A decade of growth for Newbury law firm
Gardner Leader’s managing partner on how the company has progressed
YOU’VE been managing partner for more than 10 years – what has been the most instrumental change you’ve seen to the firm over this period?
I would say the growth of the firm.
Our team has trebled to around 180, our offices have expanded across the Thames Valley to six, including in Maidenhead, Swindon, Windsor, and London, and revenue, which was about £3.5m in 2012, should be over £11m this year.
We now have more than 12 specialist teams dedicated to offering specific services to individuals and businesses. However, whilst the business has evolved considerably our ethos and approach have not changed.
As a firm, it’s important that we always remain true to our values; to be an organisation that people want to be part of, where people enjoy working, and where clients receive fantastic client care and peace of mind.
You’ve recently merged with Clark Holt. What does that bring to the firm and why now?
We partnered with Clark Holt in August last year because they were a natural fit for the business.
We’ve had a close relationship with the team there for many years, assisting with their clients and vice versa, and the ethos, people, clients and geography were obvious benefits for the combined firm.
However, the aim wasn’t about growth for growth’s sake but rather to continue to build a firm that offers services of the same quality as larger regional and city law firms.
Clark Holt is a very well regarded and successful corporate and commercial law firm so bringing the team into Gardner Leader takes our services to businesses to another level, creating separate commercial, corporate and real estate departments each with their specialist teams.
The complexity of the work done by our corporate and commercial dispute teams, in particular, rivals city firms, with our teams representing international and local companies from blue chips to SMEs.
The firm has clearly grown over this time – with such growth, what are your top five tips to scaling up a business successfully?
1. People are your biggest business asset.
Whether your teams grow through mergers or by recruiting, maintaining the ethos and spirit of the firm is vital and that comes down to building a positive, productive working environment where everyone is working towards a common goal.
2. Communication is key. Whenever there is change ensure that people are well informed and given the opportunity to allay any concerns.
3. Invest in technology.
This has always been a key focus for our firm as technology is a key enabler to great customer service and to supporting our employees in their jobs.
4. Involve your workforce as much as possible in the future development of the business. You never know where that next inspirational idea could come from.
5. Finally, recognise that there are going to be challenges when growing a business.
It won’t all go smoothly so it’s always best to be realistic
What is the biggest lesson you have learned?
You get the best from people by trusting them, and that with great teamwork, even the biggest challenges, can be overcome – two lessons that the pandemic proved.
You’ve won several awards for your employee engagement – why do you
think that is?
We’re very proud to have an exceptionally high employee net promoter score of +70 and it actually increased during the pandemic.
We work hard to create a firm where people love to work. We trust our staff implicitly, we nurture and develop our people, we champion diversity and inclusion, and we offer an environment that’s flexible and enjoyable. Everyone in the firm is accessible and everyone is given a voice.
As part of our continuous improvement programme, all employees are invited to contribute to improving the firm.
By involving everyone, we’re all part of the firm’s success.
The Inter view:
Gardner Leader managing partner Derek
Rodgers talks to Newbur y Business Today
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Everyone in the firm is accessible and everyone is given a voice
What is most important to you – mission, vision, or values, or all three?
All three are of equal importance and should be aligned but maintaining strong values means you will achieve the mission and vision in the right way.