To many, it will seem pretty foolish, and perhaps even insensitive, to set up a law firm during a pandemic. This is not lost on us and, admittedly, our joy at starting a new business in these times feels like it should be muted.Â
Our Five Principles
We do though, think that we can bring something different and positive. Our home page sets out five principles that are key to us, as a law firm:
- The best legal advice comes from close relationships
- Acting ethically brings significant benefits
- Business can be a force for good
- Purpose and profit are not mutually exclusiveÂ
- If you trust people and get out of their way, great things can happen
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Our Promises
We also have a number of promises to our staff. These are set out below:Â Â
- Our Team will always know what the Founders are paid and why;
- We will not hide behind process – any member of the Team will have the Founders’ mobile numbers and be able to have a meeting with them at their reasonable request. We will leave it to the Team to decide what is reasonable;
- We will have a grown-up approach to staff relationships – in action as well as words – no command and control. If someone brings a client in, we’ll be grateful and hope that an excellent service and enjoyable atmosphere encourage the originator and client to want to stay. But if they ever don’t, there will be no hard feelings and no forgetting whose client it is;
- And we will have fun – we’ll dispense with the self – importance and keep each other in check. No one will be above rebuke or the need to praise, apologise and not hold grudges!Â
This is in no way intended to be smug or dictatorial – instead, we believe that the principles are realistically aspirational to be a reminder to ourselves, as much to call each other out when we do not meet them as to celebrate the times that we do.Â
Many talk about service industries, including law firms, being ‘people’ businesses. At the micro level, this can mean that those with good social skills are likely to be adept at generating work and hence creating profit for their firm. Â
Of course, we do not pretend that profit is not important. But we have always believed in looking at things on the basis that profit follows from positive behaviours. Community mindedness brings perspective, perspective brings happiness and fulfilment, and, from there, profit will take care of itself.  London Law Collective will put that theorem to the test. It’s a public reminder of our commitments if we fail to meet them – we appreciate, at least initially, that’s a likely outcome!
5th August 2020