Award-winning law firm, Debenhams Ottaway, based in St Albans and Radlett raises over £4,500 for, You Okay, Doc?, a charity supporting doctors’ mental health.
As we all got to grips with working from home at the start of lockdown, the lawyers in Debenhams Ottaway’s dispute resolution team quickly became aware of a problem. Insolvency practitioners could not get statutory declarations completed. The Debenhams Ottaway team found an innovative solution and started providing a remote witnessing service for insolvency statutory declarations. Throughout lockdown the team has provided this service pro bono, asking instead for a donation to the charity You Okay, Doc? The minimum donation is just £7. Over the course of lockdown, the Debenhams Ottaway team has completed hundreds of declarations and donations to You Okay, Doc? now total more than £4,500.
You Okay, Doc? is a registered charity that supports doctors’ mental health, enabling them to seek support, speak freely about mental health and be equipped to deal with the inevitable pressures faced. With doctors on the front line throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Debenhams Ottaway wanted to give something back to all the doctors who work so hard, particularly at this difficult time.
Senior disputes lawyer, Elliot Nathan says “We quickly realised that people in the insolvency industry, who we work closely with, would not be able to complete certain transactions without some innovative thinking from us. We found a solution and wanted to use that solution to do some good. Remote declarations are a lot more work than standard, in person, declarations and we know other firms are charging £100+ for this service. To us, this seemed like a great opportunity to help our friends in the insolvency community and to give something to the wider community via charitable donations.”
Dr Daniel Gearon, Founder, You Okay, Doc? comments, “The You Okay, Doc team are overwhelmed by the generosity of Debenhams Ottaway. Their innovative initiative to help You Okay, Doc during the pandemic has provided the critical funds to support doctors during the pandemic and beyond.”
The team is still doing remote statutory declarations and continues to raise money for this worthy cause. For more information on statutory declarations, please contact senior disputes lawyer, Elliot Nathan, who will be able to answer any questions you may have.
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