I am Managing Partner of Morecrofts and based mainly in our Liverpool City Centre office. My role is to oversee and implement the firm’s business strategy, in conjunction with our Strategic Decision Board, and to lead the firm both internally and externally.

I am the Client Care partner and also the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice which means that I ensure that all our staff are fully trained and comply with our duties to our clients and to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

I qualified as a Solicitor in 1993 and joined Morecrofts in 1999, having previously worked for the Legal Aid Board and also at 2 other local firms. My work comprised mainly of Personal Injury Compensation Claims, in particular for people who had been abused in care, or who had suffered injury or loss due to their experiences with Social Services, when in care.

I also dealt with other types of claims, as well as developing a particular specialism in education work, particularly involving helping the parents of children with special educational needs, and in disability discrimination. I have run a number of Judicial reviews including the reported case of R-v-St Edwards College [2009] EWHC 2050 (Admin)relating to admission to a local school.

My greatest achievement as a lawyer has been the success of a case involving a claim against both a local authority and a care provider for catastrophic injuries caused to an adult in their care, as a result of their failures. We achieved a settlement of £3,500,000 gross which enabled him and his parents to have security and the highest standard of care for the rest of their lives in a home fully equipped for his needs.

Since becoming Managing Partner my involvement in legal work is more limited. However I continue to undertake the more specialist and complex work including in particular cases against Social Services for negligence, often on behalf of young children who have been failed by the system. I remain accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) as a Senior Litigator, which reflects my skill and experience in Personal Injury work. I have also been a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL) since that organisation was started.

I served as President of Liverpool Law Society in 2015-16, having been a director of the Society since 2008. I have remained as a director of the society and am a member of several of the society’s specialist sub-committees.

I chair the Business and Policy Committee of the Liverpool and Sefton Chambers of Commerce and I am also joint vice-chair of the Liverpool branch of the Institute of Directors. I also enjoy speaking regularly to groups of school and university students, in order to share my own experiences, both personally and as an employer, in the hope of inspiring the next generation of successful lawyers and businesswomen

I was named the Liverpool Law Society Solicitor of the Year 2015 and awarded Downtown in Business Professional of the Year at the Women in Business Awards in both 2015 and 2016. I was also honoured to be included in the Insider North West Women of Influence list 2015 and named in the inaugural Northern Power Women top 50 in 2016. In 2018 I was awarded the Spirit of City Award at the Merseyside Women of the Year awards.

I was a trustee of North Liverpool Citizens Advice Bureau for around 15 years, including two periods as acting chair; prior to its merger into Citizens’ Advice Liverpool. I have been a trustee of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation since 2016.

Outside of work I enjoy playing league tennis and for many years I have been Chair of Mersey Bowmen Tennis Club, the oldest tennis club in Liverpool and one of the oldest in the world. During that time I have successfully spearheaded 2 funding bids to Sport England to refurbish the courts and the clubhouse. As well as tennis, I also enjoy swimming, quizzes, walking, photography, ski-ing and wildlife, as well as watching most sports and supporting Liverpool FC.

Q&A with Alison

Tell me an interesting fact about you.
In 1983 I won a silver medal representing Great Britain in swimming at the European Catholic student games.

What is your career ambition?
To ensure that Morecrofts remains the best firm in Liverpool and to know that all our clients receive the best possible service and want to come back to us.  To help the firm to grow and to see our great lawyers become more successful and enhance their reputations within the city.

Favourite music artist? 
Billy Joel or The Icicle Works – depends  on my mood

Favourite movie? 
Apollo 13

Favourite place? 
Anywhere wild in the countryside – Llyn Peninsula or Dartmoor

Favourite quote? 
“Do unto others as you would have done unto you”

Favourite sports team? 
Liverpool of course.  Or the GB Davis Cup Team, or Swimming team, or Athletics team or…