Scott-Moncrieff, Harbour & Sinclair short-listed for Prestigious Legal Awards

19 October 2007

The outstanding achievements of Scott-Moncrieff, Harbour & Sinclair have been recognised by the judges of the most prestigious awards in the legal calendar.

Scott-Moncrieff, Harbour & Sinclair have been short-listed for the Law Society's inaugural Excellence Awards in the category of Innovation in Business.

BBC Broadcaster Jeremy Vine will present the awards at a  ceremony which will take place on 25 October at the Honourable Artillery Company in London. The Awards will reward outstanding achievement  in the legal profession, in the key areas of practice standards, innovation in business, quality of life, equality and diversity and social responsibility.

The  firm's nomination included the following comments from  solicitor  Helen Jones:

 "Those of us committed to publicly funded work worry about the continuing provision of good quality services.  Change after change has seemed to strike at what we do.  The pressure feels relentless.  Reputable firms and individual practitioners speak about giving up or going under.  There are concerns about advice deserts.  Scott-Moncrieff has grown throughout all this.  I believe this is because it is premised on engaging with change while maintaining standards.  It's origins are in responding to change (essentially of funding but also of regulation).  Continuing to engage with change is a necessary prerequisite to its survival.  We may not like the changes but we strive to work around them so that we can continue to represent some of the most troubled clients.  I am not therefore nominating a particular “project” but more a way of thinking and a state of being. 

Significant issues addressed
The key question faced by any legal aid solicitor is, when the financial margins are getting tight and the bureaucracy of legal practice is growing, how do I meet those demands while providing  a decent service to clients and at the same time make a reasonable living?  This model provides one answer.  At the heart of it is an agreement between the firm and each consultant to pay a proportion of each fee towards meeting centrally all the contractual, administrative and regulatory requirements of a modern law firm.  Because we do not have the overheads of a traditional firm the ratio of administration charge to earnings is at a level that leaves the consultant with a reasonable reward for effort. 

Benefits to the practice or organisation
For a virtual practice expansion is not a problem.   No one worries if there is enough office space because there is no office.  New consultants represent no more than a small administrative load.

Fee earners are part of a large pool of legal expertise, on which we can all draw, supported by modern technology.  In the last 12 months we have added to the communal e mail a series of web based discussion groups.  We have introduced scanning of mail to all consultants on the day of receipt.  We are developing a web based case management system.  None of this is particularly “cutting edge” but it is being implemented in a legal aid firm with very limited resources.

Consultants have freedom to practice in a variety of ways.  Some work on their own account and others operate as mini firms.  The business decisions of whether to pay rent for an office or to employ a secretary are devolved to the consultant.  Some work full time and others part-time.  We all have the flexibility to change our arrangements depending on personal circumstances." 

Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, managing partner, said "We believe we have identified a method of working that not only suits legal aid lawyers, but also anyone wanting to work to their own timetable, for instance because they have family responsibilities that they wish to take care of personally. Our system is also excellent for  legal aid clients  as they get advice from experienced people who are still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and  excellent for privately paying clients  as our private rates are less than half the rate  charged by  many of our competitors.  Everyone in the firm is extremely chuffed that their  enterprise and energy has  been recognised by the Law Society. "

Andrew Holroyd, Law Society Vice President said, "I have been extremely pleased with the high standard and number of entries received for the first year of the excellence awards.  We received 150 entries from across England and Wales and Scott-Moncrieff, Harbour & Sinclair have been very successful in beating off the competition to reach this stage. There's no better way to promote solicitors than to celebrate the excellence and innovation that I see right across the profession. We can all benefit by recognising and learning from the achievements of the leaders and innovators in our profession. The best entrants will gain the accolade of winning what I am confident will soon become the most prestigious awards in the legal calendar".