In an unprecedented and uncertain time, business resilience and tools to ensure business continuity are imperative. With the advancement of technology and now COVID-19, working remotely is now the only way many of us can work. Leaders are understandably under pressure to continue business as usual whilst ensuring the productivity of their team members.’
A City Law Firm is no stranger to uncertain times. I founded the firm during the financial crisis in 2009 and thought it timely to discuss tools to ensure business resilience and how I manage a dispersed team.
A City Law Firm goes beyond that of a traditional law firm in that it was established to respond to clients’ needs from a trusted advisor standpoint. My main objective was to offer clients the opportunity to engage a law firm and to become an extension of their business. We assist and move with our clients’ strategies handling the shifting legal landscape and provide clients with specialist, first rate lawyers, competitively working always with a Client First focus.
‘We survived the recession and came out much stronger.
We weathered the storms and will do so again’.
Growing organically but adapting to the market quickly and embracing new ways of working as well as ensuring excellent client service delivery has always been a catalyst for A City Law Firm’s success. Our business resilience packages for example offer guidance on law and contractual changes but also opportunities and commercial ideas to support clients during this difficult time.
As an agile, tech-enabled law firm, we have always supported our team by ensuring that they have access to the firm’s resources, partners and know-how, so they get the support they need whilst working remotely. This gives our clients comfort that they have the best legal minds, fully motivated, supporting their business.
A City Law Firm has always embraced flexible working, but over the past few weeks, we have adopted a new norm for the entire team to work remotely at the same time. We tried and tested what works for the team to stay connected, be productive and support one another whilst continuing to deliver a stellar service to our clients and colleagues. Wellbeing, efficiency and team connectivity has been maintained by regular calls and it shows just how essential communication and interaction between us helps us to thrive.
- Ensure your team feels purpose in what you are trying to achieve. Your company values are of utmost importance and your team need to buy into what you’re saying, doing and striving to achieve.
- Find ways to connect – webinars and video calls have been our lifeline. We hold daily team video meetings and they helped us to stay connected. We even hold social events and have a virtual pub quiz this Friday! We share our lives and we stay connected and engaged throughout the day. This motivates, ensures wellbeing and drives them to keep business generating.
- Lead from the front and practice what you preach. If you want a self-motivated team then you need to be demonstrating that you are also living this change and staying focused and results driven. It also means delegation, trust and empowering them
- Focus on setting achievable daily goals, yet still having a focus on long term objectives. We remain clear on what we are trying to achieve and are still focused on getting it done, despite location and market challenges. We ensure we have a longer-term business development strategy and plan for the future.
- Provide praise and honest, open feedback to your team yet also recognise the challenges they may be facing. A ‘thank you’ and a ‘well done’ goes a long way.
- Communicate openly and be human, not everyone is going to manage this change as well as you do, and it is important to acknowledge how your individual team members are feeling and support them to adapt.
A City Law Firm continues to navigate this new way of working and I am proud of my team and how they have adapted so quickly. After all, work is a thing you do, not a place you go. If you would like to discuss business resilience and would like to learn more about the Firm’s Business Resilience Package, please get in touch with a member of the team. A City Law Firm is offering a free initial audit/consultation to assess businesses currently and to offer our expert help. Call: 020 7426 0382 Email: enquiry@acitylawfirm.com
