The late J Gwynne Hughes had been clerk to the Aberaron Urban District council until 1967 when Denys Gwynne Hughes took over the clerkship. Gwynne Hughes Solicitors was founded in 1943 by the late John Gwynne Hughes, Solicitor. At that time, the firm occupied premises jointly with the Aberaeron Rural District Council at 1 North Road, Aberaeron. The present premises were purchased in 1952.
Senior Partner J. Denys Gwynne Hughes joined the Practice as an articled clerk in September 1959 and took over the running of the Practice in February 1969 on the retirement of his late father.
The late John Gwynne Hughes had been clerk to the Aberaeron Urban District Council until 1969
On Local Government reorganization in 1974, Denys Gwynne Hughes was appointed Clerk to Aberaeron Town Council.
Since taking over the Practice, Denys Gwynne Hughes has continued in the tradition of growth and success. In September 1996, his son John David Gwynne Hughes joined the Practice, taking the business into the third generation, bringing further stability and a fresh outlook for the future. John became a partner in the firm in April 2000.
This is a Private rural legal Practice with quite a wide geographical catchment area, stretching from Cardigan in the South to Aberystwyth in the North and inland to Newcastle Emlyn, Llandysul, Lampeter and Tregaron. A number of elderly clients are happier to discuss their problems in their native tongue - Welsh and we are able to provide this service. With the reduction in public transport, some people have great difficulty in attending our office and we are, therefore, happy to arrange home visits. We also have a Branch Office in New Quay on Thursday afternoons. This has functioned for very many years and provides easier access for some of our clients.
There are recognisable areas of specialisation available within the Practice, involving fee earners and support staff, which are continually being built upon.
The Investors in People (IIP) Award, which was obtained on 6 March 1997, enabled the Practice to publicly demonstrate a commitment to the future of all staff through training and development programmes, while the Legal Aid Board, now referred to as the Legal Services Commission has introduced the concept of franchising whereby the Practice, through satisfying specific requirements, may be formally recognised as a franchised provider of legal services to the Legal Services Commission. A Legal Aid Board Franchise was obtained on 22 April 1997 in the Personal Injury & Matrimonial categories. Presently the firm is franchised for the Matrimonial and Family category and in conjunction with this John Gwynne Hughes is a member of the Solicitors Family Law Association and the Law Society’s Family Panel. This allows client’s access to quality assured mediation services under contract from the Legal Services Commission.
IIP recognition creates the opportunity to demonstrate that a commitment to people and their involvement in the business is vital. The Practice has and will continue to use this recognition to retain and attract staff, thus achieving stability on which to build and then consolidate a high degree of quality in the provision of all legal services to be delivered to the public by a highly motivated team of professional and support staff.
In 2005 Barry Gawthorpe joined the practice as an Assistant Solicitor. Barry brings with him over (15) years of legal experience in respect of contentious matters, including expertise in Employment law issues, Licensing Matrimonial and Criminal Law
On 1st October 2006 the firm expanded by merging with the firm of Mary R Rishko, a sole practitioner of over 30 years legal experience. Mary brings with her further valuable experience in non-contentious matters, particularly Conveyancing and Probate matters.
Although the legal sector is continuously changing, we at Gwynne Hughes Solicitors believe that we can adapt to meet our clients needs and have the resources and necessary skills to meet future challenges.
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