Meet The Partners
Jim Murray LLB (hons), founder and senior partner
Jim is senior partner and founder of James Murray Solicitors. He is a specialist in criminal law and holds the Higher Courts Qualification for Advocacy, which means in addition to the Magistrates Courts, he can also represent clients in the Crown Court.
As Senior Partner, Jim has responsibility for the image of the firm and co-ordinates the public and press relations. He is somewhat famous for writing his own radio adverts and presenting them in person on local radio. Thus the people of Merseyside hear his voice several hundreds of times a month.
His original degree was in Pure Chemistry and he subsequently worked in the pharmaceutical industry. After that Jim had a varied career before entering the law. He feels it is an advantage for him to have had a wide range of experiences, rather than a lifetime in only one profession. He has worked as an English teacher, in Sales and Marketing, as a Social Worker and as a Welfare Rights Officer. He has also worked on construction sites and even ran a bar for a year.
When Jim turned thirty, he decided he wanted to become a lawyer. Typically, he did not choose an easy route to achieving his goal. So, while working full time (and in under a year) Jim passed the equivalent of a Law Degree. After this, he took the solicitor exams and obtained a double distinction; placing him as one of the top three candidates in the country out of some 6,000 law students.
After working as a solicitor for less than 5 years, he set up his own practice in Bootle, Merseyside. In a short time, Jim and his firm proved popular indeed and the firm rapidly expanded to over 50 staff. After eight years, Jim gained a part-time Master of Laws (LLM) degree at Nottingham Law School, which made him one of the most qualified lawyers in the city. He then took on partners at around the same time to help manage the firm. Since then, with his Managing Partner and academic heavyweight Paul Fletcher – who is a senior law lecturer – and with Jim’s own marketing skills, the legal reputation of the firm has grown to 70 staff and rising.
Jim is also heavily into politics. He has been in the Liberal Democrats since he was a young man and has stood for Parliament as a Candidate as well as being a Local Councillor.
He is entering his second marriage and in the meantime lives in Liverpool City Centre as a single parent of his two sons who are at school and university. His interests include learning foreign languages (Greek and Italian) and, fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition, he is currently learning the blues piano.
Jim says: I established James Murray Solicitors to fight for the rights of the people of Bootle and Merseyside.
“Thirty years on and our ethos has not changed. Our success is down to the dedication and hard work of our fantastic staff who are committed to getting it right for every client, every time.
Click (link to Jim’s Lib Dem site) for more information »
To contact Jim please call 0151 933 3333
or e-mail jmurray@jamesmurray.law.co.uk
Paul Fletcher LLB (Hons), managing partner
Paul Fletcher heads up the crime department at James Murray Solicitors and qualified as a solicitor in 1998.
A graduate of both Northumbria and Liverpool John Moores Universities, he joined James Murray Solicitors in 1995.
Paul holds the Higher Rights Qualification for solicitors and can therefore also represent clients in all Criminal courts.
He is also qualified as a Duty Solicitor for Liverpool police stations and courts and is an elected member of the Regional Duty Solicitor Committee.
He has been involved in several high profile court actions during his career and is also a senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, where he teaches Criminal and Advanced Criminal Litigation, Ethics, Advocacy and Legal Research.
Paul has overall responsibility for the management and training of staff and is also the partner responsible for dealing with complaints.
He also has a wealth of experience in family, housing and civil law matters.
Paul says: ”At James Murray we succeed because of the dedicated, one-to-one service we offer our clients and the hard work we put into training our staff.
Happy, loyal and professional employees are the key to our business and help keep us one step ahead of our rivals. ”
To contact Paul please call 0151 933 3333
or e-mail pfletcher@jamesmurray.law.co.uk
Mark Ellis LLB (hons), partner
Mark Ellis qualified as a solicitor in 1992 after obtaining a degree from the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.
He holds the Higher Courts Qualification for Advocacy in Criminal Courts and is a Duty Solicitor for the South Sefton area.
Mark joined the firm in 2000 and his exceptional ability helped him rise to partner level in 2004.
He has scores of successful court outcomes, including matters such as serious drugs, assault and theft-related offences.
He also specialises in motoring and driving offences and is a regular contributor to CityTalk radio where he advises and assists the people of Merseyside with their legal queries.
Mark says: “I get a great sense of achievement from assisting clients whose licences are under threat and knowing were it not for the firm’s efforts they would suffer great hardship.”
To contact Mark please call 0151 933 3333
or e-mail mellis@jamesmurray.law.co.uk
Lee Massingham LLB (hons), partner
Lee Massingham heads up the firm’s civil law department and qualified as a solicitor in 2002.
A graduate of John Moores University, he joined James Murray in 2000 and has been a partner in the firm since 2005.
Lee has helped hundreds of people injured in road traffic accidents, at work or who’ve slipped or tripped in a public place seek redress and win thousands of pounds worth of compensation through the courts.
Lee says: “I am very proud of the achievements of the Civil Department who every day help disadvantaged and injured clients secure access to justice and the financial compensation they deserve to ease their suffering and help them move on with their lives.”
To contact Lee please call 0151 933 3333
or e-mail lmassingham@jamesmurray.law.co.uk
