Accreditations across our Leicester team

Earlier this year, we celebrated Sarika Parmar and Kulveer Tind from our Leicester team acquiring reputable accreditations in their respective fields. Sarika, an Associate in our Childcare team, has successfully re-appointed her Children Law Accreditation whilst Kulveer, a Criminal Law Solicitor, gained his Police Station and Magistrates Court Accreditations.

When awarded, the Children Law Accreditation allows solicitors to act on behalf of children in court proceedings, ultimately recognising them as specialists that can cover all types of children law. It also introduces a way for clients and guardians, in particularly CAFCASS, to choose a qualified practitioner to represent a child. To become initially accredited, one must meet all the criteria set out by the Law Society and submit an official application. Successful applicants must then re-apply every 3 years to be re-accredited. 

This is the second time that Sarika has completed the tough yet rewarding application throughout her career. Her successful re-accreditation establishes her ability to maintain high levels of expertise, knowledge and experience in Childcare law. 

Within the Midlands, there are under 300 solicitors that hold the Children Law Accreditation. At Smith Partnership, we currently have 8 staff that are accredited, including Della Phillips, Partner and Leicester Branch Manager, and Claire Morrey, who was accredited within the past year. To find out more about her story, read Double endorsement for our Stoke care team | Smith Partnership

Pictured: Della Phillips to the left, Sarika Parmar to the right.

The Police Station and Magistrates Court Accreditations are qualifications for solicitors specialising in Criminal Law. In order to acquire these, a solicitor must submit portfolios and undertake oral and written exams. Once passed, these accreditations automatically allow a solicitor to be on the Duty Solicitor Scheme in a designated area. A Duty Solicitor’s role is to provide free legal advice and representation to individuals in both the police station and the court. Unlike Childcare, a Duty Solicitor claims this title for life. Including Kulveer, our Leicester office now has 5 Duty Qualified Solicitors within the department. 

As an accredited solicitor herself, Della recognises the difficulty of achieving and maintaining an accreditation. She signifies:

“Becoming an accredited solicitor is an honoured achievement, it reflects on your high standard legal practices, expertise and client services in specific areas of law. We are incredibly proud of both Sarika and Kulveer for the hard work and commitment they put into obtaining theirs”.

Congratulations to both Sarika and Kulveer for their continuous determination to go above and beyond for clients, as well as their enthusiasm to advance within their area of law.