At law firm, Howes Percival, one of its key strategic goals is ‘to be the place where people want to work and enjoy working.’ It seeks to do this by giving the partners and staff the freedom and support to constantly improve themselves and the service they provide to clients in a collaborative way. Recruitment and training are fundamental to achieving success in this goal.
Recruitment
To achieve its goals Howes Percival has a strong focus on recruiting high-performing individuals, not just in legal teams but across support functions in HR, IT, accounts, risk management and facilities.
As part of continuous improvement in recruitment processes the people team are implementing a new applicant tracking system designed to manage applicants and provide a simple and smooth on-boarding journey for new joiners. A lot of work has already been carried out in ensuring an effective transition from job offer to induction, which includes sending out welcome gifts and meeting up with new recruits in advance of their start dates.
A new strand to the recruitment strategy at Howes Percival is the launch this year of its outreach programme. This will involve outreach champions at each of the firm’s offices who will partner with local schools and colleges. The aim will be to attend career events and other activities with the aim of promoting the many routes into law and other professions such as HR and IT. As part of this programme the people team are currently recruiting an HR apprentice in its Northampton office.
Natalie Clarke, Head of People, said:
“When joining Howes Percival in Feb 2022, the first thing I noticed was the culture, it was clear that people genuinely supported one another, treated each other with respect and were driven to meet the needs of their clients by working together and sharing their knowledge and experience. This culture had been described to me during my interview, but it was great to see and feel this when I joined.
“In the past 22 months we have made great steps in achieving our strategic goal. We have a new software infrastructure, including a new HR system and Learning Management System. We have also implemented the Rare contextual recruitment system which helps us to identify candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds to include in our recruitment processes.
“Inclusivity is a key focus area for us, and we are about to launch a new applicant tracking system which has a blind CV functionality to help remove any unconscious bias from our recruitment processes and meet our equality, inclusion and diversity ambitions.”
Training
The last few years has seen a significant increase in focus on training at Howes Percival. Its aim is to empower people to continually enhance both themselves and client services collaboratively.
The firm takes a holistic approach to learning and development so that training is also available for wellbeing, whether that be mental, physical or financial. The firm’s LEAPS programme, which recognises that all roles have an element of leadership, supports people in developing the skills and behaviours they need to be successful.
Aside from formal training the firm also has a mentoring programme so that employees and partners can have someone who can assist them on their career development. The online Learning Management System means all of this can be easily accessed by staff and partners.
Developing home-grown talent is key to growth at Howes Percival and the firm always aims to retain as many of its trainee solicitors as possible when they have completed their two-year training contract. This rings true with Associate James Pitts, who said:
“I joined Howes Percival as a trainee in March 2021 and was encouraged from the outset to join internal committees, undertake complex work and network within the local community. It was clear that the firm wanted to give me the best trainee experience possible and I have felt, throughout my time at the firm, like a valued employee who is able to play a role in its direction. It is for these reasons that I grasped the opportunity to remain at the firm and qualified into its employment team in September 2022.”
This sentiment is echoed by former trainee solicitor and now Milton Keynes office managing partner Simon deMaid, who said:
“I’ve been with the business for 22 years now and that’s not unusual at Howes Percival. What keeps people here is not just the quality of the work from a fantastic client base but the great culture which our staff and partners create.”
Achievements in 2023
As a measure of its success, Howes Percival received various accolades for its people-focussed approach last year. Having held the Investors in People accreditation for several years the firm was delighted to be shortlisted for Employer of the Year for the first time and attend the awards ceremony in London.
Northampton office managing partner Graham Irons said:
“I’ve been at the firm for over 18 years and have always enjoyed playing an active role in staff engagement working with the people team. It was great for us to get this recognition for all the hard work that goes into making our firm an employer of choice. It’s been an amazing year for us as we also won Legal Firm of the Year at the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards, the Professional Services category at Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards, and Corporate Law Firm of the Year at the Insider Central and East Dealmakers Awards.”
The firm also takes part in the Best Companies to Work For and achieved 2-star accreditation again, narrowly missing the top rating. It is now ranked sixth out of the top 10 Best Large Law Firms to Work For and ranked 51 out of the top 75 Best Large Companies to Work For. These ratings are only given to organisations that show an ‘outstanding’ commitment to workplace engagement.
What’s next?
Howes Percival is not a business that stands still and is always looking for ways to enhance its Life More Sure brand. Natalie Clarke is excited about 2024. She said:
“We have lots to do in the coming year and we are looking forward to putting in place everything that ensures the continual growth of business and critical to our success will be to make sure Howes Percival remains a place where people want to work and enjoy working.”
Graham Irons, Managing Partner
Natalie Clarke, Head of People
Simon deMaid, Managing Partner
Find out more at www.howespercival.com/careers/
