South Wales Echo, 9th April 2013
Wales’ largest niche family law firm has continued to expand with two more appointments.
Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice has appointed Katie O’Connell as a trainee solicitor and Aysha Chouhdary as a paralegal.
The expansion brings the size of the team to 32, making the firm the largest niche family law practice in Wales and one of the largest in the UK.
Katie, from Abergavenny, is a Cardiff graduate who joins the team after a successful two-year period as a paralegal, where she was able to gain first-hand experience of working on high-profile multi-million pound cases.
Aysha, of Cardiff, graduated from the University of Birmingham, and then completed her Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Birmingham. Before joining the firm, she spent time working as a volunteer advisor in Birmingham’s Saltley & Nechells Law Centre. She is fluent in several languages, including Urdu, Mirpuri, Hindi and Punjabi, and hopes this will help expand the firm’s clientele.
Senior partner Melanie Hamer said: “To continue to expand in the face of an economic downturn like this is testament to our strong reputation. We’ve been able to bring Aysha into the team, and to give Katie a full training contract, because we’re so busy.
“We were top ranked for family work by both of the major independent legal surveys this year, based on what our own clients said to the researchers. In order to keep up those high standards, we need to continue to bring in the best people,” she said.
“Katie has done excellent work while she’s been with us as a paralegal, helping out on some of the biggest and most complicated cases we have, and she’s proven she’s able to deal with matters at the highest level. I’m delighted to be in a position to give her a training contract in recognition of the work she’s done since she joined us.
“Aysha impressed everyone when she came into the office and I’m sure she’ll be a great addition to the team. Her language skills give us an extra dimension, meaning we will be able to help a wider range of clients. I hope she will be with us for a long time.”
Founded in 1996, Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice LLP was Wales’ first specialist law firm dedicated solely to family law.