Power of Blogging: Founders

Power of Blogging

Founders

Female-led businesses are growing in all sectors and our blog series is intended to give examples of others who have set up law firms, giving insight into challenges and some top tips to keep in mind. Here we feature April Bingham, co-founder of Bellweather Green and on the opposite page Deborah Watson, co-founder of Coote O’Grady.

April Bingham

April Bingham is head of the Corporate section and cofounder of Bellwether Green. She talks here about how a little glamour and a lot of networking can help you on your way to success!

A little glamour...

It seems most likely that my decision to pursue a legal career resulted from watching far too much LA Law and Ally McBeal during my formative years. Dramatised law in the 1990s was big on budget, hair and glamour. The forerunners of Legally Blonde.

My parents were massively influential too, although their business was hair, not law, it certainly had the glamour! Most importantly, they afforded me the sense that running a business was rewarding and within reach if I was prepared to put in the effort and cared enough about outcomes for clients. I spent a lot of time in my parents’ salons, helping out for pocket money as soon as I was old enough. When one of their team stepped out on the salon floor, “game face” had to be on – even if, as in my case, it was just to sweep the floor. Clients wanted to see things being done with dynamism and they wanted to be listened to attentively. For me, these lessons map perfectly onto other professional services, including law.

Learning to network

By the time I was qualifying as a corporate solicitor, I wanted to have my own firm. I loved the idea of making something of my own, from the branding through to the service delivery. Having trained at a medium sized Scottish firm where there was a very energetic and inspiring ‘noughties’ (2000s) social culture, there was a sense that anything was possible. I revelled in the prospect. There was also huge workplace camaraderie and I made lifelong friends. Early on, I was taken under the wing of a solicitor who had come to law later in life. She was a natural business developer and taught me a lot about networking. She helped me get over my newbie awkwardness and showed me how to be engaging and memorable. There was no pressure on me to win work at that stage in my career so I was able to use the time building my confidence and the beginnings of a network (which would later become so important).

Co-founding a firm

Far too often, I’d play my own version of fantasy football – fantasy law firm. Imagining how my legal pals might all work together one day and in what roles. A sort of Emma Woodhouse but for professional services. As it transpired, the most important of these characters became my husband with whom I co-founded Bellwether Green. Another two pals joined us within a year and over the next decade a further four former colleagues joined the ‘Rams’, as we are apt to call ourselves. My colleagues at BG, whether friends who became colleagues or colleagues who became friends, bring home to me on a daily basis the importance of working with people you trust, respect and have fun with. In my view, work (of any kind) should be embraced as part of living – not just something you do to live.

Of course, our business requires two things: talent, and people who need that talent. Looking back at the time we founded BG, I was either youthfully arrogant or totally naïve about how hard-won legal work is. Fortunately, I had a few clients to begin with but it took years to build a strategy and develop my network to one which consistently delivered the calibre and volume of clients I wanted my team to be servicing. Developing a network will inevitably sometimes be trial and error but, for meaningful results, it is essential to plan and focus. Paradoxically, having a family helped me with this. As each of my three children arrived, my time for business development shrank and I was forced to work out the most effective use of that time. The more focused I became, the better and more frequent the work-wins appeared to be. Patience and resilience are also key.

Co-founding a business has been enormously fulfilling and lots of fun. I hope that my husband and I can show our children how to both apply and enjoy themselves in whatever career they pursue. Co-founding with your life partner is not for everyone and of course there is virtually no delineation between our business and family life but I wouldn’t (and couldn’t) have done it any other way. Having someone who will supportively, yet fearlessly, challenge you is invaluable. That ethos has spread across the firm and I hope it will remain a strong feature among the leaders in our business as we continue to grow.

Lastly, it turns out that neither the law, nor hard work are necessarily all that glamorous but, as a founder, you can create a little glamour as you go. ■

April Bingham

Head of Corporate & Co-founder at Bellwether Green