In this series, we introduce some of the people that make up Stephens Scown. We learn about their expertise, what drew them to join the legal profession and find out a little bit about who they are outside of the workplace.
Here we introduce Tim Walmsley, partner in our Real Estate team.
Can you share with us a little bit about your role and a typical day?
I am a Partner within the Real Estate team, working primarily with housing associations, local authorities and public sector related matters and advising on matters arising from compulsory purchase orders. My typical day consists of a mixture of management and fee earning work. I also enjoy mentoring and supervising the next generation of property lawyers, something which I find particularly rewarding.
Why did you specialise in commercial property law?
After leaving school I was taken on as a trainee legal executive within a local authority’s property team. I discovered I really enjoyed property law and qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive. After 25 years in the public sector, I joined Stephens Scown in 2016 and have been using my knowledge of public sector, charity law and compulsory purchase to expand our offering in these fields.
What is one of your proudest moments?
Becoming the first Chartered Legal Executive to be made a partner at Stephens Scown was a real highlight for me. We have a number of Legal Executives in the firm, and I am a mentor to two of them in our team. I’m keen to encourage others to go down the Legal Executive route and I hope that other Legal Executives will see that it is possible to make it to partnership or senior positions within their organisations.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I love exploring the South West (and occasionally further afield when I’m feeling a little more adventurous!) in my camper van. I also enjoy walking the coastal paths and the occasional real ale and have become an avid supporter of Cornwall Rugby League Football Team.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be and why?
I would love to work in the great outdoors, possibly doing something activity based, as I spend much of my free time outside when I’m not working – it’s why the occasional site visit to client’s land or developments is such a welcome change of scenery!
What does it mean to work for Stephens Scown, what makes us different?
There are three key things: I work with incredible people who make it a pleasure to do what I do; the firm is employee owned, so all employees have a meaningful stake in the business which reflects in our service provision, and finally, the firm do so much to give back to the community – it makes me very proud to work here.
What new challenges lay ahead?
As well as continuing to lead on the development of our Public Sector team at Stephens Scown, I am looking forward to the next exciting stage in my career as I take on the role of leading our Social Housing team, working closely with Keith Wright to ensure a smooth transition for clients ahead of his retirement in April 2024.
We have a wealth of proven expertise and experience in social housing legal matters, and I look forward to supporting the development of our 15-strong team of experts, including Kate Westlake, Lydia Hart and Anna Foster (Real Estate), Richard Bagwell, Helen Thomas and Tracy Bailey (all Property Litigation), Jim Gorrod (Construction), Sarah-Jane Williams-Cole (Planning) and Laurie Trounce (Corporate).