Opinion: Profiting from pastures new

Driving the business forward through relocation.

By Viv Matthews, head of human resources at UK firm Henmans LLP.

It used to be the sign you had made it as a solicitor when you finally had your own room with a name plaque on the door announcing to the world that this was ‘your space’. How times have changed. Law firms these days have large open working environments, with partners, solicitors, paralegals and secretaries working side by side, as opposed to cellular rooms. While there are some downsides to this, such as lack of privacy, the benefit for business development at many firms far outweighs these negatives and with the right coping strategies in place, most people will embrace the bonuses that the open environment brings.
In April 2007 Henmans LLP relocated from St Aldates in the city centre of Oxford and Woodstock, a small village on the outskirts of Oxford, to Oxford Business Park South, which is a thriving business community with organisations such as Oxfam as neighbours. Here are some thoughts on how to relocate, overcome the objections and harness the new opportunities it will bring.

1. Persuade the partners. This isn’t an easy task, but the one thing all partners value is profitability and this can be achieved by moving into an open space where more people can fit into the square footage available. It is easier to afford a building with room for growth when you don’t have to think about putting up walls or moving partitions to create a box every time you want to recruit another lawyer.

2. Help departmental interaction. The private client and family departments will work well being in close proximity, as do corporate, employment and property, where there are marketing overlaps and common business needs. Cross-selling becomes much easier and departments become more aware of what their colleagues are doing in other areas, which in turn helps to make meetings shorter. Opportunities for joint departmental seminars and introducing clients from one business area to another are also enhanced.

3. Improve team work. By mixing fee earners and secretaries it is often found that team working improves. Secretaries are able to do more than just the typing, in some cases becoming fee earners themselves and helping to take some of the pressure away from the solicitors. By listening to the solicitors talking to clients, support staff are able to gain a better understanding of cases and can contribute more effectively. Clients are pleased to find that the secretary understands their file and that is always good for repeat business.

4. Benefit partner/team interaction. Situating partners alongside their teams puts them within hearing distance of their team members, picking up on problems and interacting more closely, and identifying areas that need attention. Better supervision leads to less time being written off, which in turn has a positive impact on the bottom line. Team members can see if the partner is busy. At Henmans, we operate a red flag system so that everyone knows if the red flag is up, that person does not want to be disturbed. We also provided training before relocating to help everyone understand the pitfalls and pleasures of open working and and thereby easing the transition.

5. Recruitment benefits. Since the move, we have recruited two partners from other firms, a head of finance from a major London firm and several high-quality solicitors and support staff. Our credibility as an employer of choice has risen – although I am sure the table tennis table provided by the managing partner has helped a little in that.

6. Client benefits. From being in the centre of Oxford and on a busy village street in Woodstock, where neither office had parking available, the benefits for the client of being on a business park are many. They no longer have to use ‘park and ride’ buses, but can easily park right at the front door. Having offices with large meeting rooms which can accommodate business seminars, lunches, and be offered to other local firms for their use is also important, not only bringing in extra business, but also raising our profile in the market through collaboration with others on the business park, resulting in more referrals from other park occupants.

We have found that our credibility as ‘the Oxford firm’ has improved dramatically as people saw that we were prepared to invest in the future with our new building. This has boosted our profile with business and private clients locally and nationally. With its unique design and central atrium, visitors are struck by the light and airiness of the building. We now have the space to expand the growing departments to help us take the firm forward.

In summary, while a move to an open environment may bring trepidation, the boost to the business is well worth the upheaval and expense.