Smaller firms – a mighty legal force that’s local

Law Society of Scotland Vice President Pat Thom reflects on her time working for a smaller firm in the Scottish Borders, along with the positives that such businesses bring for clients, solicitors and other staff.

As someone who worked in a smaller firm for most of my career, I’ve spent a good bit of time thinking about why I enjoyed my work in that environment and what makes these firms important. When I say smaller I’m talking here about what used to be referred to as “high street firms”, those ranging from sole operators up to 39 solicitors.  

These businesses are the backbones of the communities where they’re based. They are local and accessible. Literally hundreds of them are scattered through Scottish towns and the suburbs of our major cities. In much of the country, including the Scottish Borders where I live, pretty much every firm falls into this category.

For most people and businesses, it’s a smaller firm in a convenient location where they turn to if they need legal services. These everyday needs cover things such as buying their house, setting up their business, assistance with drafting their wills, sorting out the executry of a loved one, and advice on more contentious legal matters such as divorce, personal injury or employment.

Even when the need is for more specialised advice than can be offered by most smaller legal firms, they’re usually able to guide the person to a larger firm that can assist with such matters and even act as the liaison ensuring that the client can have the comfort of continuing to deal with people they know and trust.

It’s not only clients who win from the existence of smaller firms though, as I well know from my own career. Inevitably you will have a close working relationship with your colleagues and have a healthy understanding of each of your strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to easily network and exchange views, possibly just at the coffee machine. The smaller number of colleagues usually also allows for easier management and can facilitate regular meetings.

A smaller firm is likely to have a close and ongoing connection to the local community and be intimately involved with things beyond the world of law. For example, invariably one or perhaps even all of the firm’s solicitors will be on the parent teacher council, the local Citizens Advice Bureau board, or the local rugby club’s committee. Local solicitors feel valued, their contributions are appreciated, and being part of the local community is also good for business.

The other attraction I would suggest in practicing in a smaller firm is the variety of work. The needs of the client stepping though your door can be unpredictable and can cover a range of things. The challenge of deciding whether you have the ability to assist or whether you need to find someone who can help can be interesting.

A final positive aspect for many local smaller firms is that they have easier access to the local court and solicitors located further away may may seek your help. While your usual area of expertise may be conveyancing you may also have to turn your hand at appearing in court should one of your colleagues or indeed one of the bigger city firms require you to appear as their agent. Providing of course that those instructing you have given you proper and detailed instructions.

That’s not to say that smaller firms don’t have their challenges. For example, recruitment and retention are currently a significant issue. Newly qualified solicitors appear to be focused on the bright lights of the city and the perceived glamour of the big legal firms. The winds however may be shifting, especially given the increasing emphasis on the importance of work-life balance. It goes without saying that the intimacy and accessibility of a small firm lends itself to a much better balance between work and family life.

The challenges of managing a small legal firm and of complying with the Law Society’s regulations, such as those concerning financial compliance and anti-money laundering rules, are the same as managing a bigger firm but as I say are more manageable. The option of outsourcing those responsibilities is available and can be more economically viable for a small firm. Diversity and sustainability can also be more easily monitored in a small law firm.

Change in the legal sector has been rapid and often surprising in recent decades, and technology alone is likely to ensure we’ve got more of the same ahead. I’m really confident though that smaller firms will continue to fulfil an essential role in communities and beyond.

The Law Society has been listening to people who work in and manage smaller firms, and thinking about how best to identify their challenges and then provide support and advice. We'll have more to say on that soon!