I don’t have a desk anymore. In fact, I don’t even have a place that I call my office. But if I did, you would no doubt look at me, sat there, and think I am very boring. For I would have been sitting at the same, now non-existent, desk in my, now non-existent, office for nearly quarter of a century.
I would be the first to agree with those of you who say I’m boring for doing that, but I also reflect on it with great pleasure.
I have absolutely no doubt that had I been writing this from my tenth (hopefully still non-existent) desk, in my tenth (hopefully still non-existent) office, I would have earned far more than I have done and not be thought of as boring, but I am completely at peace with my decisions, for I know exactly why I am still in the same (now less physical) place than when I arrived, as a nervous 22 year-old with gel in his hair, that was the same colour as his eyebrows.
People.
I honestly don’t mind if you stop reading now, as long as you use the time to think about the people you have met along your way, and how they have changed you. Some will be good, some will be bad. Most will not have changed you at all, a few will make you smile for more than a minute (a good barometer). If you have time to do that, and read on, feel free.
Of course, when I first walked into an actual office and sat down at my actual desk all those years ago, I did not know that some of the people I would work with would be quite so brilliant. Only if you work in an industry, whether that is doing what I do, or whatever you do, you only get to know that there is a massive difference in the quality of people and service, through experience.
The early days showed me, and instilled in me, what hard work looked like. I loved working with them, and I now love the people who work with me (they are not boring!).
Playing an equally important role in me ‘staying put’ are my clients. I love Christmas (bear with me), but one thing that has already started playing on my mind is the only thing I hate about it – writing Christmas cards. I don’t send Christmas cards to clients, I only send them to friends.
As a result of the way I, and my team, work (it is a very different high performance, high service level style), we only act for people who are returning to me, or are recommended to me by people I know. The problem is that they do seem to become friends, but to me that that is really important (but a pain when it comes to Christmas as the list is getting out of control).
What is ever more apparent to me though is how important it is for my clients that I continue to change as I learn more from the people that I meet along the way.
Recently two people stand out to me that have helped me improve, and therefore benefitted my clients.
The first is the person who is in charge of the group of which Mayo Wynne Baxter are members (AMPA – Google it!). The second is a teacher at our daughter’s school. On the face of it, they have little in common. One is from an accountancy background, working in a very traditionally corporate world, the other is in academia. Both, though, are the very best at what they do (I appreciate everyone will say that they have an amazing teacher that they can think of, but I promise you, this one is on a different level). Essentially though what they make sure they do is get the very best out of everyone they are responsible for, and if they achieve that, success naturally follows.
What does this have to do with lawyers?
I do not care which solicitor you use. My boss wants me to say it should be Mayo Wynne Baxter, but as I have established above, the commercial rewards have rather passed me by. For me, I want you to have your lawyer on your Christmas card list, whoever that may be.
They should only warrant that if they display the traits that I have been learning, and adapting, from the two people mentioned above.
• Communication – I despair at the hours my team spend chasing third parties to do something, or tell us what is going on. What you should never have to do though is chase your lawyer. Do they appreciate the importance of calling, or emailing, you particularly on a Friday afternoon, even if it is to say “nothing to worry about”, or “I haven’t had a reply”?
• Energy – both of the people I mention have endless energy and drive, and will do even the smallest thing to try and get the best out of a person. They don’t wait for things to come to them. They are leaders. For me, and my team, this is ensuring we are intense and proactive, not letting days drift by.
• Kindness – I know this will sound funny for a trait that lawyers should have, but my two heroes above, I have noticed, are incredibly kind, whether that is to the people working for them, or to their pupils. I and my team now constantly challenge each other as to how we would want to be treated if we were the client, and then go above and beyond that where we can.
I could waffle on for days about this, but I had better not. I will though challenge you to answer a few questions in readiness for when you next need to seek the help of a lawyer (feel free to use it for any other profession as well if you so choose), whoever they may be:
1. How do you feel when you receive an email, or need to contact them – if the thought of that does not make you smile, or even worse if your stomach sinks at the thought of an email popping up with their name on or having to speak to them, then please change. There are special people out there.
2. Is there room on your Christmas card list? If your lawyer is not already on there, and you have used someone in the past, why not? Do not settle for someone who does not pass that test, even if you feel you can justify it to yourself saying “we’ve always used them”. That, to my mind, is truly boring.
