INTERVIEW “I think it’s really enriching. If we can improve our


environment we can improve our business. My mantra about CSR is to do good, look good and feel good. Essentially, if we do good it makes us look good, which also make us feel good, so the firm feels better. We’ve done some great stuff for people outside the firm, nobody’s losing and everyone is winning and I think that improves all of our skills as well.” While CSR can undoubtedly enhance an organisation’s


image, the deeply-engrained perception of the legal profession as, arguably, secretive and aloof, as David puts it, is harder to shift. “A lot of people will not have had a positive perception


of law firms generally. I’m not sure that’s massively changed and I’m not sure it ever will,” he says. “Law firms tend to be a bit aloof and a bit secretive


because of the nature of what we do, we have to keep everything confidential. Everyone assumes that all lawyers make incredible wealth, which is also not entirely true. Most earn quite well but no better than a lot of other professions. However the more we reach out, get involved and appear as normal human beings, the better.” The East Midlands is world-renowned for its expertise in


certain sectoral areas. While the region may not be completely synonymous with the legal profession yet, David believes that reputation is growing and that the potential for the region to be seen as an outstanding area for legal service offerings is significant. “I think the region does have a good reputation,” says


David. “Just like we’re selling the East Midlands harder, specifically now through the Midlands Engine, we need to sell that aspect of the region harder. We should be selling Nottingham and Derby as a centre of professional excellence a lot harder because the danger is that work will leak to Birmingham, Manchester or London if we don’t work hard to keep it here. I would personally rather keep it here and then worry about which firm has got it, rather than risk it drifting away. Part of that is a joined-up professional services offering across the regional patch.” As the wider discussions surrounding Brexit continue, the


legal profession will clearly be a big player in developments moving forward. While David acknowledges that the role law firms will


play both during and after negotiations for the UK to leave the EU – following the triggering of Article 50 last month – will be significant, he’s keen to deal with the facts as and when they emerge, rather than hypothesising. “To be honest, I’m getting a bit bored with the Brexit


conversation,” admits David. “All I am doing is theorising and speculating and if our Prime Minister isn’t certain of what Brexit is going to look like and David Davis (Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union) isn’t certain of what Brexit is going to look like, how would I know? “Internally we have stopped talking about it. One day


there will be big consequences but today, and in the immediately foreseeable future, we’re just getting on with doing business. “For lawyers, the chances are there will be changes in


law and for us, that tends to be a good thing because clients need help but what we don’t want is clients in difficulty because of changes. Quite possibly more people will need more help but if the UK economy goes backwards, they won’t be able to afford that help so much. However my overarching view at the moment is that we should stop speculating, because it’s a waste of time, and just get on with it.” Once more facts are known about what the terms and


wider connotations of Brexit are, however, David acknowledges that a degree of responsibility will lie at the door of law firms to make sense of the changes. “We will need to be proactive about telling our clients


what’s happening and what is likely to happen and what the likely consequences are. Our clients will be getting on with running their businesses and a whole new raft of legislation changes could be upon them without them really appreciating it so we’ll have a responsibility for researching and mining the information and reporting it to our clients in a proactive way, for example through the


28 business network April 2017


Chamber and our own social media to make sure people are aware of what’s coming.” And what of the future for the legal profession? Events


such as the EU Referendum vote to the evolving way we all live our lives professionally and personally show it has continued importance and relevance in the 21st Century. Conversely, some have argued that, in an age where


technological enhancements ensure that information and advice is never more than a few clicks away, the demand for law firms could wane. Yet human nature, David believes, will ensure that the


legal profession will remain both prevalent and prominent in the years to come. “We’ve been told for probably 20 years that we’ll


become dinosaurs, we’ll become extinct, that artificial intelligence will take over and that there is no future unless you completely embrace technology. “Well we’ve completely embraced technology but we’re


fundamentally doing the same thing – we’re sitting, preferably face-to-face, with a client that has got a challenge, positive or negative, and we’re trying to help them through it. I’m not sure many people are going to want to do that online. Yes, technology is backing us up but the delivery is still quite traditional and I don’t think that’s wrong. “There are signs that we’re reverting to a time past


where lawyers were effectively men of affairs, people who would give clients general, strategic advice. I suspect that’s increasingly where we’ll be sitting moving forward.”


‘We’ve completely embraced technology but we’re doing the same thing, we’re sitting, preferably face-to-face, with a client’


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