Culture development in law firms – building a better environment for everyone

Identifying our culture

Every company has a culture, whether it knows it or not. Culture is intangible but pervasive, and there may even be multiple pockets of different cultures operating at any one time within separate teams and levels in an organisation. Although pinning it down isn’t always easy, our culture is something we need to be aware of if we want to harness it for the greater good of our business.

At MAPD we believe that company culture is something organic, like a feeling which flows through the business. Although our core value is making a positive difference, our culture is more than our slogan; it’s how our staff feel when they’re working for us, when they think about us, and when they tell their friends about us. If we truly want to know what our culture is we need to ask our people, so this is what we did:

“I think our business has a culture of being you, being validated, being accepted. It’s a culture where YOU matter. Your story matters, your voice is always heard, and you are constantly encouraged to develop and grow.”

“To work somewhere where you can be unapologetically yourself is very liberating and empowering.”

“The only workplace I have ever been able to completely be myself, and been applauded for it rather than judged for it.”

“Our culture is one where our people can simply be themselves, feel accepted for who they are and be supported to fully thrive and flourish into what they want to be. It’s a place where everyone is aligned to a common sense of purpose and knows that they are on the same rocket and travelling in the same direction. I never actually feel like I’m going to work. I feel like I’m able to make a positive difference by just being me.”

As Group CEO of MAPD I’m passionate about putting our people first, so our journey to form the culture we have today has been built around them, alongside our shared beliefs. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved together and how we stand out from the crowd, so please read on to find out how we’ve done things differently to make changes that matter.

Understanding that change take time

We’re very proud of our current culture, but we didn’t get here overnight. Managing the growth of law firms, we’ve had to review pre-existing cultures and traditional working methods to create an environment which works for everyone. We’ve put a lot of effort into moving away from more rigid policies and practices in order to focus on our people as individuals, with individual strengths and preferences to celebrate and consider. We know how much emphasis there is on academic skill in professions such as law, but we also know that our people are more than just their qualifications, and that’s reflected in the way we see our staff, and how we recruit them. Ultimately, we want to empower our people to be themselves.

My point is that in order to build a new culture, we first have to ask some difficult questions, hear some difficult answers and be sure to include every level within our organisation. Ways of working which may have been established decades ago need to be reviewed with today’s world in mind. We need time to really look at what’s not working, harness what is, and then take steps to dismantle our culture and rebuild it with everyone’s involvement, so it can really be successful, and successful long term, for the vast majority of our people. Changing a company’s culture is no easy task, and it cannot be done too quickly - it is like a new seed which must be planted, nurtured and encouraged to keep growing. Those serious about making these changes will really need to invest in them, but the benefits are very real and can impact every aspect of our business, from staff retention to client satisfaction to profit.

Recruiting the right way

The most obvious way to grow a new organic culture is to look at our recruitment policy and see what it’s telling us about our staff, or rather what it isn’t. Sure, our recruits all have great CVs, but how much did we really know about them as people before they sat down to start work? At MAPD we make it our business to go beyond business when getting to know our new people, and ask them one simple, but very important, question: why?

This may sound reductive but we couldn’t be more serious. Knowing someone’s “why” is knowing what motivates them to get up in the morning and what makes them tick on a personal level, both in and out of the office - in the words of Simon Sinek “don’t just hire people who need a job, hire people who believe what you believe”. If we don’t know what we believe as a business, we won’t be able to hire the staff we need to grow the culture we desire, so it’s important to know our own “why” and use it to grow our business in the right direction from the inside out.?This I exactly the way we approach our ethos to “make a positive difference”.

Part of what makes our positive recruitment mission possible is the fact that our own people are empowered to take part. Regardless of level, we encourage our staff to identify contacts from their own lives which they feel would be a good within the company, and this sense of ownership allows them to feel far more engaged with the process. It also means that new recruits sourced in this way have already met someone in addition to their interviewers when they start, giving them a better overview of the business and a greater understanding of our values.

Of course it’s important to know that any adjustments we make are actually having the desired effect, and I’m pleased to report that we’ve already seen some fantastic results. While we’re understandably proud of our staff retention rates, well over 95% in the six months following these changes, we’re even more proud of our feedback from candidates. Irrespective of the outcome, applicants’ reports about our recruitment process are overwhelmingly positive, and this is so important because we want everyone who associates with us to have a great experience, however briefly our paths may cross.

Leading from the top

As vital as recruitment is, part of a company’s culture undoubtedly comes from its leadership, and leaders have a responsibility to grow and maintain a culture in the right direction. We take this responsibility very seriously at MAPD and have not one but two senior members of staff overseeing the culture and wellbeing of our people: Mairi Probin, Chief Culture and People Officer, and Gemma Ellison, Director of Culture and Learning.

These roles are unique within a law firm and show our commitment to creating a friendly, positive and open culture at MAPD. Mairi and Gemma are focused on delivering excellent training opportunities, fostering authenticity by allowing individuals to shine as themselves, and treating people with dignity at all times. We believe that staff always deserve to be treated as equals, even when leaving us, because human-to-human connections don’t suddenly stop when circumstances change or lives move on. Our ethos to make a positive difference means seeing our staff as people first, and employees second.

Our leaders also have a responsibility to show everyone what our culture should look like with successful role modelling. We all know that “do as I say, not as I do” never gets people very far, particularly in business, and this is something we’ve addressed head on with these appointments.

Knowing that leaders are still learners too

In addition to providing our people with the right ingredients to thrive, we also recognise that culture is a two-way street. Being a good leader is also about being vulnerable, asking for feedback and genuinely listening. At MAPD questions are asked and answers are respected, whoever they come from. Every business is capable of making improvements, but only those really open and willing to change are able to do so. We see challenges as an opportunity to develop at every level within our organisation, because there’s never a time limit on learning. This isn’t about asking our people to change who they are, but rather how they can grow within our cultural framework, to make a positive difference for the organisation and themselves.

Maintaining our legacy

Updating the recruitment policy and leading from the top are excellent ways to kickstart a new culture, but day-to-day maintenance of our core values is where the real work lies. At MAPD we know that actively empowering our people to be open and honest will create a chain reaction of growth, and give us something to continually build on.

The reality is that things can go wrong in any business, of any type and size, but the key lies in how our company deals with its setbacks. If we have something to address at MAPD, rather than passing blame we strive to truly understand what happened, why it happened, and use it as a genuine learning opportunity for everyone involved. In fact, creating a culture of learning is key to how we make a positive difference, even in the face of challenging situations.

We know developing the perfect culture isn’t easy, indeed the perfect culture for one employee may not always be right for another, but we believe we have created a culture which works for the vast majority of our people, and when our organisation really lives and breathes its core values on a daily basis, it becomes markedly easier to steer our growth in the right direction for everyone. Creating a culture isn’t a goal which can simply be ticked off, but by putting the right foundations in place, our business is in the best position to create a culture which can keep on evolving with changing times.

Does your law firm need to update its culture?

We know there are more firms out there which already share our vision, those that want to make positive changes but aren’t sure how. If this sounds like your business then please get in touch and let’s work to MAPD together.

To start your journey, visit mapdgroup.com, call 0345 901 0446 or connect with us on LinkedIn:

Brian Cullen – Group CEO at The MAPD Group

Joanna Kingston-Davies – Group COO at The MAPD Group

About the author

Brian Cullen

Brian Cullen is a different kind of CEO. Brian builds exceptional teams through his ability to see the best of the person and his instinct to empower them to see it in themselves.

Working internationally across a range of sectors, Brian has spent the last 25 years learning from others what works and what doesn't: He has developed his own refreshing approach with an unequivocal focus on culture at the centre of everything he does.

His clear vision and ambition is communicated with raw honesty; he leads through his team with no desire to be front and centre and above all, he makes the journey fun!