Talk of the towns

A Borders solicitor is looking for volunteers from rural firms around the country to help sell the attractions of working in Scotland’s smaller towns.

Sally Swinney, partner in Peebles firm Blackwood & Smith and Dean of the Faculty of Solicitors in the Shires of Selkirk and Peebles, had her idea during a recent meeting of the Deans of Faculties at the Law Society of Scotland. The subject came up of the difficulty in recruitment facing small and rural firms and, as she comments, “It certainly seemed to me that this topic had been raised many times before and that if anything could be achieved it certainly was not going to be achieved by individual firms.” She takes up the story:

It struck me that what may be required is for small/rural firms to join together in an effort to see whether a group could bring some assistance or provide some solutions.

Small/rural firms have a number of options when it comes to recruitment. One is to train present staff either as paralegals or encourage staff to take the Society’s exams. This was covered recently in the article by Archie Millar of Drever & Heddle (Journal, April, 36).  

Attractive to assistants?

Another is to try and obtain an assistant or associate from another firm. In my experience this is the preferred choice of many, because the assistant or associate comes with a great deal of training and experience already. However this is probably the most difficult and time consuming area of recruitment to achieve. I believe that a group of solicitors may be able to target that area of recruitment more effectively rather than individual firms tackling it on their own.

There may be many reasons why an assistant or associate may think about leaving a larger firm. The road to partnership may be quicker in a smaller firm. The variety of work together with much greater client contact may be something that appeals. The same goes for the greater degree of autonomy and flexibility in daily working practices, together with the fact that starting work at 9am and finishing at 5pm is acceptable and may be attractive to those who have family commitments. There is also the enjoyment that comes with working and practising in a rural area. The chance to participate in a variety of community projects is rewarding in itself; this usually comes as a direct result of practising in a small community.

One could not leave the topic of recruitment of assistants or associates without mentioning salary. It is true that many small/rural firms simply cannot offer the level of salary that the larger firms can. That is a fact of life and nothing is going to change it. For those assistants and associates who make their career choice purely on that basis there is little likelihood that they will make the move. However the very real pleasure in working in a small/rural firm comes from a variety of sources such as those I have mentioned above. I would suggest that the cut in salary is a short term one, in that partnership with significant remuneration is a real prospect in a small/rural firm, but may not be possible at a larger firm. Partnership brings not only the financial benefits but also the satisfaction of running your own business.

Trainees: a good prospect?

A third option is to consider a trainee. In my experience this is probably the least attractive option to a small/rural firm because of the additional work involved in training. There is a fear that time and effort will be spent on training for two years and the trainee will disappear at the end of the training contract. That cannot surely be the case with every trainee. There seem to be considerably more trainees who are turning to law as a second career; they may therefore have connections and commitments to a particular area. Are trainees in that position necessarily going to leave the area where they have their connections to find life elsewhere? I am told that there are not enough training places for the number of students who complete the Diploma. When that is considered with the fact that not all those trainees with a Diploma obtain training places with the larger firms, there must surely be a number of trainees who simply cannot gain a training place.

Larger firms are extremely successful in recruiting trainees because they target them. Is it not possible for small/rural firms to band together to do exactly the same? Students like the recruitment practices of the larger firms because they recruit from third year at university. The students have the advantage that they go to the Diploma in the knowledge that they have a training place. Without a similar scheme for small/rural firms, students have no knowledge of where the training places may be available and are left to their own devices in trying to secure a place. Would it not be beneficial for small/rural firms to visit job fairs, universities, schools and the like to promote the benefits of working in a small/rural firm? Would it be advantageous to have a register of traineeships which are available at small/rural firms?

What is required is a concerted effort to bring to the attention of students, trainees, assistants what life can offer in respect of employment in a rural or smallish firm. I have no doubt that there are many practitioners in such firms who are passionate about the area they live and work in and the work they carry out. We have to get some of that passion across to people who are perhaps thinking of moving to the country, and the benefits involved in that move.

Time to join forces

Here is the challenge and invitation to anyone who is willing to come forward – take this idea on and work with me in attempting to set up a group or groups of solicitors, whether on a national or regional basis, in an attempt to combat the recruiting problems we face.