Legal firm Hamilton Sheahan & Co. is an integral part of the local community in Kinnegad (and beyond). Partners Rita Hamilton and Aine Sheahan have gone above and beyond the call of duty in terms of supporting the locals since opening on the town's Main Street in 1999. To say that Hamilton Sheahan & Co. has become a vital part of the community it serves would be an exercise in understatement. The reputable legal practice provides a comprehensive range of services to the local populace and also digs deep to support local events, initiatives, clubs and any other good causes. Little wonder Rita Hamilton and Aine Sheahan have been welcomed into the midlands with open arms! And no wonder they were nominated by Westmeath County Council for the prestigious 2009 Zurich LAMA awards - an awards ceremony that recognises local projects for their excellence and overall contribution to society. Hamilton Sheahan & Co. first opened for business in February 1999. The partners in this Main Street, Kinnegad based legal firm had worked as assistant solicitors previously in Galway and Dublin respectively. Rita is a Galway native and Aine is originally from Kerry. They decided to open a law practice together in Kinnegad, County Westmeath, primarily as they were no others solicitors practicing in the area and they thought it made good business sense. Though neither partner is from Kinnegad originally, they have both been seamlessly absorbed into the local community. Both moved with their families to the Kinnegad area - a fresh new start for everybody concerned and a move that has proved to be mutually beneficial to all parties! The move was quite daunting initially as neither Aine nor Rita were known locally. Nor were they involved in local activities. They quickly set about rectifying this Gradually, both women became immersed in community matters and made friends locally. To date, they still run the only solicitor's practice in Kinnegad and they have contributed enormously to the local community over the past decade. Aine's background is in property / probate, while traditionally Rita specialises in medical negligence and litigation. They brought together two very different types of law to establish the eponymous, general practice but have tweaked things slightly in the interim. "As there has been a big downturn in the property market, I re-trained and I now also practice litigation and family law," Aine explains. "Rita is still heavily involved in personal injuries, accidents at work and medical negligence." Hamilton Sheahan is the archetypal rural practice with a personal service and a caring touch offered to a host of clients from all over the county of Westmeath, as well as a significant amount of clients nationwide. Sponsorship has always been an important part of the practice and the local GAA is one of the many organisations to have benefited from this patronage. The Killucan ladies and Kinnegad men's teams have both been on the receiving end of some welcome support from the community-orientated legal practice recently: "We have received a lot of support from the community over the past ten years and we like to give them something back. Sponsorship is an ideal means of doing this," Aine notes. "A lot of local businesses support us. Rita is living in Killucan and I live here in Kinnegad. We've settled in well and we're very happy here. "We have been very surprised by how popular the GAA is here. Rita's from Connemara and I'm from Kerry, so we know all about the love people have for gaelic games - and it's no different here in Westmeath. Kinnegad has wonderful facilities and there are so many people down at the pitch training on Tuesday nights - it's just huge. They say the GAA is a religion in Kerry - well it's the same here! "I regularly go to All-Ireland finals and, fortunately, Kerry seem to be involved in a lot of them." On a yearly basis, they give talks/seminars to various groups (senior citizens, foreign nationals etc.) advising them on their rights and answering any questions they may have. They also do regular work on a pro bona basis and in several cases where the client is not in a position to pay it is never a major issue. Rita and Aine have carried out unpaid work for many local community groups. As well as the local gaelic football team, they also sponsor a race night for the local school; the local church (by contributing towards the purchase of vestments); and the local soccer club. Due to the nature of their day-to-day work, the partners in the firm are in the unique position of knowing exactly which people in the community are most in need of assistance, and they have never been slow to act accordingly to provide this help. As the only solicitor's practice in the area (thereby drawing business from a widespread catchment area including Kinnegad, Killucan, Milltownpass, Tyrellspass, Delvin, Clonard and many points both in between and beyond), the professional work is extremely varied, including a lot of work would be considered more social than legal. Over the course of the last ten years, they have been involved in obtaining planning permission for derelict sites, which has added immensely to the aesthetic appeal of Kinnegad. One particular development has received a lot of praise and admiration architecturally from locals. This area was previously underdeveloped, but a beautiful centre now sits there providing amenities that are of considerable benefit to the community, for therapy, karate classes, commercial and retail units etc. Aine's husband speaks several Eastern European languages and she has provided much non-profit assistance to non nationals in the area, translating documents and helping non nationals with housing and financial difficulties. They have also assisted on many occasions in the repatriation of non nationals to their homelands upon their death - this work has also been done in a non-profit-making capacity. Having initially rented on Kinnegad's Main Street for eight years, the partners now own their own premises. Since purchasing the property, they have developed a one-storey cottage into a beautiful two-storey development adjacent to the local school and Garda station. Nestling here, Hamilton Sheahan & Co. is an inherent part of the Kinnegad fabric. Tweet

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