All of us at Scott Bailey were delighted to celebrate our Head of Property, James Burford, marking 25 years with the firm this August. James first joined Scott Bailey as a teenager on work experience, before officially beginning his career in August 2000! Over the years, he has become a highly respected and much-loved member of the team, as well as one of our most long-standing partners.
James has expertly guided generations of families through property transactions, and supported many local businesses, and has built a much-deserved reputation locally. He is well known to clients and colleagues alike for his expertise, professionalism, and dedication, but also – for his good humour and community spirit. From dressing up as the Easter Bunny and delivering chocolate eggs on the Lymington High Street every year, to enjoying trips out with his team, his contribution has been invaluable to all at Scott Bailey, and to the wider New Forest community.
Sarah Unsworth, Senior Partner at Scott Bailey, says “We are very proud to celebrate this milestone with James, and we wholeheartedly thank him for his commitment, loyalty, achievements and the wonderful memories he has brought to Scott Bailey over the past 25 years.”
To mark the occasion, we asked James to share some reflections on his 25 years with Scott Bailey.
According to LinkedIn I have been at Scott Bailey for 25 years. Officially, that’s probably the case, but if you include the summers of work experience, it’s actually more like 31 years! I know, I know, I don’t look a day over 30 so that can’t possibly be true. But my creaking knees and aching back tell me it is.
I thought I’d look back on what’s changed over the last 25 years…
Back in 2000, my day was governed by what was in the post. All of the fee earners would congregate in reception, discussing last night’s plans or the football results. Now, emails flood the inbox and can be replied to in an instant, rather than days. The team primarily communicates via Teams for business-related matters these days. We have WhatsApp groups where we can stay in touch with each other on a daily basis if desired.
At one point, I used to know every colleague’s partner’s name, their dog’s name, their favourite colour and which team they support. We’ve seen Scott Bailey double in size in the last 5 years which is fantastic for the firm – but there are a lot more pets and partner’s names to try and keep on top of now.
25 years ago, my office computer was the size of an industrial microwave. Now it’s a tiny box hiding somewhere on my desk – but it has 3 giant screens.
25 years ago, I had hair.
Every Friday lunchtime, the senior solicitors would head off to the Kings Head for lunch. Often, the afternoon’s achievements were directly correlated to how chilled the Chablis was. Friday lunch time these days consists of one department putting on a themed lunch in the kitchen for us all to share – more cheese straws than Chablis – but pleasant none the less.
25 years ago, some people smoked. At their desk! Yes, really!
Dogs. That’s one good thing that I hope will never change at Scott Bailey. We have at least 4 regular canine companions. In my opinion, dogs are better than people. An old secretary of mine once said, “James is SO much nicer when his dog is in the office….” I’m still not sure whether that was a compliment or not…
Cheques. Some of my team have never even seen one. But, back in the day, every afternoon about 3pm, someone would head down to the local branch of HSBC to bank the day’s cheques. It is incredibly rare that we receive a cheque these days. Which is handy, given that we don’t have a local branch of HSBC anymore either.
Faxes. That’s another one. Ask your parents.
25 years ago, I was still buying films on VHS, and music on cassette. In Woolworths. Now I can listen to, or watch, pretty much anything in the world ever, using a device smaller than a calculator, whenever I want to. Progress for the consumer, yes, but not necessarily for the profitability and sustainability of the artists.
Now we have HR – I’m not sure my first senior partner even knew how to spell it when I started. We also have health and safety, and what feels like a thousand layers of red tape. Back then, one unnamed secretary would sunbathe on the roof at lunchtimes; these days, you can’t even step foot up there without a full-blown risk assessment.
When I was a trainee all those years ago, the job quite literally covered everything from fetching coal, to clearing up after the senior partner’s incontinent dog, to meeting them in the car park with an umbrella when it rained and collecting their dry cleaning (all true stories!). These days, trainees are wrapped in warm blankets in the winter, and we supply chilled bottles of sparkling water and gift them little fans for their desks in the summer, too. Things change.
Over the years, I’ve moved from room to room as the firm has grown and changed. From working in the little basement office, I’ve somehow ended up in an office that is smaller than where I began – but it does come with a window, a view over the High Street and a glimpse of the sea, so I can’t really complain.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that things change – the rules, the offices, even Reading FC’s results (well… sometimes). But the heart of Scott Bailey remains the same. It’s not the most glamorous journey (went to school in the New Forest, went to College in the New Forest, end up working in the New Forest for over 30 years…) – you can head to London for a swanky glass office and a sharp suit if you want to – but it’s real, it’s authentic, and it’s been made worthwhile by the people around me. The location is perfect, the community is strong, and my team are more than colleagues – they’re friends. I can’t quite believe it’s been 25 years, but then again, I can’t really imagine being me without Scott Bailey.
