Putting the lawyer first

Lawyers have always been good at advocating their client’s interests and holding a higher duty to the court. But they haven’t always been good at looking after themselves. We speak with the Lawyer Care & Development team at LOD in London about how the team puts our lawyers first.

What does the Lawyer Care & Development team do?

Our job is to care for our lawyers and make sure they get what they need. We see every lawyer as an individual, so we must ensure we’re responding to individual needs accordingly. We do this job with a commitment to familiarity, responsiveness, reliability and a positive attitude. Basically, we’re a team of friendly and empathetic humans – not emotionless drones looking to complete a checklist.

How does Care & Development work?

There’s something very clear that drives our behaviours as a team: we want every lawyer to be a better lawyer having worked with LOD.  We already have great assignments at great clients, so how can we add even more value for our lawyers? We use a blend of information sharing, provision of feedback and opportunities for development to create the best experience we can.  Alongside this, we strive for personal touches, recognising success and creating a community our lawyers want to be part of.

What does the team enjoy doing most?

We see our lawyers as colleagues, partners and friends above everything else. Building great relationships with some very inspirational people that are ‘doing life right’ is a constant reminder to keep challenging myself. Working with a HQ team of like-minded people is another real bonus.

What are some of the challenges?

Contracting is a great way to take control of your career, offering variety and flexibility but it’s not without its challenges. Adapting to life as a contractor is often at odds with the structure many lawyers have enjoyed during their professional lives. Our team aims to make that transition as easy as possible. Plus, we never underestimate what it feels like to be the newbie, managing difficult stakeholders and we’re always on hand to support.

Any final thoughts?

Working as a freelancer can sometimes be a transactional existence. But not at LOD. We’re committed to having lawyers join a real team and work on shared endeavours with clients. I’d like to think that our team brings this element of community and humanity to our lawyers and consultants. Recent additions to the team will mean that we can provide more training and development for our lawyers. Watch this space!