David Miers has built one of the more distinctive practices at Setfords, specialising in psychiatric injury and stress at work claims. Nearly eight years into consultancy, he reflects on the path that got him here, and how the right support let him build something entirely his own.
Finding His Path
David went into law without much certainty about where it would lead. His time as a criminal paralegal gave him his first real taste of the profession, and it was enough to convince him this was a career worth pursuing, even if he hadn’t yet found the right area.
That led him to an insurance firm, where he spent nine years training on the defendant side of stress at work claims. It was there, working opposite the kind of cases he now brings, that he noticed how often claims were argued badly.
“Coming from the defendant side of things, I could see all of the mistakes that were being made in the marketplace. I knew what buttons needed to be pushed, because I was giving the advice on the other end.”
“I really struggled with the thought of leaving somewhere I was relatively happy. But I wasn’t getting the job satisfaction I wanted from the career.”
Even when he got a good result, it didn’t stay with him for long.
“Yes, if I achieved a good result, I got a good feeling, but that dissipated within moments when the next file was on your desk. It felt quite an impersonal process.”
He didn’t think the problem was law itself, it was the fit, the environment and the type of cases he was working on. With that settled in his mind, a two year stint leading a stress at work claims team at a different firm followed. It was here that he made the switch from defendant to claimant work. Leading a team for the first time gave him a clear sense that he could operate independently.
It was around this time that David started paying closer attention to his wife’s experience working as a consultant, before it was as common as it is today. This helped push him to look at Setfords.
How David Spends His Days Now
Being a consultant means David’s schedule is entirely his own, a big change from the rigid hours he’d grown used to in private practice. With two young children at home, he’s learned to shape his diary around them.
“If we know it’s going to be sunny on a Wednesday and the kids are off half term and my diary is clear, I can go. I don’t have to seek permission. Or worst case, I’ll just take the laptop with me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Support Behind His Practice
Many Setfords lawyers arrive with an established client base. For David, the reality of his practice area meant starting from scratch with Setfords’ support.
“I wasn’t the typical Setfords lawyer in the sense I didn’t come with a client following. The types of clients which instruct me are a one time service user, quite a different profile compared to the norm.”
He covers psychiatric injury, bullying, harassment and stress at work, work that falls between employment law and personal injury. Nobody goes looking for this kind of lawyer until they need one.
“How on earth does anybody instruct you? How on earth do you get the work? The challenge in my role has always been about profile and awareness.”
Setfords’ support has taken that problem off his hands. Rather than trying to get his name out there on his own, our head office team are here to assist.
“Rather than me being a one man band solicitor, having to do marketing, having regulatory responsibilities, having to do my own admin, I have people who are the best in their field doing that job, but for my benefit. Without that support, I just couldn’t do what I do.”
That support goes beyond marketing too. IT, post completions, technology, secretarial work and business development are all handled by head office teams.
Contemplating Consultancy?
David could have set up his own firm, with his own name above the door. This is something many lawyers dream of at some point in their career, but consultancy with Setfords offers the best of both worlds.
“I would happily give all of that up for the support and reassurance I get from Setfords. Without that, I don’t think the clients and customers would find me. I don’t know if I’ve ever been able to scale to the point without that support to make that work.”
When David talks to other lawyers considering a similar move, he tells them the environment is usually the thing worth questioning, not the career itself.
“Don’t give up the law, don’t give up the profession, just change up the environment. What attracted you to the industry in the first place, it’s still there, and there is a better way of working.”
Thinking about a move to consultancy?
If David’s journey has inspired you, then get in touch for a confidential conversation about what consultancy at Setfords could look like for you.
