Standing out: UK law firm Mills & Reeve aims to make a mark in the City
How can a mid-tier law firm stand out in the competitive legal landscape of the City? Mills and Reeve’s London head sees a unique opportunity to distinguish the firm in the bustling London market.
Partner and head of the London office Andrew Secker told Morning Wire that the firm is “a bit of a hidden gem in the City”, which as he pointed out was a byproduct of the firm’s roots being originally in East Anglia.
The firm has been investing heavily in London over the last two years since Secker took over the leadership role as the office welcomed 13 new partners and 22 new lawyers.
He also detailed that the firm is on schedule to achieve its 2025 financial year growth targets of £150m turnover, a year earlier than planned. The firm reported a double-digit increase in turnover for 2022/23 after revenue grew by 12 per cent to a record high of £147m. Its 2023/24 results, which Secker addressed, will be announced later in the Summer.
“Our aspiration is to create an exceptional sector focused UK law firm with international reach and to build from the way in which we are seen in the market,” explained Secker. Some of those sectors include: high net worth individuals and private wealth, insurance, technology, life science and real estate investments.
He also has an aspiration to make sure that the firm is perceived in the market the same way as the clients that are already working with it value it.
Having the right people working at the firm is a way to keep clients happy. When the firm made a deliberate decision to build out its London office, Secker said its profile started to change as it took in more laterals from ‘silver circle’ law firms.
He stated: “The most frequently set thing from new joiners I hear is that people have told them we’re a really good place to work with, as we’re collaborative and we’re deliberately developmental in terms of really helping. But when they come they say by jingo, that’s true.”
Secker noted that when he interviewed someone who had recently left Mills & Reeve and was looking to return, “they said we’d ruined law firms for them.” He detailed, “the culture, supportive nature, and stretch experiences didn’t resonate with how they’ve had experiences elsewhere.”
He highlighted that the firm makes it a priority to help its lawyers develop their business development skills and helping them with client care.
The City office is also now taking on its first batch of trainees this year. He noted that “the moment we said we were having London based trainees, we almost tripled the applicants we were having for our vacation scheme.”
He noted that “one of the great things that we’re looking to make sure we do in London is leverage as what we’re doing in the City is a benefit to the firm as a whole.”