President’s Address

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

CLEAN AIR ZONE

The Clean Air Zone in Birmingham came into effect on 14 June 2021 after a two-week delay. It is in line with targets set by UK government to reduce levels of NO2 in the air to a maximum of 40ug/me and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

With the new Clean Air Zone altering the way commuters can travel through the city, the cost of driving a non-compliant vehicle within the Clean Air Zone could alter the way they travel or even deter workers from returning to the city.

Although no vehicle is banned within the zone, drivers of vehicles which do not meet a set of criteria deeming them to have clean enough engines will be subject to a daily charge of £8.00. Once paid, the daily charge enables drivers to move throughout the zone without limit on that day. Those that do not pay the fee are liable to a fine when entering the area, which covers all roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, except the Middleway itself.

The fee is intended to deter drivers from using uneconomical vehicles and as result, incentivise commuters to seek alternative means of transport. However, government guidance throughout the pandemic has suggested that public transport is to be avoided unless necessary. This puts key workers in a difficult position should their car qualify for the charges.

While we want to encourage people back to the office to help with investment for the city, employers should not make decisions without having gauged staff preferences or concerns. Given previous guidance from the Government to avoid public transport throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, employees may be hesitant to return to work if they cannot drive into the city. Employers must be sympathetic to staff reservations around additional fees and use of public transport. Not only that, workers have several rights which employers must account for.

We all have a part to play in helping to protect the environment and I believe our city leaders should introduce a phased approach to ensure that all cars comply with clean air within the next ten to fifteen years.

THE NEW NORMAL

It has recently been reported that most the UK’s largest businesses are not planning to bring their employees back to the office fulltime. Several law firms are included in this group. Whilst we have all had enough of virtual meetings and dressing down daily, many of us are keen to return to the office, at least for part of the week.

It is also important that we do not overlook the fact that junior lawyers are unable to learn through virtual osmosis. They need to be next to their supervisors to overhear negotiations or to ask questions throughout the day. Furthermore, we will find it difficult to regain firm cultures that may have been lost whilst working at home. We really should not take for granted the importance of conversations that take place whilst making a coffee.

The pandemic has helped us to work smarter and to de-clutter by removing stacks of files by becoming paperless. In addition, many firms are embracing hotdesking and open spaces.

Interestingly, I have spoken to several Manager Partners/Senior Partners during the pandemic who have indicated that they have conducted staff surveys with approximately 90% of staff saying they want to maintain flexibility around working from home and office-based working. Firms clearly need to weigh up business needs whilst creating an achievable balance for continued flexible working for all staff.

Conversely, I have also spoken to several staff who have indicated that prior to the pandemic the office was only full 70% of the time, with many lawyers attending meetings, court hearings and conferences. On that basis, flexible working should not be too difficult to manage.

I’m sure that as managers we will continue to put the needs of our clients and staff first whilst embracing technology to help us to bring about necessary change that is required in this modern era. This will not only help us to be more productive and efficient but also more profitable.

‘TO BE OR NOT TO BE’

The entire country has been looking forward to Freedom Day of 21st June when it was announced in March. However, in the last few weeks doubt was cast on whether all lockdown restrictions would be lifted by this date.

On 14th June Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay of Freedom Day to 19th July 2021 because of the Delta variant

(formerly referred to as the Indian variant). COVID-19 cases in the UK continue to rise with infections rising to 7,742. The delay is to ensure that all adults over the age of 18 receive at least their first jab and all over 50s, vulnerable individuals and all frontline workers receive their second jab. It should also reduce the peak of the current rate by 50%.

Although Boris indicated that there should be no reason for a further delay, the decision to delay is another set-back to several businesses, who have put measures in place to ensure that they are COVID-19 compliant. The hospitality sector and arts sector are really struggling and could end up becoming bankrupt. This sector has had enough and are pressing for a balance to be drawn between safety and the economy.

Questions are still being asked on why measures were not taken to protect the UK from the Delta variant by protecting our borders and these questions will need to be answered during the long overdue public enquiry.

LEGAL SERVICES SUPPLIER EXPANDS SERVICE OFFER AFTER ACQUISITION

MATRIX247, which provides telecoms and mobile solutions to legal practices across the UK, has extended its product offer following the acquisition of Task Office Systems.

Set up by Stephen Pritchard and Geoff Wright in 1991, Matrix247 has grown to become the country’s largest independent provider of telephone and communications systems to the legal sector and is endorsed by several regional law societies.

The deal means the company is now also able to provide Microsoft Office products, IT support and digital photocopiers with document management to its existing range of services. Pritchard says a surge in demand for technology and systems that enable new ways of working triggered by lockdown, coupled with a general movement to paperless offices, endorse the decision to expand now:

“The lockdown has changed peoples’ attitudes to technology forever. There is no going back. Home-based working means that firms need agile and seamless integration between home and office.

“We have received a flood of calls from legal practices who admit they’d been resistant to change in the past but now recognise the need to protect their business by embracing evolving technologies, such as integrating Microsoft Teams with their existing telecoms and mobile devices. “Ironically, this prompted us to examine how we could future proof our own business. Bolstering our core activities by investing in a Microsoft partner of 30 years standing was the obvious strategic path so we’ve accelerated our growth strategy.

“There is a clear convergence between all the things that make a modern office function efficiently - telecoms, mobiles, software, IT support, cyber security, digital print, document management, scanning, archiving and shredding. Our customers will now benefit from having all of these essential business functions from one source, bringing greater efficiency, cost savings, improved client experience and more billable hours.

“Taking decisive action was a no brainer for us. To echo the words of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, we’ve seen years of digital transformation in just months.”

Although well established in the legal sector, where clients range from single office firm to those with 800 staff across multiple sites, Pritchard believes Matrix247 is now positioned to target bigger practices and compete with larger players in the market.

“Being a family-run business is a big bonus. No matter how much we grow, we will never lose our appetite for providing unparalleled advice and exceptional service,” he adds.