How UK lawyers are walking the talk on Eurozone trade deals
As the Government’s attempts to open Eurozone trade negotiations continue to stall, they may like to take tips from some of the country’s lawyers, who have been engaging in some unusual trade talks with their European counterparts.
At this month’s Eurojuris International conference in Brussels, lawyers from LawNet member firms were talking up the merits of English gin, scooping themselves an award for best country produce promotion in the process.
Eurojuris brings together 6,000 lawyers in more than 50 countries in Europe and beyond. Over 200 delegates from 27 countries joined the Annual Congress in Brussels, which launched with a Civic Reception at the Hotel de Ville offered by the City of Brussels. Delegates spent time in their Practice Groups and at a plenary session focused on the impact of technology and new generations in the workplace.
But attendees were encouraged also to showcase the best of their country’s produce to other delegates during an evening reception. Representing the UK & Ireland, LawNet won the award for best national stand with their display of specialist gins, complete with tasting notes and carefully selected menu to complement the unique flavour of each of the distilleries showcased.
“Brexit was an inevitable topic of conversation during the conference,” said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston, “But we’re fortunate to have excellent relationships with our European counterparts through Eurojuris, so our firms have a strong foundation for future working.
“The spirit of sharing was certainly evident during our evening tasting session, so perhaps the best of English gin may help to lubricate the talks for those negotiating on the European stage on our behalf.”
All LawNet firms are automatically members of Eurojuris International. As well as providing a referral route to meeting the needs of clients in different European jurisdictions, many firms use the international network to build strong reciprocal relationships.
LawNet members showcase English gins to their European counterparts at the 2017 Eurojuris congress in Brussels
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For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 020 7 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767 602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Member Engagement & Strategy Director, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined aggregate turnover of the 71 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £300m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £25m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – learning, networking, PII, practice development, marketing, compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PII cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Law firm research challenges the burden of regulation
Click here to download a copy of the White Paper outlining the research findings
A cultural shift in attitude towards risk management may prove to be the most important driver of future law firm growth, according to research1 with independent law firms.
While the debate around the burden of regulatory compliance has been fuelled in recent weeks with the publication of the SRA’s three-year strategy, the research among mid-sized firms suggests that strategic risk management is bringing a return on investment and opening the door to greater competitiveness and client choice, as well as satisfying regulatory requirements.
The findings have been published by LawNet, the collaborative, non-profit network for independent law firms, following research involving over 3000 legal, management and support staff across its member community.
And while junior fee earners and admin staff were more likely to think regulatory repercussions were the most serious outcome of poor risk management, mid to senior fee earners and managers were more focused on how it may affect financial management and reputational issues. Better client service, reduced PII claims and reputation protection were the top three benefits of stronger risk management, with 50% saying it was delivering effective business management benefits, and a further 30% saying it had become a vital business tool.
Residential conveyancing is perceived as being the highest risk work across all staff, followed by commercial property, accurately reflecting SRA statistics which show that around half of all claims, and some £770 million of indemnity payments between 2004-14, result from a failure in conveyancing work.
Fraud and cybercrime is the biggest threat for the future, for some 40% of staff, closely followed by client data protection and securing IT systems. Almost 50% were aware of an attempted fraud attack on their firm in the last 12 months, with most attacks being email phishing.
Commenting on the results, Deborah O’Riordan of insurers QBE, said: “This research highlights one of the most important aspects of managing a law firm today. Unless practices are engaging in some form of risk management programme, whether that’s an external standard such as Lexcel or ISO9001 or through advisory or compliance support services, they are missing a vital component. As an insurer, we want to see a real commitment to a culture of risk management - it’s an important consideration during the underwriting process, alongside fee-income, work-types, size of practice and claims history. It’s important also, that firms demonstrate a drive to improve.”
The research was undertaken by LawNet as part of an audit of the network’s risk management and compliance support, which firms receive as part of the bespoke ISO9001 standard that is compulsory for membership. The resulting feedback will be used to guide future training and development for members, and LawNet chief executive Chris Marston said: “Complaints about over-regulation, and the resulting burden on firms, are part of the day to day, but our membership enables us to speak on behalf of a sizeable constituency of larger SME firms, and the evidence is that increasingly they are turning regulation into a business driver, rather than viewing it as a constraint.
“If enabling greater client choice is a driver for regulation, the benefits of achieving a cultural shift in this way adds real credibility to the argument for equipping clients to choose.”
The research findings are included within a sector learning publication, which includes case studies setting out how firms are achieving the necessary cultural shift.
According to the research, the most time-consuming aspect of risk management is file management, closely followed by performance management, of both self and others, with this area seeing the most increase in time required over the past two years.
Asking staff at all levels if they were aware of the firm’s policy for dealing with bank accounts and client payments, administrative and secretarial staff were most likely to be unsure. And while over 60% of firms were using penetration testing on a regular basis for their IT systems, fewer than 20% were regularly using social penetration testing of people and processes.
Chris Marston added: “Fraud is top of the radar for most firms, and rightly so, looking at the figures. But firms need to look at the bigger picture if we are going to tackle this across the sector. Embedding the right culture, so every member of staff is clued up and signed up, is how we’ll achieve this, while bringing real business benefits through better customer service and increased competitiveness.”
LawNet’s publication Lessons for law firms : How the right risk culture delivers returns, covering the research and learning is available as a White Paper for download or in print : click here
1 About the research:
The research was undertaken through online questionnaire and all individual staff members of firms within the LawNet network were invited to participate. Each participant remained anonymous but was asked to complete a personal profile enabling further analysis according to size of firm, their role within the firm, the nature of their legal specialism or the department they worked in. A total of 585 participants took part in the research, which was conducted between November 2016 and February 2017.
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For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 020 7 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767 602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Member Engagement & Strategy Director, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined aggregate turnover of the 71 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £300m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £25m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – learning, networking, PII, practice development, marketing, compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PII cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Innovation and collaboration drive independents
Click here to download a high-res version from Flickr
Pictured (left to right):
Back row: Nigel Maud, Hart Brown; Robert Jobson, Gardner Leader LLP; Oliver Ray and Martin Whitworth, Gotelee Solicitors; Phillip Hoskins and Michael Pace, Andrew & Co Solicitors; Ed O’Rourke, Ashtons Legal; Helen Hamilton-Shaw, LawNet
Middle row: – Jenny Buchanan, Gardner Leader LLP; Melanie Carroll, Mullis & Peake LLP; Rebecca White, Hart Brown; Helen Bell, Andrew & Co Solicitors; Duncan Jackson, Buckles Solicitors LLP
Front row: Claire Hughes, Ashtons Legal; Danielle Collett-Bruce, Hart Brown; Derek Rodgers, Gardner Leader LLP; Colleen Gostick, Buckles Solicitors LLP; Chris Marston, LawNet.
Independent law firms are proving they have what it takes to chase off challengers and disruptors.
Top performing firms and outstanding individuals from across the legal community gathered to celebrate the ninth annual LawNet Awards, which recognise innovation and strategic success.
“We had a record number of submissions and a highly competitive field of entrants, all of whom demonstrated real vision and depth in delivering solutions with a proven business impact across the categories,” said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston.
Gardner Leader was named LawNet Law Firm of the Year. Through a combination of organic growth, strategic alliances and acquisition, the firm has seen turnover almost double in the past five years.
Said Derek Rodgers, managing partner of Berkshire-based Gardner Leader: “This marks the culmination of a long term vision, with quite significant growth over the last five years. We have added new people, invested in new technology, implemented continuous improvement and change management processes, and integrated a couple of acquisitions into the firm. It’s been a lot of hard work and we’re very proud to have it recognised with this award.”
He added: “We’ve been members of LawNet for a long time and know the calibre of the firms in the network, so to win against that competition means a lot to us.”
Winner of the Young Lawyer of the Year was Danielle Collett-Bruce of Hart Brown. Just three years qualified she is already the lead solicitor on varied transactions of significant value and has drawn up licencing agreements used around the globe on high value software contracts. Hart Brown also collected the Mark of Excellence award for their work in delivering exceptional customer service.
Best Digital Presence went to Gotelee Solicitors for a strategic campaign focused on increasing traffic referrals, tackling negative perceptions of the sector, and creating a strong online personality for the firm. The analytics-driven campaign has seen overall traffic increased by 84% in three years.
Buckles Solicitors LLP collected the Excellence in Employee Engagement for their focus on relationships to deliver business success, putting employees at the heart of the company. It’s already won the firm a place on the Best Companies to Work For national index as well as the Investors in People Gold Standard.
Best Community Contribution went to Ashtons Legal in the East of England for a unique commitment to its local community, setting up its own Charitable Trust in 2014, as a vehicle to give back to the area. Since April this year the trust has distributed £12,500, alongside pro bono, facility provision and community involvement by the firm.
And Team of the Year went to the Residential Property Team, Mullis & Peake LLP for all round innovation and best practice. Successes include business development which saw a new satellite office deliver an immediate return on investment.
Added Chris Marston: “There is much to celebrate in the sector, despite the pessimism spread by the nay-sayers. We may be dealing with more regulation, new learning requirements, and constant competition and disruption, but the exceptional successes in this year’s entries demonstrate there’s plenty of opportunity if firms are prepared to innovate.”
He added: “The peer to peer collaboration and networking between our members certainly has a catalytic effect, raising the bar and helping to grow winning firms.”
The award winners:
Law Firm of the Year Gardner Leader LLP : Sponsored by Wilkinson Read & Partners
Team of the Year Residential Property Team, Mullis & Peake LLP : Sponsored by STL
Young Lawyer of the year Danielle Collett-Bruce, Hart Brown: Sponsored by Econocom Digital Finance
Excellence in Employee Engagement Buckles Solicitors LLP : Sponsored by Tikit
Best Community Contribution Ashtons Legal : Sponsored by Landmark Information Group
Best Digital Presence Gotelee Solicitors : Sponsored by Conscious Solutions
LawNet Mark of Excellence Hart Brown : Sponsored by Shopper Anonymous
Most active LawNet member Andrew & Co LLP
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 020 7 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767 602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Member Engagement & Strategy Director, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined income of the firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – learning, networking, PII, practice development, marketing, compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Estate agency group raises the bar
Stamford estate agent Jason Treadwell has been named top performing franchisee of the year in Newton Fallowell’s annual awards.
The award for best property sales performance went to Newton Fallowell’s Newark franchisees Neil and Jude Sime, with Grantham Lettings franchisees Jackie and Iain Angus securing the award for top performing lettings office; both recording their third successive win.
The announcements were made at a black tie dinner for members of the fast-growing Midlands estate agency network, which now stretches from the West Midlands to the east coast of Lincolnshire.
Staff from across the group came together to celebrate record growth across the brand, which has seen a 60% increase in the number of franchises since the last annual conference.
Speaking after the awards, top franchisee Jason Treadwell said: “From a cold start opening in Stamford in 2014, when we went head-to-head against 19 high street-based estate agents who were already selling in the town, we are now out-selling our nearest competitor by double the number of sales. Independent figures show we are now responsible for 1 in 4 property sales locally, with 28.4% of the sold market. Our nearest competitor stands at 14.2%.”
He added: “It’s been an amazing journey, and we have already opened a further franchise in nearby Oakham, also from a cold start, and after just four months we are ranked second in the town for sales and new listings. This award bears my name, but it’s not just about me, the team have been crucial, as well as the backing of my family.”
Said franchise director David Spackman: “This year was our biggest ever conference, with our newly extended family coming together for the first time since the West Midlands’ based Goodchilds chain joined us. We now have 45 branches, and the conference is a great opportunity for everyone to share and learn from what’s happening elsewhere in the group, as well as a route to setting out the strategy for the year ahead.”
Founded in 1999 by CEO Mark Newton, Newton Fallowell quickly became the largest independent estate agency across the East Midlands, providing property sales and letting, surveying, in–house conveyancing and mortgage advice. It has been part of the Belvoir Lettings PLC property group since 2015.
All the winners:
| Best New Franchise 2016 | Leicester Forest East |
| Most Improved Lettings Franchise 2016 | Retford |
| Most Improved Sales Franchise 2016 | Market Deeping |
| Lettings Franchise of the Year 2016 | Grantham |
| Sales Franchise of the Year 2016 | Newark |
| Goodchilds Lettings Franchise of the Year 2016 | Bloxwich |
| Goodchilds Sales Franchise of the Year 2016 | Stoke on Trent |
| Franchisee of the Year 2016 | Jason Treadwell |
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Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & MarketingDirect line: 0207 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
David Newton, Director of IT & Marketing, Newton Fallowell
Direct line: 01476 584163 Mobile: 07986 555496 Email: david.newton@newtonfallowell.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About Newton Fallowell
Founded in 1999 by CEO Mark Newton, an estate agent and industry specialist since 1976, Newton Fallowell now has 45 branches and is part of the Belvoir PLC property group with branches from Telford to Boston, and from Retford down to Leicester. Services include property sales and letting, surveying, in–house conveyancing and mortgage advice.
LawNet wins industry award for ground-breaking client service initiative
LawNet, the UK's leading network of independent law firms, has won industry recognition for its ground-breaking work in re-shaping sector attitudes towards customer service excellence.
The network has been named winner of the 2015 Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Award in the Supporting the Industry category.
The accolade is in recognition of the impact of the LawNet Excellence Mark, which helps the network’s 67 independent law firm members to achieve and demonstrate consistently excellent client service delivery. The programme provides external measurement of the client experience to drive needs-based support and training, with firms using the results of regular mystery shopping and benchmarked client surveys to improve customer satisfaction.
Earlier this year LawNet published a White Paper showing the learning from more than 25,000 client experience questionnaires and 1,100 mystery shops undertaken in the first two years across the LawNet community.
“There's been huge interest in the work we’ve been doing to support our members to provide excellent customer service,” said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston.
“In the UK, the Legal Ombudsman asked for permission to circulate our findings1, and the Victorian Legal Services Board in Melbourne, Australia contacted us asking if they could share our initiative with their members. I’ve been invited to speak at conferences throughout the UK on how firms can use external measurement to ensure their clients are getting the best service. LawNet firms understand clearly that client service is the real battleground in a competitive market.”
LawNet chairman Kim Carr added: “This is a well-deserved recognition of the work that the team at LawNet HQ has done to keep our network ahead of the curve. Practical support like this is part of the reason our membership numbers are growing.
“LawNet today has 67 member firms, and well over 2,000 lawyers. We have no wish to build a brand, but our members do see the sense in collaborating on the things that matter. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with and this award highlights the way in which the network is helping to lead the way forward for independent law firms.”
The Supporting the Industry award was in the category of organisations with up to 25 employees.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 020 7 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767 602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Member Engagement & Strategy Director, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined income of the 65 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, practice development, marketing and compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Independents show off their game-raising tactics
Click here to download high res version
Click here to download high res version from Flickr. Full caption at end of press release
Independent law firms have been showcasing their inventive side, with strategies designed to keep them out in front.
The successes were highlighted at this year’s LawNet awards, and leading the winners was Buckles Solicitors LLP with Law Firm of the Year.
Peterborough-based Buckles embarked on an ambitious development strategy, based on excellent client service and investing in their people. In the last year it has seen the firm grow to employ 57 lawyers and achieve gross fees of £6.7m, with independently assessed overall client satisfaction scores of 95%, a listing in the Best Companies to Work For and securing the elite Investors In People Gold accreditation.
Said Colleen Gostick, managing partner of Buckles: “We’re thrilled to win, particularly given the quality of the competition in LawNet. Within the business we’re always focused on the next thing, so it’s great to reflect on what’s been achieved and celebrate the success with the people who made it happen.”
Alexandra Savage of Warner Goodman LLP in Hampshire was named Young Lawyer of the Year having earned the firm’s fastest-ever promotion from trainee to Associate, in just three years.
Team of the Year went to the Later Life Team at Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP Solicitors. Their holistic approach to later life planning has created a unique team, bringing together legal services with personal care coordinators. This, combined with a research-based thought leadership campaign, has brought them to the forefront of the fast expanding care sector market in the South East.
Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP secured Best Digital Presence for a multi-channel approach including internal and external platforms, with results that included a 700% increase in visitor traffic to their website.
Best Community Contribution went to Clarkson Wright & Jakes for a bigger-picture CSR strategy that is putting them at the heart of their local community, with fundraising and skills-sharing that’s both supporting their community partners and also boosting staff morale internally. Initiatives have included making the community more dementia-friendly.
Hart Brown received the Mark of Excellence award, for outstanding performance on LawNet’s independently assessed mystery shopping and online client satisfaction measurement.
Chris Marston, chief executive of LawNet, said: “Once again, the submissions show that independent law firms are ideally placed to demonstrate what it means to be innovative in the legal sector. That, combined with a commitment to excellence, is what our awards recognise.
“Results like this give real purpose to annual awards. Our members want to benchmark themselves against other forward-thinking firms. Our awards allow us to recognise the people behind these exceptional initiatives.”
He added: “People sometimes assume that innovation starts at the top in the legal sector, amongst the major multi-national players, but our members consistently demonstrate that they can be more nimble, quicker to react and implement, and because of that they generate outstanding performance as a result.”
The award winners:
| Law Firm of the Year | Buckles Solicitors LLP : Sponsored by Wilkinson Read & Partners |
| Team of the Year | Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP : Sponsored by STL |
| Young Lawyer of the year | Alexandra Savage, Warner Goodman LLP : Sponsored by Econocom |
| Excellence in Employee Engagement |
Gardner Leader LLP : Sponsored by Tikit |
| Best Community Contribution | Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd : Sponsored by Francis Clark |
| Best Digital Presence | Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP : sponsored by Conscious Solutions |
| LawNet Mark of Excellence | Hart Brown |
| Most active member within LawNet | Gepp & Sons Solicitors |
Pictured: Front Row L – R Derek Rodgers, Gardner Leade, Alexandra Savage, Warner Goodman LLP, Colleen Gostick, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Linda Smith, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Amanda Mehlin, Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd, Angie Law, Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd Back Row L-R : Helen Hamilton-Shaw, LawNet, Nigel Maud, Hart Brown, Michael Rabbett, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Neil Crees, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Nigel Moore, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Steven Payne, Gepp & Sons Solicitors, Richard Phillips, Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP, Richard Bates, Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP, James Maxey, Buckles Solicitors LLP, Bruce Hayter, Rix & Kay Solicitors LLP, Chris Marston, LawNet, Robin Evans, Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 020 7 846 0096 Mobile: 0797 3767 602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Director of Services, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined income of the 65 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, practice development, marketing and compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Leading lady : Kim Carr named as new chair of LawNet
West Midlands lawyer Kim Carr of FBC Manby Bowdler has been named as the new chairman of LawNet, the independent law firm network.
The first woman to hold the role in the network’s 26 year history, LawNet says her leadership of the member-run board will be key to the network’s strategy and future growth plans.
FBC Manby Bowdler LLP was a founder member of LawNet in 1989 and the 29-partner firm employs over 160 staff at five offices across the West Midlands and Shropshire. Alongside its professional rankings in the Legal 500 and Chambers, it was named firm of the year in 2014 by its regional Law Society and has regularly appeared in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For listings under Kim’s stewardship.
Kim Carr has been managing partner of the firm since 2005, joining the firm as a trainee and heading the private client department, before leading the merger of FBC Solicitors with Manby Steward Bowdler LLP in 2008. She was named LawNet managing partner of the year in 2012.
Said Kim Carr: “It’s a great opportunity for me to play a part in the network’s future development. There are big challenges in the sector, with consolidation continuing, but it’s a time that offers LawNet firms huge opportunities, if we are commercially focussed and differentiate ourselves. I believe outstanding customer service lies at the heart of that.
“As an independent firm we have always seen big benefits in being part of the LawNet family and I’ll be working with the board and the team at LawNet HQ to see how we can build on that strength for our members, as we grow the network.”
Welcoming Kim to the role, LawNet chief executive Chris Marston said: “It’s great news for the network that Kim has agreed to take on this key role. We’ve seen our network grow over the past year, and our proposition remains rooted in supporting firms to deliver great customer service, providing high quality learning and keeping the lid on PII premiums through a strong risk management culture.
“We’ve got big ambitions for the future, constrained only by the number of firms that will match up to our selection criteria.”
The LawNet network was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms can access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise. As well as quality and risk management accreditation, the network provides training in legal practice and management skills, marketing support and access to a range of office support services. It also provides a group professional indemnity insurance scheme for members.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 01400 251557 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Director of Services, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, mutually-owned national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service.
The combined income of the 67 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, practice development, marketing and compliance. It currently places over £1bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
www.lawnet.co.uk
Twitter: @LawNetUK
About FBC Manby Bowdler
FBC Manby Bowdler LLP is a 29 Partner award winning regional law firm focused on and committed to intelligently delivering stellar service to its customers.
The firm's approach is 'One Team' and is committed to delivering the greatest quality of service and advice possible. FBC Manby Bowdler's Client Charter explains the firm's promises to clients about the stellar service experience they can expect to receive.
FBC Manby Bowdler LLP is recognised in the 2015 Legal 500 Directory as a top tier Firm for Agriculture & Estates, Contentious Trusts & Probate, Family, Commercial Litigation and Planning.
For further information, please visit www.fbcmb.co.uk or follow the firm on Twitter @
Former apprentice celebrates business success
A former apprentice seized the day when the franchise of the estate agency where she worked came up for grabs. Backed by her father, Sarah Ballard was just 24 years old when she was successful in her application to run the Bingham branch for Newton Fallowell, the biggest independent estate agency network in the East Midlands. And two years after taking on the Bingham branch, she expanded to develop a second branch from scratch in nearby Mapperley.
Now, she’s celebrated her successful first year of trading in the Nottingham suburb of Mapperley and has an eye to where she can expand further.
Sarah started at Newton Fallowell Bingham as an apprentice at 18, and in just a few years was promoted to the role of office manager. So, when the opportunity came to take over the franchise, she decided she was up for running her own business – despite still being in her early twenties. With her father acting as a sleeping partner from the outset, she quickly built on her administrative and managerial experience to grow into the new role.
Said Sarah: “I put the money together through a mix of my own finances, which I’d been saving for a buy to let property, and some help from my Dad. I was fortunate to have worked in the business so I had a good knowledge to build on, and also knew that head office would take away a number of potential headaches, such as the payroll, the website, marketing and branding, leaving
me free to focus on the business.
“And when I decided to open a second branch, the head office franchise team helped with the market research, found the premises and negotiated the lease.”
In the market town of Bingham, Newton Fallowell is currently ranked in the top three estate agents in the town, and Sarah puts that down to her team’s sales skills and by aiming for outstanding customer service.
“We offer traditional estate agency services, taking the time to talk to buyers and sellers,” she explains, “but combine that with the latest technology and tools that come from being part of a major brand.”
She added: “We’re also open seven days per week, because we recognise that weekends are when people are free for house viewings, and we employ local people who understand the local market, as that helps sell properties.”
And having turned a profit in year one after taking over the Bingham branch, Sarah's aim is break-even for year one in Mapperley, and once it’s in profit, she will be looking to make further investments and expand further. She says: “Certainly, I’m looking at what happens next and I know there will be economy of scale if I can find the right spot to expand into another area of Nottingham.”
Outside the office, the staff all get involved in the local community, whether it’s sponsoring the local pork pie competition or providing sports tops for the primary school.
ENDS 493 words
LawNet launch results of the Client Experience
PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until 13th May 2015
LawNet chief executive Chris Marston will be launching “The Client Experience” with a presentation at LEGALEX AT ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL on Wednesday 13th May at 12noon and Thursday 14th May at 4pm.
THE BIG REVEAL : COMMUNITY OPENS UP RESEARCH BASE TO SHARE SECTOR SECRETS ON HOW TO KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
Results of the sector’s biggest-ever consumer-facing research show communication skills and follow-up are key to meet the challenge of changing consumer demand
Customer service and communication are the most important drivers to future law firm growth.
That’s the message to come out of the biggest-ever customer research project conducted in the legal sector, with commentators saying the results highlight the need to learn more from the retail sector.
The findings have been published by LawNet, the collaborative non-profit network for independent law firms, following two years of research involving nearly 25,000 client experience questionnaires and 1,100 mystery shops across its member community.
And whilst firms got the thumbs up from customers for great technical expertise and delivering positive outcomes, the research flagged up key areas for improvement.
The most important areas flagged by customers as having the potential to increase their satisfaction, were the speed of response, upfront clarity on timescales and fees, combined with regular progress reporting and fees updates.
The results show that the price quoted for a job is one of the least important factors in the decision to appoint a firm, with recommendation or previous contact being the most persuasive reasons, making customer satisfaction key to future growth.
The feedback also showed that advertising alone was not enough to convert customers, with only 3% saying this was an influencing factor, pointing to a need for greater emphasis on sales follow up by firms. Qualitative feedback from mystery shopping showed that where follow up processes were not adhered to, clients interpreted it as a lack of interest and firms were unlikely to convert the business.
Commenting on the results, Andrew McMillan, former head of customer service for John Lewis, said: “This research is invaluable in providing the big picture to the sector and it underlines the bare truth of what customers are looking for when they buy legal services. It shows that the basics are the same as in any other sector for today’s sophisticated purchaser.”
“Without those basics - or so-called ‘hygiene factors’ - in place, it’s impossible to make the leap into developing a real customer-focussed personality,” added McMillan, who oversaw John Lewis securing the UK Best Retailer top slot for keeping its customers happy.
The research is being undertaken by LawNet as part of the delivery and audit of the network’s Mark of Excellence, part of the network’s bespoke ISO standard, which requires network members to take part in mystery shopping and online customer surveying. The research is an ongoing project, with resulting feedback being used to guide future training and development for members.
“Retailers have always seen customer experience as the key to success and profitability, whereas professionals still tend to focus on the technical,” said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston. “But in a world where clients can place an order online, choose a delivery slot and receive an almost instant email despatch confirmation, those expectations are being brought into the legal sector and firms must do all they can to improve the customer journey. It’s about being easy to do business with.”
He added: “Some firms within the sector may be unwilling to acknowledge the similarities between themselves and retail operators, but after two years of research we’ve got a huge, robust set of data to learn from. We’ve seen members of the LawNet community implementing changes to respond to the findings, often turning to other sectors for good ideas to improve the client experience in their own businesses, and they are already seeing the benefits. It’s about being brave enough to face the facts.”
“Having a great service proposition is all very well, but if enquiries aren't captured and followed up, that's a terrible waste. Follow up isn’t being pushy, it’s about responding to an identified need. Satisfied clients will bring repeat business and recommend you to others, and our research has proved that service is much more important than price - a mere 4% of respondents quoted cost as the reason for instructing the firm.”
LawNet’s publication The Customer Experience : Lessons for law firms, covering the research and learning is available as a White Paper for download or in print.
About the research:
The mystery shopping was carried out by independent specialist Shopper Anonymous, and involved a mix of walk-ins, telephone calls, web enquiries and out-of-hours calls, repeated at regular intervals.
The online bespoke customer satisfaction surveying is delivered by Law League to identify and measure strengths and weaknesses, fee earner performance and overall satisfaction levels. Performance is benchmarked against fellow LawNet members and other firms taking part nationally.
In practice:
Examples of responding to the findings:
FBC Manby Bowdler, West Midlands : research showed a need for improved communication skills amongst reception staff, as a result of which they carried out a training programme for these front-line staff.
“This real, on-the-ground information is allowing us to assess what’s working and helping us to make the necessary changes to truly focus on how we service clients,” Kim Carr, managing partner.
Andrew & Co, Lincolnshire : research showed a need to keep customers well informed of the progress of jobs and resulting charges.
“Costs information was high up the list, but clients were talking not so much about the amount of the fee, but rather about the extent of communication. By encouraging each team to take ownership of the way they work both in the context of the client feedback provided, and in designing benchmarks for service delivery we’ve seen much improved scores in our own customer feedback,“ Phillip Hoskins, partner.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 01400 251557 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Director of Services, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet
LawNet was established in 1989 to enable a collaborative, non-competing national network where independent law firms could access big firm resources and benefit from collective purchasing, shared knowledge, best practice and expertise.
All members share a commitment to excellence and must achieve and maintain LawNet’s own ISO.9001 standard and the associated Mark of Excellence in client service. The combined income of the 65 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, practice development, marketing and compliance. It currently places some £1.2bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
www.lawnet.co.uk Twitter: @LawNetUK
Celebrating being the region’s biggest property-selling family
To download a high res image from Flickr click here
An East Midlands estate agency is celebrating being the biggest property-selling family in the region....
The Newton Fallowell network is a family-owned business that includes many family-run branches across its 27 East Midlands locations, and now they’ve launched a major consumer advertising campaign that emphasises those roots and family values.
Founded in 1999 by estate agent and industry specialist Mark Newton – a descendant of Isaac Newton - Newton Fallowell today is the largest independent estate agency across the East Midlands. It has branches from Burton on Trent to Boston, and from Retford to Bourne, offering property sales and letting, surveying, in–house conveyancing and mortgage advice.
David Newton Director of IT and Marketing said: “Research shows that staff tend to stay longer at family-owned businesses, and that successful family companies look for steady long-term growth and performance rather than chasing maximum short-term performance at the expense of long-term company health.
“That’s certainly always been our attitude within Newton Fallowell and we have seen it pay off for customers, by giving them the confidence of knowing the firm is focussed on them and their business today; and that the people they’re dealing with today, will be there tomorrow.”
The campaign is running for three months in media titles across the East Midlands.
ENDS [213 words]
McKinsey & Company : The five attributes of enduring family businesses
Harvard Business Review: What you can learn from family business
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 01400 251557 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
David Newton, Director of IT & Marketing, Newton Fallowell
Direct line: 01476 584163 Mobile: 07986 555496 Email: david.newton@newtonfallowell.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About Newton Fallowell
Founded in 1999 by CEO Mark Newton, an estate agent and industry specialist since 1976, Newton Fallowell is a family business extending to a network of 27 branches. The largest independent estate agency across the East Midlands, it has branches from Burton on Trent to Boston, and from Retford down to Leicester. Services include property sales and letting, surveying, in–house conveyancing and mortgage advice.
Twitter: @MarkOnProperty