“Thank God for that power cut.”

That was Lee Kipling’s initial comment when recalling the most surprising thing to have happened during his decade at Winns.

His career since joining in May 2012, following completion of his law degree, has journeyed from the then Portal Team where he spent 18 months “plying his trade,” to being one of the first in the Litigation Team and setting up his own team in 2021 focussed on Advocacy.

The initial draw to Winns was a love of the North East, which Lee considers his second home after Hull, and it is the people, both peers and management, who have kept him here. He said;

“I have met some fantastic individuals who I can call friends now as well as colleagues. The support from the Directors has been second to none in terms of sharing my vision for where I want to be career wise and funding i.e. LPC, PSC, Higher Rights, without which I would never be in the position I am. Although there have been changes at the top as the years have gone by, the dedication shown to me has remained constant.”

Lee sees the foundation of the Advocacy team based in the Winn Group value of Reliability saying;

“I would like to think the fee earning teams can rely upon the Advocacy Team in terms of dealing with urgent hearings and in the quality of the service they receive.”

And his professional highlight?

“Qualifying as a Solicitor is number one as it was an ambition I had since starting my legal journey in 2006. Obtaining my Higher Rights and starting my own team follow very closely though.”

So, what about this power cut?

“One Friday, around July 2013, I remember there being a power cut on a particularly hot day. All the systems went down including the air con. As IT scrambled to get things up and running again, management sent everyone outside with an ice-cream and the promise of a flyer if things couldn’t get fixed. Plans were made between fee earners and secretaries alike to go to Tynemouth for an early start to the weekend. One particularly new secretary (whom I’d never spoken to before) seemed excited at the idea of leaving early, so I made a lame joke about not being allowed time off in their probation. It must have been so hopeless that she took pity on me because fast forward nine years and we are now married with kids!”

Chris Birkett, Winn Group Chief Executive Officer, congratulated Lee on his decade with Winns adding;

“Congratulations to Lee on reaching the 10 year club! Lee’s been an integral part of the business over this period, more recently forming the Advocacy Department and previously being part of the Litigation Team. Always happy to assist others and regularly offering his ideas, Lee has been involved in a number of important ‘Wins’ over the years… Well done!”

Lee has kindly donated the value of his 10-year anniversary gift from Winns to JDRF, a Type 1 Diabetes charity with a mission to eradicate type 1 for good meanwhile making living with the condition better for everyone and a charity close to Lee’s heart.

Congratulations on your 10-year anniversary with Winns!