Albeit grounded in the local communities of our established offices, we have evolved to offer services nationwide without losing our personalised touch. Founded in 1882 in the port town of Harwich in Essex, Hanslip Ward and Company Ltd is now in its fifth generation of the same family, Claire Ward being the current owner and Director.
Heavily involved in the community and the old port, Arthur James Hanslip Ward became the youngest recorded Mayor of the town at the age of 25. Since that time the family and the business have held various public appointments and clerkships as well as private practice serving the local community.
Robert James Hanslip Ward qualified as a solicitor in 1972 and like his predecessors he was appointed to various roles in public and private office. Early in his career he gained valuable practical experience in matrimonial, juvenile and criminal law as well as the role of Clerk to the Tax Commissioner until the position was dissolved into central governance. Latterly, the business has specialised in property and estate matters under the umbrella of Licensed Conveyancers. Robert J H Ward was joined by his daughter, Claire Danielle Ward, in 1997 and she is a qualified Licensed Conveyancer and Probate Practitioner. Claire gained valuable experience in these specialised fields at home and abroad and was appointed a Director in 2011. Over the years she has overseen the modernisation of the business. Robert retired in 2023 after serving the area for over 45 years.
Dean Campbell, originally from New Zealand, has been with the company for many years and assists with the management of our Clacton office. Dean adapts and manages our case management systems to keep us up to date with the latest technology. He is a qualified Licensed Conveyancer with over 20 years legal experience and a Director of the business since Robert’s retirement in 2023.
Joined by a wealth of experienced and qualified staff we have grown from our humble beginnings but have never lost sight of the core principles passed down over all these years. We are here to serve our communities. It is only with the support of our clients that we can continue to evolve in providing the most professional, efficient and innovative services that we do. We would like to thank all our repeat clients for coming back to us and enabling our survival in a modern world – thank you.
