Video Resources

Preston Goldburn case study

Henry Preston and Tim Goldburn run a specialist firm of solicitors based in Falmouth where they operate from two separate offices in the town. Their team of lawyers deal with services such as Conveyancing and family law as well as other areas which are unusual for Cornwall. The first is Henry Preston's corporate team based in the town centre, who deal with any aspects of the Law relating to companies, partnerships or business ventures. Secondly, Tim Goldburn's Medico-Legal team work from a completely separate office which has been adapted for the disabled, dealing with all aspects of healthcare law.

Given the very specialist nature of the services Preston Goldburn provide, the need for high quality staff is crucial to the firm's success. However, in the past they did have difficulties in recruiting staff to meet their specialist needs. Tim Goldburn says:

"We found it extremely hard to recruit well trained, highly motivated Lawyers to come down to Falmouth to work for us as the salaries we can offer are far lower than they can earn up Country."

When the actnow broadband partnership started to accelerate the availability of broadband technology in 2002, Preston Goldburn spotted a solution to their problems and were able to pioneer the use of flexible working practices:

"It was only when broadband was introduced to Cornwall that we had an opportunity to take advantage of the quality of life offered in Cornwall. We decided to introduce remote and flexible working practices but first of all we had to overcome two enormous barriers.

"The first problem was that we knew nothing about IT and had no idea how to achieve our aim. Our solution to this problem was very simple - we went to actnow and asked for help. We received guidance, consultancy and a business advisor who helped us with our plans. actnow also helped us to find a local IT supplier who could build our remote communications network and finally we obtained some grant funding to help with the costs.

"It was far harder to overcome the second hurdle. We had to learn to trust our staff! It was very difficult to change from having everybody working in the office under direct supervision to allowing them to go home and work out of sight. Some control was maintained by using a case management and time recording system but it is quite a large step for a management team to take. We are very glad that we took these steps as we now offer remote working in three different areas.

"The first is in our support staff. In the old days Lawyers used audio secretaries but now we use highly trained assistants who operate case management and document production systems. When one of these highly trained operators leaves on maternity leave we need them to return to work otherwise the investment in training will be lost. Therefore we installed broadband in their homes, gave them laptops, WIFI connections and local printers and now we can deliver work to them at home and they can work around their child minding problems. It also maintains their skills and they are part of a team. When they are ready, and able to do so, they can return to the office.

"Secondly, our Lawyers can now work from home, from Court, or from wherever they are close to a wireless broadband hotspot. This means that they have cut down on travel time and can focus more clearly on the work that they are doing and so reduce stress.

"Thirdly, we can have fun. It is extremely difficult for our commercial team to go on holiday because inevitably some crisis occurs whilst they are away from the office. By equipping them with WIFI enabled laptops and Bluetooth modem enabled phones they can keep in touch with the office through hotspots or from, for instance the beach in Corsica or on the Isles of Scilly. Clients therefore have the reassurance that if something happens they can still get in contact with their Lawyer and the deal is not put at risk because of "holidays".

"I use my laptop to keep in touch with the office when I am on scuba diving expeditions and it is quite good fun to log into work (earn some fees) and then go diving on the up turned hull of a First World War battleship!"

Despite the tremendous benefits of adopting flexible working practices, it must be recognised that there are some challenges along the way. Tim says:

"It is not plain sailing. The cost required to link everyone to broadband is very expensive, however, if one Lawyer does not travel to the office on two days in week, the fees earned at home instead of travelling cover the whole firm's broadband costs for a month.

"Staff can become isolated if they work entirely out of the office and it requires discipline to manage work and home life to ensure the two aspects of your life don't merge into one. Our team come into the office for two or three days a week just to keep in contact with the clients, their colleagues and to manage their practices.

"Remote working is not suitable for everyone as some people need close supervision and you cannot allow them to work remotely. Also, employee's homes become their work places and you are liable for their health and safety whilst they are at work.

"Nevertheless, we are very glad that we took the step, we could not have done it without actnow and we have noticed that it has improved our customer care and our profitability.