The Forward-Thinking Law Firm

The ForwardThinking Law Firm

National law firm Shoosmiths’ arrival in Belfast a few years ago was deliberately muted, but today it’s much more than a back office or a regional hub for the national firm, Partner and Belfast joint-location head Gillian Crotty tells Emma Deighan.

Notwithstanding the pressures on local law firms during the pandemic, growth at Shoosmiths in Northern Ireland has continued at pace.

Nationally, its year end results showed a net profit of £55.4m, an increase of 31% year on year, a pleasing surge for the business. As a result of that growth, the firm also awarded all staff a ‘thank you’ payment in addition to their usual pay with an additional four weeks’ pay in May 2021. A gesture that Gillian says makes Shoosmiths stand out amongst local NI competitors.

The company’s turnover, in spite of what was a challenging year for all professional services firms, sat at £167.9m illustrating a 9% year on year growth; with the Belfast office turnover growing by over 50%!

So Shoosmiths’ Belfast arm has been instrumental in that ascent, says its Partner Gillian Grotty.

In our few years in NI, the business has attracted a host of new NI clients, as well as servicing the NI requirements of its UK clients with a need for a base in Belfast.

“We deliberately came into Belfast with the aim of listening to our clients and the market. We focused on where and how we wanted to grow, initially acting on behalf of some of the firm’s existing clients who require high quality, professional legal services in Northern Ireland,” Gillian begins.

Gillian joined Shoosmiths Belfast in 2018 when there were just three partners, herself included. Today there are nine with a full service commercial offering in Northern Ireland, with leading banking partner Anna Vangrove and leading corporate partners Mark Davis and Grant Edwards recently arriving at the firm. More corporate recruitment is also confirmed.

“We’ve grown hugely since my arrival at the firm” she adds.

Real estate, financial services and litigation were the initial specialisms at the business here, with corporate, banking and renewable energy among the newer segments. The firm has further plans to grow strategically.

“We moved to new premises in November 2019 and we are already reaching capacity. With further growth, office expansion is inevitable” Gillian reveals, which is being led by our jointlocation head, Mark Blair.

Staff at the company have been afforded a new “bold way of working” in the aftermath of the pandemic, when colleagues were given the choice to make their own decisions on where and when they work.

Gillian says the move uses an “output not occupancy ethos” and follows on from the business’ pioneering work model introduced months before the pandemic even hit.

“We don’t define agile working as issuing staff with laptops and an offer to work from home a few days a week. That is not enough. We were ready for home working even before the pandemic hit. Our preference is to trust our staff to deliver for clients above all else, but to do so in a way that promotes a true quality of life, reflecting the diversity of our people.”

Its working policy is not the only forwardthinking element of the business, the team is very much focused on reducing its carbon footprint too. This includes a net carbon neutral pledge by 2025, placing it ahead of local competitors.

Promoting rail travel instead of air travel, limiting travel frequency by using new ways of communicating as well as offering a centralised booking platform to capture staff travel data, are just some of the many methods in its drive to reduce carbon emissions.

“Carbon neutrality is a key focus area for us and we are committed to protecting the environment by changing the way in which we travel, behave and carry out business. We have set an ambitious goal for Shoosmiths to become fully carbon neutral by 2025,” Gillian explains.

When discussing Shoosmiths’ USP in a busy market here, Gillian says the litigation team, with a headcount approaching 20, is now amongst the biggest in the city.

Financial services, real estate (with partners Sarah Ewing and Mark Blair), corporate and renewable energy are the key growth sectors for the Belfast office at present, and this reflects the breadth of talent and demand in the NI market.

“Over the last year have seen a real upsurge in instructions from local developers and investors for example, via Sarah and Mark. As a litigation team, our key areas of specialism are in financial services and real estate disputes. We act for many of the UK’s largest financial institutions, large property developers and well known high street retailers.”

Legal services supporting the renewable energy sector, which is a relatively new

specialism at the business, is being led by local Partner, John Palmer, who himself has 15 years’ experience in the industry. Much of the firm’s national renewable energy work originates in Northern Ireland.

At present Shoosmiths has a 50-strong Belfast team with recruitment for another 15 members in the immediate pipeline, hence the plans for office expansion.

The firm, on a national level, has expanded into a number of new locations over recent years illustrating that growth is always in the plans but only when it fits with the company’s strategy, Gillian is quick to add.

“We’re always looking for opportunities for further growth but they have to fit with our strategy and for us, it is absolutely not about being the biggest head count. It’s about being a leading commercial law firm in Belfast based on a quality service.”

Growth certainly won’t mean an expansion into all areas. Its focus will remain corporate and commercial orientated, Gillian says.

“The legal market is changing rapidly. And we don’t want to simply be more of the same. We are consciously different from other firms in the local market through our investment in technology, growth of non-legal services and only recruiting staff who are prepared to think differently.

“We’re not traditional and as a litigation team we are focused around commercial, cost effective solutions for our clients; providing practical responses and not trying to drive every case to court. For us it’s about achieving the best outcome for our clients and as a Belfast firm, we haven’t needed to forcefully push our agenda to market, we are growing based upon our reputation as a forward thinking and modern law firm.

“That’s what’s been behind our growth, that’s why great people are joining us.”

“We’re always looking for opportunities for further growth but they have to fit with our strategy and for us, it is absolutely not about being have to fit with our strategy and for us, it is absolutely not about being the biggest head count. It’s about being a leading commercial law firm in the biggest head count. It’s about being a leading commercial law firm in Belfast based on a quality service.”