An expanding regional firm of Warwickshire solicitors saw a 30 per cent growth in the last quarter of 2008, after taking a hard-nosed business approach to family law.
Woolley & Co, based in Stratford and with family law experts working from satellite offices across the Midlands and the wider UK market, took on three new lawyers, bringing the total of fee-earning lawyers to 13.
Managing partner Andrew Woolley said the firm’s success during a difficult time was based on taking a more hard-nosed approach to business than many other smaller regional legal firms.
And the firm has been successful in recruiting female lawyers who have often complained in the past of being held back in traditional practices by the fact they have taken time out to bring up a family.
Mr Woolley is one of just three men working for the firm. Among the others is Andrew Robotham, who recently joined Woolley & Co working from a base in south Derbyshire. Also joining the ranks in the last few months are Tania Martin, based in Kenilworth, and Sue Harwood, who helped the firm expand into Cornwall for the first time.
Mr Woolley, a non-fee-earning solicitor at the firm, said: “We have always looked very much at running the firm like a business rather than just a practice. Too many firms are perhaps lagging behind in modern business methods and this is affecting them.
“The firm has been steadily growing from the start but we really are starting to see a boom at the moment.
“We do operate differently from most firms and it doesn’t suit everyone. Our lawyers need to be self-starters and are responsible for everything, including billing, marketing and answering front line client enquiries. What this means is that all our clients have direct access to a senior level lawyer.
“We offer flexibility for clients so expect our lawyers to be available out of normal office hours and sometimes at weekends if it is better for the client. In return they work in a flexible, forward-thinking firm which is constantly looking at new ways of working smarter and making the most of the available communications technology.
“We do find that female lawyers in particular are suited to our style of working, though this was not a deliberate strategy. We offer a flexibility which many find enables them to juggle the needs of a family and work demands. Research has shown previously that mums returning to work think working in law is the least compatible career. We perhaps are changing that thinking by adopting a fresh approach.
“In the current climate particularly, being able to offer a different way of working tailored to modern life suits both our clients and our lawyers. And by working closely with like-minded, complementary service providers, like IFAs, pensions experts and divorce counsellors, we give added value by being able to recommended specialists in whatever discipline a client needs.”
Ms Martin is an experienced family law expert based in Kenilworth. She joined Woolley & Co in September and has a five-year-old daughter.
“To have joined a firm that is expanding at a time when so many others are cutting back on staff is a reflection of the successful model the firm has adopted,” she said. “Being able to offer such a flexible service with clear charging I think is a great bonus, particularly in the current climate.
