Spire’s strategy secures top slot at LawNet’s awards
Crowne Plaza Heythrop Park
©Steve Pope - Fotowales
Norfolk firm Spire headed the list of legal innovators recognised for their achievements in this year’s LawNet awards.
The best and brightest from across the country’s mid-size independent firms were recognised at the annual awards ceremony, which saw more than 200 lawyers from 71 firms come together.
Now in its tenth year, the awards recognise the UK's best law firms and lawyers who are driving innovation and delivering outstanding business results.
"Each of the seven nominated award categories was keenly contested and all those shortlisted were outstanding, demonstrating they are among the best in the sector, and leading the way in facing up to the rapidly changing environment we face," said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston.
Spire Solicitors LLP was named LawNet Law Firm of the Year. A four-year strategic plan has seen three Norfolk firms across eight offices blended to create a major new regional player. Significant investment has established the necessary infrastructure, financial standing and team to enable the new firm to springboard future development and overcome declining local markets faced by smaller firms.
Said Alisdair Liddle, managing partner of Norfolk-based Spire LLP: “We have merged three firms and that’s quite a big challenge. It’s been a successful merger and we have an environment where people are positive and proactive, which reflects on the first-class service we serve to our clients on a daily basis. Without these founding business values across our firm, as well as the energy each member of staff has towards delivering outstanding advice and quality of service, achievements like this wouldn’t be possible.”
He added: “From my long involvement with LawNet, going back nearly 26 years, I know just how good our fellow finalists are, so to be selected as Law Firm of the Year is a real honour; it means a lot to us.”
Winner of the Young Lawyer of the Year was Rachael Gamble of Cleaver Fulton Rankin Ltd in Belfast, already a recommended individual in the UK Legal 500 and a well-regarded litigator with a busy Chancery practice.
Best Digital Presence went to East Anglian based Ashtons Legal for their continued digital commitment, with a sophisticated multi-channel strategy working seamlessly to support their aim of being more accessible to prospects, clients, referrers and business contacts.
Stamp Jackson & Procter Ltd from Hull collected the Excellence in Employee Engagement for its latest initiative, which has seen its personal injury department taken through a cultural shift to enable the team to lead a reputation-led approach to future business development, as the department moves away from direct advertising.
The Excellence in Client Care award went Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd in Kent for their work in delivering exceptional customer service through a relentless drive for improvement and creative client service initiatives.
Best Community Contribution went to Tozers Solicitors LLP in the South West for its CSR strategy, which has been a game-changer in securing staff engagement and extending the firm’s reach in its local community.
And Team of the Year went to the Employment & HR Team at MLP Law Ltd in the North West, for a three-year strategic growth plan that has seen a 300% increase in turnover and a six-fold increase in fee earners.
LawNet chairman, Kim Carr, managing partner of Midlands-based FBC Manby Bowdler, added: “We have an outstanding set of innovators within the LawNet network and the awards celebrate all that makes our firms distinctly different.”
The award winners:
Law Firm of the Year Spire Solicitors LLP : Sponsored by Wilkinson Read & Partners
Team of the Year Employment & HR Team, MLP Law Ltd : Sponsored by STL
Young Lawyer of the year Rachael Gamble, Cleaver Fulton Rankin Ltd : Sponsored by Landmark Information Group
Excellence in Employee Engagement Stamp Jackson & Procter Ltd : Sponsored by Tikit
Best Community Contribution Tozers Solicitors LLP : Sponsored by Moneypenny
Best Digital Presence Ashtons Legal : Sponsored by Conscious Solutions
Excellence in Client Care Clarkson Wright & Jakes Ltd : Sponsored by Shopper Anonymous
Most active LawNet member Gepp & Sons Solicitors
LawNet Award winners 2017 : To download a high res image: click here
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 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.
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
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 @