Standing between Somerfield Supermarket and the Mere’s mouth is Park House, which was built in 1837 as a private residence and which for the last thirty years or so has been the offices for Manning Rollin & Co, Rollin & Co and latterly Jackaman Smith & Mulley solicitors.

Jackaman Smith & Mulley are an Ipswich based firm of solicitors whose origins date back to the late 18th century. They have offices in Felixstowe and Ipswich and some eight years ago amalgamated their practice with that of Rollin & Co in Diss.

James Laband, who is now the firm’s Senior Partner, came to Diss to assume responsibility for the office in 1998. He has been with the firm for over 18 years, having worked both at the Ipswich and Felixstowe offices. Working alongside him are Keith Charman and Denise Smith all of whom deal with property related matters, Stephen Abbott who deals with Wills, Probate and elderly client matters, such as Enduring Powers of Attorney and Anita Sharpe who deals with matrimonial matters and who is on the Law Society Family Panel.

The firm prides itself on its professionalism and its ability to deal with all aspects of law relating to the private individual as well as the commercial client. While there has been a trend in recent years for law firms to close branch offices and consolidate under one roof, the Partners in Jackaman Smith & Mulley have decided to keep the branch offices so as to be as accessible as possible to all their clients.

With increasing specialisation in the legal profession it is not always possible to have an individual specialist for each area of law in each branch office. However, for the “core” areas of work, namely house sales and purchases, Wills and Probate and matrimonial matters there are solicitors and other fee earners present at the offices on a permanent basis. For other areas of law, such as commercial and company law, employment law, personal injury claims and clinical negligence claims, other solicitors based at Ipswich and Felixstowe will readily come to Diss to take instructions. With modern communication facilities the matters can usually be dealt with from the other offices; however personal attendance at the Diss office is always available.

Jackaman Smith & Mulley is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services in the local community. It holds Contracts from the Legal Services Commission to provide Legal Help to those that qualify in matrimonial matters as well as clinical negligence matters. Its aim is to continue to provide legal help and advice in an approachable and friendly manner at the heart of the community it serves.