Associate Director, Jo Amos, on 20 Years with Winns

We caught up with Associate Director, Jo Amos as she celebrated and reflected on 20 years with Winns.

When did you start working with Winns and what had you been doing before you started?

I started at Singleton Winn McDermott (SWM) on 12th July 1997 as a 2-year qualified solicitor, having done my training contract and two further years at McKeags in Gosforth. Prior to that, I completed the law conversion course and finals for 2 years and before that I was a civil servant for seven years in London and then briefly in Newcastle.

What led you to make the decision to work with Jeff and the others working with him at the time?

Although I enjoyed working at McKeags, I wanted to move to a new firm where I had not been a trainee solicitor. I knew Jeff from appearing in the Magistrates court in Gosforth where he was good enough to give me advice as I felt my way as a criminal advocate hence I decided it would be a good career move.   The Personal Injury (PI) team was very small initially but gradually the PI work expanded and in January 2002 the Road Traffic Accident (RTA)/PI team split off to become Winns and we moved into premises on Heaton Road.  We were still few in number (between 5- 10 people) but expanded quite rapidly.

How did working at Winns shape your career?

Working at Winns for so many years has enabled me to develop my career as a Personal Injury lawyer dealing with high value cases and more recently as an Associate Director.

What would you say has been your strongest reason for staying with Winns?

I believe we provide an excellent service to our clients and work hard to achieve the best outcome for them which makes Winns a company I am continually motivated to work for.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in your time working with Winns?

The increase in the number of people working here! The company is now a big employer in the North East which is great to have been part of.

What do you see as being of most importance to the future of Winns?

The people. To retain and keep motivating staff is crucial. It is exciting to see the increasing employee development and engagement through initiatives such as individual training plans and the introduction of the staff-led core values which I am proud to say include Integrity, Respect, Loyalty and Reliability. This kind of initiative will not only be of benefit to staff, but will filter through to clients in a positive way.

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