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It all starts with the right support. At Setfords, our award-winning teams are always by your side, providing unlimited guidance and resources to help you grow your practice, your way.
Hear from Consultant Solicitor David Miers about his Setfords journey so far, and how our support has helped him make his ideal legal career a reality:
Joining us
David joined us in 2019 when he was looking for an alternative to the traditional legal career path. He knew that private practice and traditional law firms couldn’t match his ambitions, but running his own firm would be too time-consuming. This is where Setford steps in, providing the best of both worlds. Our consultants work with complete autonomy and can build a business without many of the administrative headaches and new skills that are required for running your own practice. David says:
“Before I joined Setfords, I think private practice as a whole wasn’t what I thought it would be, and I was in the wrong type of role for what I wanted to achieve. Setfords was a bit of a gamble, but it was worth taking the risk because I wasn’t happy and there was another way. Effectively, Setfords has enabled me to do the part of the job I like doing and cut out the rest. Five and a half years later, here I am.
To this day, the initial meeting I had with Setfords is the best meeting I’ve ever had, because it was a lightbulb moment for me. I had all of these ideas and aspirations, I just needed someone to be in my corner with the support and expertise that I didn’t have. Setfords offered exactly that. They were talking figures and campaigns from the off, which gave me the confidence that they have the expertise to do what I couldn’t. And, the beauty of the job is being able to focus on the parts of the job that I am good at – which is being a lawyer. Lots of the barriers of setting up my own firm is that I’d have to wear many hats and develop all of those skills, which would then detract from the time that I’d have with my clients. So, being able to focus just on the bits I enjoy and I’m good at enabled me to accelerate into consultancy far easier than I would have been able to if I’d started up on my own.“
Support with Setfords
Entrepreneurial lawyers like David can always find a home here at Setfords. With all of our support provided at no extra cost, we can help you build your dream practice, whatever that may look like. It’s this support that truly sets us apart and keeps our lawyers happy, as it’s all included in our fee split. David says:
“I couldn’t operate without Setfords’ support. There are lots of dispersed or remote working law firms now, and I’ve never been tempted to leave Setfords, simply because of the support they give me. Whether that be the Business Development team that is absolutely essential to my practice, or the secretarial team, or even my two assistants who work in the Guildford office. There’s always somebody doing the work that needs to be done, even if I can’t do it myself, and we all work together as a team.
The fact that we’ve got so many skilled people within Setfords willing to use their experience to help you with your practice is really refreshing. For example, marketing is essential for my business because I could be the best stress lawyer in the country, but I’m not going to have a successful practice unless people know I exist. Developing professional marketing materials and campaigns is certainly not something that comes naturally to me, but with the help of the talented marketeers within Setfords, I’m more likely to attract better quality work than I would if I was just doing it alone.
I’m not sure it would even be viable to work solely on my own without the support. There’s a whole team of support staff who come together to ensure that the client journey is as seamless as possible. Compared to traditional practice, we’ve got more flexibility to work with clients with specific needs or deadlines. And, if I can’t assist them myself, we’ve got a whole network of lawyers within the business who’ll be able to assist. So, it really is a team effort and it’s essential to my business.“
A typical day as a consultant solicitor
So, now he is free from the confines of traditional practice and can set his own schedule, what does a typical day look like for David?
“A typical day for me is varied and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I share childcare duties with my wife, which I was never able to do in private practice. I was leaving home at 7 and getting back at 7, so I was very much a weekend dad. Now, I share the morning responsibilities. Or, if I’m not with the kids that day, I’m logging on at about 8, but not just from home. I can work from a remote working environment or I can go and see a client. I like the flexibility. I wake up and decide what type of environment I want to work from every day, which is great.
Clients also benefit from the flexible hours I’m able to offer them. However, they also benefit directly because I’m a better lawyer in general. I can be flexible to their needs and I’m motivated to do my best work because I’m not bogged down with traditional office politics or any negativity. So I think they benefit from the fact that I’m happier and I’m able to give them the service which is best for them.“
Advice for potential consultants
Finally, David has some words of advice for any lawyers who are considering making the move to consultancy:
“I think that you can sometimes overthink it. I’ve had colleagues and peers say to me ‘oh, I don’t know if I could do that, I don’t know if I could have that risk.’ But I think that it’s sometimes riskier to stay in an employed position because you have less control, and being a consultant is effectively doing the same job that you’re already doing in private practice, but just doing it for yourself. If you can get over that sort of mental hurdle and come up with a plan, you’ll probably realise that actually you can do that for yourself, because you’re probably doing it already.“
Why Setfords?
If you’re an entrepreneurial lawyer who’s seeking more than what traditional private practice can offer, Setfords is here to offer an established, viable alternative. Take all the good bits of running your own firm, such as total freedom, autonomy, and greater earning potential, whilst we take care of the rest, leaving you to focus on your clients. Join Setfords and you can benefit from:
- Take Control of Your Career: Shape your own role with flexible working and total autonomy to build your own business.
- Unleash Your Potential: Focus on what you love, while we handle the rest. It’s like running your own firm without the headaches.
- Soar to New Heights: Our support teams will help you reach your goals and build the business you’ve always dreamed about.
- Rewarding Hard Work: Earn what you deserve with our lucrative fee-sharing model, giving you a greater share of your billings than you’d expect from traditional firms.
So, if you’re ready to make the leap and take control of your career, we are here to help. If you’re a UK-qualified lawyer with 5+ years of PQE and an entrepreneurial mindset, join us for a confidential conversation today. Just get in touch below:
