Wansteadium

Wiseman Lee, one of the most prominent and longstanding law firms in Wanstead, has been closed with immediate effect by the Solicitors Regulation Authority following its parent company going into administration.

The offices on Cambridge Park have been closed and all documents, papers and money held by the firm – including clients’ money – have been seized by the authority. Another solicitors’ firm has been appointed to deal with cases which were being handled by Wiseman Lee.

In a statement, the SRA said it had “intervened” into the parent company, Axion Ince, at various addresses.

Wiseman Lee was acquired by the much larger firm in March this year, when senior partner David Wershof said in a statement (which has aged badly): “We look forward to being part of a larger firm with the resources and dynamic growth plans that will offer further opportunities and career prospects to our team, and a wider range of services to our clients.”

The SRA statement issued on Tuesday says:

We have intervened into Axiom Ince at various addresses.

This to protect the interests of clients and former clients of the firm.

This intervention follows our previous closures of the individual practices of Pragnesh Modhwadia, Idnan Liaqat and Shyam Mistry, former directors of the firm.

An intervention means we have closed a firm with immediate effect. We will stop the firm from operating, take possession of all documents and papers held by the firm, and take possession of all money held by the firm (including clients’ money). We are not responsible towards employees or trade creditors of firms that we have intervened in.

We have appointed agents – other solicitor firms – to deal with all matters currently held by Axiom Ince. The agents will assess all on-going matters and deal with those of greatest need first. Our archive team will take control of all documents relating to closed matters held by the firm, such as copies of deeds and wills.

Clients of Axiom Ince do not need to contact either the agents or us at this time. If anyone does have an urgent query, however, then further information on who best to contact is available. Clients and former clients might find our FAQs useful before contacting either the agents or ourselves.

As there are on-going investigations related to this matter,  no further details can be disclosed. It is only if further action become necessary that any information is released into the public domain. There is no timescale for how long this work will take.

Elsewhere the SRA announced that it had appointed Gordons LLP to take on the work of the Wanstead office. Their contact details are 0113 227 0394 or axiom@gordonsllp.com.

If the system is working it would appear that client money will have been protected by the intervention, but there will inevitably be a hugely unsettling period for Wiseman Lee clients – especially for those whose legal cases or conveyances are ongoing.

It is a sad end for a firm which has been trading in Wanstead for more than 70 years. And clients aren’t the only ones affected – staff who have given quiet, faithful service for years now find themselves out of work.

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This has been by far the biggest Wanstead Fringe yet, with more than 3,300 tickets sold and a massive range of cultural events being supported by the people of Wanstead, South Woodford and further afield.

Everyone who attended or took part in an event will have things they remember about it, but here are 18 from Fringe chair Giles Wilson. Add yours below.

1. The atmosphere of dusk in St Mary’s churchyard as Patrick Marlowe – uplit against the gravestones and night sky – recounted tales to chill.
2. The Technicolor glow of the Kinema screen, as the title music begins and an enthralled hush descends in the Christchurch Gardens.
3. Soprano Lucy Crowe singing with her 11-year-old daughter lifting their voices in song.
4. Ian Dunt’s verdict on Suella Braverman.
5. Will Gompertz getting carried away talking about paintings, pulling out his own laptop and showing pictures he wanted to talk about to the audience.
6. Jonathan Coe saying one of his inspirations for writing fiction about true events came from B. S. Johnson – “Someone has to keep the records.”
7. Virtuoso Pete Black bringing down the house with a repertoire of guitar classics, performed with skill and joy. (His co-star Martyn Hawkes was no slouch either.)
8. The sheer energy of  Andrew Atha, dressed up as a robot penguin.
9. Actor Kurt Lucas, playing an Australian rugby player in Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson, haring around the stage, tripping and falling headlong but staying completely in character throughout.
10. Realising that lots of Wanstead looks like it comes from a Ladybird Book, in a good way.(Thank you, Helen Day.)
11. Author Paterson Joseph, asking if he might be allowed to read from his Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, and then suddenly becoming Sancho and giving a dramatic rendition of the first few pages of the book… audience jaws dropped.
12. Comedian Mark Silcox standing outside Eton Manor following his stand-up routine, chatting happily with the audience, never once slipping out of being Mark Silcox.
13. Benedict Taylor and his viola extemporising the flight of the skylark up and down the aisles of St Mary’s.
14. The deluge which hit Wanstead before Natalie Lee‘s book event – and that everyone still came out to hear her.
15. Singer Lydia Gerrard winning her audience.
16. Dark Isle – a piece of Scotland coming to Overton Drive.
17. Photographer Russell Boyce saying that stopping to take a photograph gives you a different result from just taking a photograph.
18. Eddie Nestor’s fascinating and candid fireside chat with his friend Victor leading him to wonder if he’d be fired in the morning.
19. The simple pleasures of teamwork.

After the Fringe hangover wears off, Wanstead will slide effortlessly into the Wanstead  Beer Festival, which is taking place on 14 October.

The not-for-profit event will give the opportunity to try beers from local breweries and beyond.  Brentwood, East London, Beerblefish, Pretty Decent, Redemption and Exal are among local breweries supplying beer. There will also be beers from across the nation – north, south, east and west – as well as cider, wine and food.

Tickets are £10 in advance, £12 on the day. Ticket price includes the cost of the unique first Wanstead beer festival commemorative glass.

Get tickets below.

Wanstead Beer Festival

The Wanstead Fringe Jumble Trail returns today (Saturday) from 11am until 2pm. Check out where stalls are by using his handy map.

Map of this year’s locations

To see the map directly on your phone, click this link:

Nearly three thousand tickets have been bought for Wanstead Fringe events so far this year, but there are musical gems still to come which people will not want to miss.

On Saturday there is a concert by the award-winning Redbridge Brass at St Gabriel’s church.

Showtime – with Redbridge Brass plus guests

On Sunday there is an afternoon concert of theatre classics by West End singer Lydia Gerrard at St Mary’s.

Theatre classics and more, with Lydia Gerrard

On Friday evening, in a 60-minute concert, local composer Simone Spagnolo presents a live performance of his album Low Strings Drama. A combination of mystery soundtrack-meets-chamber music, the event is in the United Reformed Church on Nightingale Lane.

Concert: Simone Spagnolo’s Low Strings Drama

And then the final event in this year’s fringe takes place next Saturday – a perfomance of a new musical Dark Isle, with text written by Wanstead actor Katherine Tripp.

Dark Isle: a new musical