Dixon Stewart Solicitors. In spite of the name there are three of us. Andrew Dixon, me (Helen Stewart) and Benedict Ryan. Yes, Benedict – Ben for short. Andrew and I have been partners in law since 1995 and Ben joined us in 2001. He did not need to put his name on the door to feel part of the team. We have offices in New Milton, Highcliffe and Bransgore. There have been solicitors in those offices since around 1940 and so we consider ourselves well established. We like working together and now have over 20 staff the majority of whom have been working for us for over 10 years and so we think they must like us too.
Andrew Dixon is the senior partner (in age that is). He has long experience in most areas of litigation including matrimonial and family financial disputes and disputes over wills and estates. The work has turned him prematurely grey. Outside the office he tries to keep fit by playing tennis and has recently been trecking in Nepal. We think he needs to do that to compensate for his love of fine red wine.
Next in order of age me. I look after the retired and elderly clients. I help them as much as I can with financial planning, wills, inheritance tax planning and powers of attorney. This also involves a lot of things you do not associate with solicitors – just listening when clients have no-one else to talk too and offering a helping hand. Outside the office I am one of the Trustees of a registered charity – Pilgrimbandits ( www.pilgrimbandits.org). A New Milton based charity established to provide physical and mental challenges for amputee and injured servicemen and women from the forces. The highlight of my time with the Pilgrimbandits was doing a tandem sky dive last year as part of a Guinness World record breaking attempt.
Ben Ryan. The youngest of us and the most ginger! He has the most to look forward to this year. He has a new baby arriving at the end of June. The scan pictures bear a remarkable resemblance to Ben so I hope it is a boy. It is too early to tell whether the baby will be ginger as well. Let’s hope not. Ben is also the fittest of us all. Last year he competed in the Marathon de Sables – Five and a half marathons in five days – across the Sahara desert carrying his own food and equipment. He had never run a marathon before and he finished in the top third of the race. Inside the office he deals with flat and house sales and purchases and some commercial property work. If you want to move quickly ask him to help you.
I must end now. Dixon Stewart solicitors pride themselves on being part of the local community and on being approachable and helpful. If you do need legal advice then think of us first of all. We look forward to meeting you.
