Credit crunching The Big Apple!

The lucky staff at JS Miller and Geoffrey Miller solicitors in Manchester have defied the credit crunch having just returned from their annual Christmas party in NEW YORK!

Senior Partner of both firms is Jeanette Miller. She explains why she is prepared to go to such lengths and expense to give her teams such an amazing Christmas do. “I have a great team who I want to keep and reward for excellent work. I promised this trip at the beginning of the year, it has maintained morale and motivation in the office.”

Jeanette comments, “Working for one of the country’s busiest motoring law firms is often an extremely stressful job and we need to help relieve that stress and keep the team motivated. It is vitally important for us to retain our talent here in Manchester and we want to do this in an imaginative and fun way. We include everyone in these activities and there is no differentiation based on a person’s role at the firm.”

Amazing Christmas trips aren’t the only thing the JS Miller and Geoffrey Miller teams are treated to, earlier in the year  a ‘chill-out’ area was installed in their offices equipped with a TV and Playstation for everyone to use. Not only that a fully trained masseuse visits the office regularly to provide stress relieving massage.

We’re told that New York was such an amazing trip that, credit crunch permitting, the Xmas do for 2009 will be equally as extravagant. Next year the team has indicated they want some sunshine in place of the sight-seeing so it looks like Dubai is a favourite contender!

Anyone tempted to send in their CV?

For more information please visit www.geoffreymillersolicitors.co.uk  and www.jsmillersolicitors.co.uk.

Ends

Team Mochester raise over £1200 by growing Moustaches!

A group of normally quite serious Manchester businessmen have been growing Mo’s as part of Movember, an annual moustache growing charity event held during November in support of the Prostate Cancer Charity.

The group, supported by BNI Bridgewater networking group called themselves Team Mochester. They joined thousands of men worldwide in growing comedy facial hair to raise cash. By Sunday night (30/11/08) after four weeks of serious Mo cultivation the team was sporting outrageous 70’s rock star moustaches.

Steve Morton Chapter Director of BNI Bridgewater, “I’m really pleased with the £1200 we’ve raised as it hasn’t been an easy task! Attending important meetings with this handle bar Mo has been quite embarrassing, plus I don’t think my staff could take me seriously. However it’s been a bit of fun while supporting an excellent cause.”

On Monday morning (1/12/08) the Team Mochester WAGS all breathed a sigh of relief as their husbands and partners returned to their former clean shaven selves. Rather unsurprisingly not one member has decided to keep his Mo!

Anyone interested in networking with the BNI Bridgewater group is welcome to visit one of their unhairy weekly meetings. They meet on a Thursday at 7am at the Campanile Hotel on Regent Road. 

Compulsory phone tapping

From March 2009 it will be obligatory for many companies in the financial services industry to record their phone calls.

This is to detect and deter any inappropriate behavior and market abuse, raise standards, but more importantly these recordings will provide evidential proof of conversations often required by insurance and financial professionals.

These changes in the FSA guidelines will mean hedge fund managers, stockbrokers, dealers, traders and insurance brokers will all have to record their calls. 

The Medical Protection Society is also recommending that health service professionals start recording their calls. Audio transcripts prove what medical advice was given, preventing costly disputes and litigation.

If your business is going to be affected by these changes you will need to ensure that your offices are equipped with the correct call recording solution by March 1^st 2009. Liberty Bell Voice and Data offer a variety of call recording devices. Managing Director Warren Bone comments, “We can provide a very cost effective single recording unit (on a per handset basis) to a more sophisticated multi line recording device which blanket records all incoming and outgoing traffic.”

Warren explains that call recording can be easy to integrate and the cost has dropped significantly in recent years,  “Historically it’s been out of reach for many smaller business’ both financially and in terms of the technology involved, but now a lot of people are pleasantly surprised at how affordable and easy it is to implement. Dependant on the size of the solution and the integration needed, it can take anything from a few working days, to up to six weeks for solutions that need to be built and modified away from site.” With March 1^st just over eleven weeks away it’s time to start planning.

For more information go to, www.lbvd.co.uk. 

Say good bye to shaving rash.

Few things are more embarrassing on your face than shaving rash or in-growing hairs, so Max Skincare has created a product which actually prevents it.

If you have problematic or sensitive skin, you will really benefit from Max Skincare’s Self heating shave balm. It’s a truly unique skincare product, which generates an instant burst of heat when applied to the skin, which relaxes and opens the pores and softens the hair to help you enjoy the most comfortable, cleanest and closest shave ever. It protects against in-growing hairs and razor burns, leaving your skin feeling incredibly smooth and amazingly clean. 

The range features four straight forward products, perfect for no nonsense men who want to look after their skin. There is active face wash, hot face scrub, self heating shaving balm and cooling moisturising crème.

The Max Skincare range has also proved very popular with ladies who have cottoned on to the extremely close shave the shaving balm provides. (We haven't asked where they're shaving!)

The Max Skincare range is quite simply a no nonsense, must have, set of products for people who care about their skin.

More information can be found online at www.maxskincare.co.uk

Manchester Solicitor won’t pay up.

Many practices now pay accident claims companies cash in return for personal injury cases. JS Miller is one of the very few who refuses to do so, however they do receive many cases from an unlikely source.

Senior Partner Jeanette Miller says, “Practices that purchase legal work often lose perspective of the person behind the case and the client is seen more like a number than an individual. We receive most of our work either by word of mouth or through our website.  However we have also been referred cases for the past decade from a local GP.”

Dr Caprio has been a general practitioner in Greater Manchester for more than fifty years. He often finds patients with either repetitive strain or personal injuries who could be entitled to compensation, so points them in the direction of JS Miller. Dr Caprio has never been offered or received a penny from JS Miller for referring patients, he says he does it because, “I know JS Miller is a firm people can trust and they have their clients’ best interests at heart.”

Dr Caprio explains, “Most patients who come to me who are suffering from a personal or repetitive strain injury, are unaware of their rights or what they are legally entitled to. I simply hand them the telephone number to JS Miller, it’s up to them to make the call. Most do, and are always extremely satisfied, while I am safe in the knowledge they are being well represented.”

Jahan Walton Celebrates its 3rd Anniversary

Jahan Walton, one of Warrington’s best loved restaurants has just celebrated its 3^rd Anniversary in spectacular style.

Guests were welcomed on Monday evening with a lavish Champagne reception, a delicious Indian buffet while being entertained by Bollywood Dancers.

The restaurant was packed with local business people from across the North West and loyal customers of Jahan Walton, as well as Cllrs.Graham Welborn and Mrs Elaine Welborn, the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington.

Kath Thomson from Fresh Networking comments, “It was a fantastic night, the food was excellent and the Bollywood dancers certainly added the x-factor!”

It’s been an exciting few months for the Jahan Restaurant group, last month it opened its doors to a new branch of the Jahan in Burscough, Lancashire while the Walton Jahan has recently undergone a total refurbishment.

The event at the Walton branch was not a one off, the Jahan group holds regular events to thank customers for their continued support.

So with grand openings and anniversary celebrations and refurbishments, it’s exciting times for the Jahan Group.  

More information can be found online at www.jahangroup.co.uk

BNI Bridgewater grow Mos for Movember!

The breakfast networking group, BNI Bridgewater in Manchester city centre has formed team “Mochester” to support the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Movember is a moustache growing charity event held internationally during November. Team “Mochester” registered at the start of the week with clean shaven faces. They now have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache while raising money and awareness for men’s health.

Steve Morton Chapter Director of BNI Bridgewater explains why he got the group involved, “There is always lots going on for women’s cancer charities but not much for men’s, even though every year about 35,000 men in the U.K. are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 10,000 men die from of the disease. We wanted do something to raise awareness, also it’s a bit of fun while supporting an excellent cause.”

Anyone interested in seeing how the BNI Bridgewater team are ‘growing on’ are welcome to visit one of their weekly meetings. They meet on a Thursday at 7am at the Campanile Hotel on Regent Road.