campaign to add 100 new people to the business in 2022.

More than 40 new starters have joined since the New Year with roles still available across multiple departments, including all property-focused teams.

Pictured (l-r): Keith Yates, Prayag Patel (both Talbots Law) with Andy Street at the official Waterfront opening