company profile 19 Enhancing client relations
“The biggest compliment someone can give us, is when they say we don’t sound like lawyers,” says Shaun Jardine, chief executive officer of Brethertons LLP
The comment is typical of his approach and it is one which is at the centre of the legal firm’s new corporate identity and branding.
Unveiled on March 30, and with a clear focus on people rather than services, the new look comes after months of research with both employees and clients.
Although Brethertons is an established brand, the firm felt the time was right to revamp the visual elements of its identity. The current logo remains as part of the updated brand, but is presented in dynamic settings using large colourful imagery and snatches of bold text. The team is vocal on the fact that this is not an exercise in rebranding, more a brand refresh which aims to express the firm’s existing culture and values in a more engaging and descriptive way.
The new website also totally overhauls the firm’s digital presence. The personality of the firm is reflected in the friendly tone and informative content, giving the organisation a “human” feel. It is more interactive than ever before, allowing visitors to download free fact sheets and book places on one of the firm’s many events or webinars, while the visual style is clean and confident, providing easily navigable pages and accessible content.
“Our approach is very, very different to any other kind of law firm,” continues Jardine. “We put our clients at the heart of everything we do and our values are very important to us. Our new branding reflects that.
“On our old website the most popular pages were our lawyer profiles because clients want to see who they will be talking to. We’ve taken that theme into the new design, making it all about our people, making the point they are just like everybody else – they just happen to be lawyers.”
With offices in Banbury, Bicester, Rugby and London and some 268 employees, Brethertons is one of the largest firms of solicitors in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. During 2013- 2014, the firm achieved 28% growth and Jardine aspires to expand the business still further, both organically and through acquisition.
Having recently consolidated its Rugby operation, next summer (June 2016) will see the firm relocate into prestigious new offices in Bicester, a move that he hopes will also attract future employees.
“I want people to think ‘this is a firm I want to work for’,” he said. “I want them to come out of Oxford, Milton Keynes and Birmingham and realise we are a great place to build a career.”
He believes that Brethertons is unusual among law firms in its set-up and management team.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – APRIL 2015
ways to take the business forward and build on its core values, which include client excellence, ambition and personal development.
One such idea is the Brethertons University, which came after he attended a one-day course and was so impressed with the speaker that he wanted to share the ideas more widely throughout the business.
The university now has a regular speaker programme, with employees at all offices participating via online technology, and sessions recorded as training webinars. Topics range from key client management to marketing and financial training, all under Jardine’s premise that lawyers benefit from understanding a wide range of business disciplines.
The equity partners have delegated the day-to- day management of the firm to a five-strong executive board, of which he is the only lawyer. Among the top team is a head of client services who is ex-DHL and a newly-recruited chief operations officer.
Each of the six practice groups, which include corporate and commercial, private client, conveyancing and litigation, has its own sector leader who manages the business aspects.
Jardine believes this allows the firm to take a very businesslike approach, while leaving the legal teams to focus on what they do best.
It certainly seems to work – Brethertons is a regular winner and finalist in a host of legal, customer service and employment awards at both national and regional levels, and has achieved the prestigious Investors in People gold standard.
It has also gained a strong reputation across many legal disciplines, most notably in helping spinally injured patients, securing some of the highest compensation claims ever awarded to personal injury claimants.
Although Jardine is a litigation specialist, the majority of his time is spent looking at new
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Another example of thinking “outside the box” has been the recruitment of a former Relate counsellor to work alongside the family law team, helping separated parents understand the potential impact of divorce on children and encouraging them not to use their offspring as a battleground.
An internal newsletter celebrates staff achievements, while dress-down Fridays are borne out of Jardine’s belief that wearing a tie doesn’t affect the quality of the legal advice provided.
In conclusion, he returns to his central theme, adding: “Whatever type of legal help you need, hiring a lawyer is always going to be a distressed purchase, you only ever need one when there is a problem.
“People are always at the heart of any dispute and that’s where, by demonstrating that we are people too, we can show we really do do things differently.”
Details: Shaun Jardine 01295-661413
shaunjardine@brethertons.co.uk www.brethertons.co.uk
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