LawNet scoops second industry award
A collaborative approach to learning and skills development in the legal sector has won member network LawNet a coveted national award.
Named winner of the Supporting the Industry Modern Law award 2020, this is the second time the collaborative non-profit network for independent law firms has scooped the accolade in the category for organisations with up to 25 employees.
The award was made to recognise the impact of the LawNet learning programme, which allows the 2500 lawyers across the network’s 70 independent law firms to access bespoke learning support in a collaborative setting, where open discussion can take place, including its Annual Conference, which brings together around 300 delegates each November.
Through a peer-to-peer environment, the network is able to deliver events tailored to the audience and at a level that could otherwise be inaccessible to many firms, with high calibre speakers and leading edge topics covered in a programme that is mainly free to access.
Over the last five years LawNet has invested £1.1m in delivering around 270 events with more than 5,500 delegates taking part. The wide-ranging programme includes technical legal and skills-based learning as well as business management events, all designed to challenge, inspire and motivate members to continually improve and raise the level of expertise across their firms, with topics tailored in response to feedback from members.
LawNet is a member-owned national network of 70 SME law firms located across the UK and
Ireland. The eight-strong head office team provides a wide range of benefits and services to member firms to support their business aims, with learning being a cornerstone of that package.
Pete Riddleston, LawNet’s director of learning & quality, explained: “Strategically, our learning programme is focused on growing a community of learners looking to share best practice and understand the latest thinking on the challenges they face. This demands a broad ranging programme, with topics that currently range across mental health and wellbeing, fraud and cyber security and sales skills.
“It’s important we support learners at different stages of their careers as well, whether that is through commercial awareness and time management for trainee solicitors and junior lawyers or introducing new managers and leaders to the essentials of running a successful law firm.”
The network previously won the Supporting the Industry award for its customer excellence programme, which supports its members through external measurement of the client experience to drive needs-based support and training. Firms use the results of regular client experience reviews and benchmarked client surveys to improve customer satisfaction and are audited through the network’s own ISO 9001 Quality Standard.
“The aim is a community of engaged, reflective learners rather than simply complying with regulatory requirements and we continually build our programmes in response to member input. We want to inspire our members to engage with new thinking and ideas to ensure the future success of their firms,” said LawNet chief executive Chris Marston.
“We know that being the best in every way – whether through skills, client service or process – is what sets LawNet firms apart and helps to keep them out in front in today’s competitive market. We’re committed to developing services that help our members succeed and pooling resources enables them to achieve more in an affordable way. That ethos is reflected in our learning provision, which is largely free as it is funded through the annual member contributions, and is regularly cited as one of the biggest benefits of membership.”
Links to download pictures:
Picture caption:
The LawNet team pictured at the awards evening, left to right, George Coombes, Chris Marston, Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Graham Ford, Ross Lobley, Pete Riddleston
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 0207 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 70 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.
Recruitment is greatest challenge for law firms
Recruitment is the most pressing challenge for mid-size independent law firms according to benchmarked research, which showed almost a quarter of the firms surveyed ranked it their biggest issue, over efficiency and process, data management or partner performance management.
The results were drawn from the annual LawNet financial benchmarking survey, which is undertaken independently by the specialist legal team at PKF Francis Clark. Each year, members are asked a range of questions in various areas including financial performance, people structure, financing and practice management issues.
The resulting financial and management information is merged with insight on the financial health of the whole UK legal sector to enable firms to compare their own performance with similar firms in the member network and beyond.
Andrew Allen, who heads the legal sector team at PKF Francis Clark said: “Benchmarking helps firms see trends and we combine that with suggestions to aid decision making, so it is based on reliable data and focused on improving future financial strategic thinking and planning.”
He added: “The underlying message from the survey in 2018 is clear; firms are most concerned about attracting and retaining the best people to deliver services to clients, while operational effectiveness on a day-to-day basis comes in behind.”
Chris Marston, chief executive at LawNet added: “Benchmarking is not just about knowing what’s happening today; the long-term value is in how it focuses attention and drives action in key areas, such as reducing lock up, where we’ve seen impressive progress across our member firms in recent years.”
He added: “There’s real value in being able to see how your firm’s performance compares specifically with your peers, as well as the sector at large.”
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- The questionnaire was completed by members of LawNet from July to September 2018, covering a range of questions in various areas including financial performance, people structure, financing and practice management issues at Q3/2018. Survey participants were also asked to comment on the greatest challenges for the future in their respective firms and asked to rank their three choices in order of greatest significance, with 23% saying recruitment was their biggest challenge. Insights into the overall UK legal sector are also compiled by PKF Francis Clark.
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 70 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.
PKF Francis Clark’s specialist legal team advise over 100 law firms across the UK from sole practitioners to some of the UK’s largest law firms.
Celebrating its Centenary year, chartered accountants and business advisers PKF Francis Clark has annual revenue of £45 million, a team of more than 700 people and 55 partners. The award-winning firm has seven offices across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. PKF Francis Clark is a member of PKF UKI which is ranked 11th in the Accountancy Age 2017 survey of top accountancy firms and the fastest growing in the Top 20.
LawNet hits new membership high
LawNet, the collaborative, non-profit network for independent law firms, has announced a record intake of new members, taking membership to 71 firms - the highest for 20 years.
Six new firms have joined during the past year, with the two most recent recruits being London-based William Sturges and Martin Tolhurst Solicitors in Kent, bringing the combined turnover of member firms to more than £300m.
Managing partner Richard Carter of Martin Tolhurst, which has 160 staff across six offices, said: “We were delighted to join a group that had impressed us from afar. We like the fact that the network is member-owned and will support our firm in building our own brand. We are keen to get involved in the excellent training programme and the collaborative approach with like-minded law firms is already evident from our first few days of membership.”
At Westminster-based William Sturges, with just under 50-staff, managing partner James Hannon said: “As a firm we want to make greater efficiencies, and membership will give us access to resources that would otherwise be out of reach to a firm of our size. We expect to see benefits in helping us manage risk, satisfy regulatory requirements and reduce our professional indemnity premiums, as well as giving us marketing and other expertise at a level that we could not otherwise expect to have in-house. The opportunity to share ideas and best practice with leaders in other progressive firms is also very attractive.”
LawNet chief executive Chris Marston added: “Growing the membership increases our influence and our buying power, which is vital for the future success of the network. But we will never lower the bar and any firm wanting to join LawNet must satisfy our stringent eligibility criteria and be a true fit in terms of quality and outlook.
“The new members who join us today are strong, independent, resourceful businesses who, despite being major players in their chosen geographical or sector markets, nonetheless see the value of being part of something bigger.
“They’re drawn to the collaborative, non-competing approach, which is so highly valued by our members.”
He added: “Our membership remains very stable, but consolidation in the sector has an inevitable impact, and we continue to be focused on identifying firms that may add to the mix, as well filling some geographic gaps."
LawNet membership is by invitation, typically to firms fitting the profile of £2m - £25m turnover who are prepared to commit to the LawNet ISO 9001 quality standard, which is mandatory for all firms and incorporates the network’s customer-facing LawNet Excellence Mark programme, through which LawNet firms measure the client experience using mystery shopping and client satisfaction surveys.
LawNet’s ISO 9001 quality standard also incorporates all the requirements of the Law Society’s Lexcel practice management standard, creating a direct route through which LawNet members can achieve dual accreditation.
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.
Twitter: @LawNetUK