EF News
Tell me about your background in business?
Having completed my law degree at Leeds University, I qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and began my professional career in the North West, gaining experience with several law firms, notably as partner and head of the wills, trusts and probate practice at the Manchester office of national law firm DWF LLP.
I returned to the North East, where I had spent my early years, in 2010 to be with my partner who was living and working in Sunderland. I joined Darlington-based BHP Law, where I was partner and head of the wills, trusts and probate team.
Up until the point EMG Solicitors was founded, I had gained 15 years’ valuable experience in the profession and was confident I had the expertise to deliver an exceptional service to clients, although admittedly little knowledge of the actual nuts and bolts of running a business.
However, I possessed a huge amount of ambition and the desire and drive to do things a little differently. This, and the support received from being a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, has helped scale-up the business tremendously.
How was EMG Solicitors formed?
It was all really down to babies! In 2013, I was seven months pregnant with my second child and it was at that point I decided that I wanted to branch out and took the momentous decision to hand in my notice. Following my maternity leave I founded EMG Solicitors with Jemma Morland, who at the time was a Court of Protection solicitor with whom I’d worked with at BHP Law.
Jemma also wanted to have a family, and this shaped the way we formed the business. We have dispensed with desk-based PCs and everyone at EMG can not only work remotely from home using laptops, but work in a flexible manner which has made us family friendly.
As a result, we have attracted many working mums to the firm. We actively discourage the often-ingrained practice of presenteeism and support our staff to fit work around their home life. The important thing is that the work is completed, not that it is done from an office within traditional business hours.
Our long-held practice of remote and flexible working also stood us in good stead during the Coronavirus lockdown. We took the decision to ask our staff to work from home several days before the announcement was made and many continue to do so to this day.
Because we already had the IT systems in place and our staff were familiar with working remotely, we were able to make the transition smoothly and without disruption.
In your own words, what is it that EMG Solicitors does?
We provide the legal support that our clients require to achieve anything from their basic needs to their wildest dreams - and everything in between!
What is your proudest moment with the company?
In the early days, there were just four of us - me, Jemma, a paralegal, and a secretary working out of a serviced office. The business then grew to a size where we needed and were able to buy our own premises and moved into our current office in Durham.
This provided one of my standout moments, seeing the sign above the door and, returning to the office that evening to discover some of the staff had got together to hold a surprise ‘moving in’ gathering! It was a touching moment.
Another proud moment also involved a surprise party, this time in February 2019 when lots of people came together to celebrate the firm’s fifth anniversary. It’s great to know that our staff are invested and care about the business.
Is there a particular mistake you have made while in business? And how did you overcome/learn from it?
Effective communication with staff is vital, keeping everyone updated with developments in the business. In the past, due to intense periods of work, this has sometimes slipped.
However, during lockdown communicating with our staff was crucial, so I was posting video posts up to twice a week. Having a clear and constant communication flow within the business is at the forefront of what we do and encourages interaction.
What is the USP of EMG Solicitors?
There are many firms that offer legal advice, but we stand apart by ensuring we keep our clients at the heart of everything we do.
This involves taking the time to get to know them and understanding their needs in order to forge a strong and trusting relationship, essentially becoming a friend. In addition, we aim to offer exceptional service at a fair price.
We are also a business that believes in supporting our community and have been involved in several initiatives. In 2019 we set up our own EMG Charitable Fund with County Durham Community Foundation to help support our local communities through charitable giving.
How has the firm grown and what do you attribute this to?
From four people in 2014, the firm has expanded to 56 staff and most of that growth has happened within the last three years. As well as our main office in Durham, we opened an office in Gosforth 12 months ago.
This reflects the expansion of EMG into different areas of legal work, including disputes and litigation, employment law, family law and commercial property.
Much of the growth is due to two factors. The first is that our clients return to us for other types of legal work because of the service we have provided and the bond forged.
Secondly, we have a team of really great people. Because we are a friendly, caring, and flexible business, we attract high-calibre people which fosters a strong team spirit. We invest in, listen to, and train our people and provide an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves.
Do you live by/do business by a certain motto?
Supporting Clients. Protecting Assets. Changing Lives.
What are the future plans of EMG Solicitors?
Ask anyone at the firm and they will say ‘global domination’ as that is a phrase that is bandied about! This is slightly tongue in cheek but I want people to know that we have a huge amount of ambition and are focused on growing the business further – without impacting on the quality of service and those client relationships that have been built up over many years.
Within the next ten years, I’d like to open a further two or three offices. We will always be North East-based and are proud of our roots here in the region but would consider opening offices in other parts of the country.
This year the firm will achieve a turnover of just over £3m and I would very much like to see that grow to £10m within the next 10 to 14 years.
