Law firm Bromleys has promoted a non-solicitor to associate level for the first time in its history.
Shaun O’Carroll joined the Tameside practice 14 years ago as a graduate paralegal and works in its Court of Protection and Lasting Powers of Attorney team as a Court of Protection executive.
He is the latest staff member to be recognised under a career pathway initiative designed to nurture and promote talent from within Bromleys’ ranks.
Shaun has trained as the firm’s in-house expert at assessing mental capacity, which is necessary for the preparation and registration of lasting powers of attorney and minimising the risk of future challenges to their validity.
He also deals with the day-to-day management of the affairs of Bromleys’ vulnerable clients who face many challenges after losing the ability to do this themselves.
Shaun also advises and helps professional and lay Deputies appointed by the Court of Protection to navigate their way through the maze of paperwork and annual reports.
Bromleys’ senior partner Mark Hirst said: “Shaun has contributed greatly to the team’s growth over recent years and the high regard in which it is held by clients, their families and other professionals.
“His promotion is extremely well-deserved and is further recognition of the fact that he has met the criteria on the firm’s career progression ladder.
“He has always been completely committed to the success of the team and the firm as a whole.
“Shaun lives and breathes our core values of being accessible, caring and effective, dealing with some of our challenging cases in a calm, understanding and empathetic manner.
“He takes pride, along with the rest of the team, in helping members of the community who are unable to manage their affairs through age, illness or injury.
“Through his expertise and experience, he has also built up a strong network of contacts and referrers, all of whom are to the benefit of the firm.”
Shaun said: “Bromleys is very much my second home and, by the very nature of my work, I form close ties with my clients. Their welfare and best interests are of paramount importance to me.
“I am elated to be promoted. It is a great honour to be recognised in this way. I look forward to continuing my career at Bromleys in the years ahead.”
Bromleys’ career pathway scheme was introduced in 2019 and is open to its entire team. It maps out a defined career path for all staff, setting out the different levels of progression that can be achieved and the criteria they have to fulfil to gain promotion.
