The UK’s legal landscape is undeniably shifting. The Covid-19 pandemic saw an end to countless hours chained to a desk in a city-centre office for many lawyers. Lawyers have seen the benefits of remote working and are keen to keep hold of it. But, for lawyers and firms alike, adapting to the remote working landscape means more than mastering video calls and navigating digital documents. Fostering a positive working culture of collaboration, productivity, and community is key.
At Setfords, we consider ourselves to be experts on remote working for lawyers. We’ve been operating a consultancy model since 2009. This means that our lawyers can work fully remotely from almost anywhere in the world. In this article, we share some of the key ingredients for building a thriving remote working environment for lawyers and firms from all practice areas.
Clear communication channels
Effective communication has got to be the top consideration when building a positive remote working culture. Here are some ways to ensure that communication stays key for remote lawyers:
- Making the most of the right tools. Digital tools including video meetings, instant messaging, and project management software are vital to ensure communication is clear and consistent across the firm.
- Check in regularly. When working with others, make sure to schedule regular virtual meetings and even casual social chats. Don’t solely rely on email for communication, as it can quickly become isolating. Regular video meetings can help encourage a sense of collaboration and community amongst remote working lawyers.
- The power of over-communication. When working remotely with others, it’s easier to misinterpret communication, due to the absence of non-verbal cues. To help avoid this, err on the side of over-communication by always providing clear expectations, instructions, and timelines.
Prioritising wellbeing in a remote world
Remote working can pose challenges to lawyers’ mental health and wellbeing if these things aren’t prioritised. Here are some ideas to help combat feelings of loneliness and burnout in remote-first law firms:
- Respecting boundaries and work-life balance. When remote working, it can sometimes be harder to switch off from work and into home life. To help combat this, clear expectations on working hours and encouraging breaks to prevent burnout should be implemented. Ensuring a degree of autonomy can also help lawyers feel empowered to take control of their working lives. At Setfords, our lawyers are completely in charge of their schedules, helping them to build a working life that suits them.
- Reducing isolation. Social isolation can be more prevalent when remote working. A positive culture can help combat this by offering a sense of community. This can look like virtual and in-person events, celebrating achievements, and encouraging connections between lawyers. To combat isolation at Setfords, we have a department dedicated to our lawyers’ wellbeing. They organise events, webinars on work and personal topics, and regularly check in to ensure our lawyers are thriving at work.
Don’t forget about onboarding
Creating a positive remote working culture should start even before a lawyer joins the firm. Investing in a solid onboarding process for new lawyers ensures they feel welcomed from the outset and get a great first impression of the firm’s culture. This can look like:
- Having a set onboarding process to follow to ensure no steps are missed.
- Implementing clear communication so that everything is fully explained, and new lawyers have a chance to ask questions.
- Facilitating introductions to other lawyers and key team members, to help reduce isolation from the outset.
Considerations for individual lawyers
Individual lawyers can also do much to create their own remote working culture and make the most of the benefits that working remotely can offer. Here are a few examples, for lawyers who work in traditional firms and as consultants:
- Creating a dedicated workspace. Having a space set aside for working can improve your focus, as well as encourage firmer boundaries between work and home life when it’s all happening in the same place.
- Staying connected. Ensure you’re keeping up with your colleagues and reducing isolation by being proactive, reaching out to people, and participating in virtual webinars and social events where they’re available.
- Invest in productivity. What will make you more productive? From a comfortable chair to noise cancelling headphones, investing in the things that will help you work smarter is a worthwhile cause.
In conclusion, fostering a positive remote working culture for lawyers requires commitment, but the result of happier lawyers is worth the effort. By prioritising communication, a good work-life balance, and a solid onboarding process, remote working lawyers can thrive without having to attend the office every day.
At Setfords, we have considerable experience in this area. With over 500 fully remote working lawyers, we are experts in facilitating freedom without sacrificing a positive company culture. We’re looking for UK-qualified lawyers with five or more years of post-qualified experience to join us as consultants. If you want to reap the benefits of fully flexible, remote work, we want to hear from you! Get in touch below to find out more about why more and more lawyers are choosing Setfords, the UK’s top hiring law firm in 2023.
Is consultancy for me?
If you want to find out more about becoming a consultant with us, get in touch. We are happy to conduct interviews remotely for suitable, UK-qualified candidates with five or more years’ experience. If you’re a good fit, you’ll be joining a team that was created for lawyers to do their best work.
The next step towards a better way of working…
