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Edward Hands & Lewis is a multi-award-winning firm of solicitors with offices in Leicester, Loughborough and Market Harborough. It was founded in 1897 and, since August 2009, has been under the directorship of solicitor Jason Hathaway. Fellow solicitor Paul Stubbs became a director in May 2010.

The firm has undergone several changes in recent years, with new premises in Leicester, Loughborough and Market Harborough , and its team of solicitors now includes former local rival Douglas Wemyss. In early 2012, Jason Hathaway outlined a plan of diversification for Edward Hands & Lewis, allowing it to provide complementary professional services to its clients alongside its core legal services portfolio.

Company History
Edward Hands & Lewis was founded in 1897 and has served the Leicestershire area from a number of premises in the years since. In April 2010, the firm opened The Law Shop on Market Street, Loughborough - Leicestershire's first retail-style solicitors' office in a high-street location, and a response to the partial deregulation of legal services outlined under the Legal Services Act 2007, which was expected to see supermarkets such as Tesco introduce new drop-in centres for basic legal issues such as will-writing.

In February 2011, Edward Hands & Lewis opened a new solicitors' office in Market Harborough, its third new premises in the previous two years. The new site created four jobs under the supervision of Edward Hands & Lewis managing director Jason Hathaway, who led the team at the St Mary's Road office from its opening.

Further changes took place in early 2012, as former local rival Douglas Wemyss, who had founded Douglas Wemyss Solicitors in Leicester in 1997, joined Edward Hands & Lewis as a consultant to the Loughborough practice at Rectory Place.

In March 2012, Edward Hands & Lewis opened refurbished offices at The Old School Rooms on Loughborough Road, Leicester - the company had outgrown its previous Queens Road premises, and the new site offered capacity for up to 50 people. Managing director Jason Hathaway told the Leicester Mercury that rapid growth had led to the firm "doubling up" in its previous, smaller locations, while the new premises would allow Edward Hands & Lewis to continue its plan of diversification into complementary professional services.

Areas of Practice
The Leicestershire Law Society lists Edward Hands & Lewis' core services as including :


 * Business affairs
 * Children
 * Civil litigation
 * Computer and IT law
 * Family law
 * Intellectual property
 * Personal injury
 * Residential conveyancing
 * Trust law
 * Wills and probate

The firm also offers legal aid, and has outlined plans to introduce complementary business services for its existing legal clients.

Awards
Edward Hands & Lewis has won several awards, both for individual members of its legal team, and for the firm as a whole:


 * On Friday March 20th 2009, Edward Hands & Lewis was named Firm of the Year (County) at the Leicestershire Law Society Annual Awards.


 * In March 2011, at the 150th Leicestershire Law Society Annual Awards, Edward Hands & Lewis was named joint winner of Firm of the Year with Douglas Wemyss Solicitors.


 * On Friday April 20th 2012, Eleanor Robinson won Trainee Solicitor of the Year in the Leicestershire Law Society Annual Dinner and Awards.