M D Law

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by M D Law's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from M D Law is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.mdlaw-cardiff.co.uk

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

36 | MD LAW

Managing Director

HelenDickie

MD Law is a growing solicitors firm just outside the centre of

Cardiff that specialises in residential conveyancing, family

law and probate, wills, lasting power of attorney and

general private client matters. Having moved its office into a more

central location in 2014, the firm has built a sterling reputation

in the city, attracting clients from all backgrounds and regions.

Managing Director Helen Dickie also joined in 2014 and has helped

take the firm from strength to strength. She tells

TheParliamentary

Review

how this was possible.

Moving to a more central location in Cardiff was a really important move for the firm

and it has opened up a range of new possibilities and opportunities. Previously, our

office was inaccessible and had poor provision for parking, but with our new location

it has never been more convenient for our clients. In 2017, we opened a second office

next door and I think this is testament to the impact our move has had and also due

to our staff expansion.

As a team of 12, we employ four solicitors, including myself, four consultant solicitors,

three legal assistants and a receptionist. Having worked as a consultant solicitor in the

past after qualifying in 2005, I have known our consultants for many years and each

has brought something new to the business, be it ideas, clients or specialisms. We

value all our staff and the hard work and effort they have contributed to the business.

For us, working together is so vital and greed has no place in our organisation.

Everything we do is part of a team effort and this is understood by our clients – which

is why we keep achieving success.

Culture of progression

I joined the firm in 2014 as a co-director as previously it dealt largely with criminal

legal aid work, but my arrival actually resulted in a total revamp and restructure of the

business. The dedication it has required from myself has been extensive, however, it

has been worth every minute, I am extremely proud of what has been achieved. Prior

to joining I had worked as both a consultant solicitor and a law teacher in a sixth form

college teaching ILEX, GCSE and A level law, and I was also given the opportunity to

teach NVQ students employability skills. I also helped tutor law students training to

become solicitors and I have taken my experience into my current role by creating an

atmosphere that encourages progress and improvement. One of our legal assistants is

starting her training contract this year and I am always on hand to help staff upgrade

their knowledge and progress their skills. At MD Law we believe that training staff is

fundamental to our firm’s skills set and knowledge base, thus always enabling us to

deliver the best services possible to our clients.

We have an approachable environment for both staff and clients and we place a

strong emphasis on creating a productive work-life balance. We have taken on many

new members of staff to meet the new demand for conveyancing services and this has

also helped raise our profile in the city.

AT A GLANCE

MD LAW

»Managing Director:

HelenDickie

»Founded in 2006

»Based in Cardiff

»Services: Specialise in

residential conveyancing,

family law and probate, wills,

lasting power of attorney and

general private client matters

»No. of employees: 12

»www.mdlaw-cardiff.co.uk

MD Law

37MD LAW |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019

Our private client and family departments

are also growing; we have dedicated and

experienced practitioners in these fields.

Having an ever increasing volume of work

in these areas allows us to remain diverse

and reach out to the wider community.

To continue our progression we

underwent a substantial revamp, aimed

at changing how we perceive ourselves

and our long-term goals. We developed a

clear vision of what we hoped to achieve

and by remaining mindful of our ambition

we took a step-by-step approach to

ensure our success. Firstly, we gained

CQS accreditation, which serves as a

stamp of excellence for conveyancing

firms from the Law Society. Most

lenders require the accreditation, and in

2015 we achieved this after a significant

application process. Some staff are also

members of Solicitors for the Elderly

and who are ILFM qualified. Training

remains at the heart of what we do.

In order to succeed in our field,

fostering a tight-knit team is integral.

This extends to include the consultants

that we collaborate with, who have

been vital in keeping us up to date with

all our compliance work. The Solicitors

Regulation Authority has exacting

standards that must be adhered to, and

working with highly skilled professionals

externally has been invaluable in enforcing

our business’s high standards. We

encourage our highly skilled staff to voice

their opinions and display their expertise,

while also taking advantage of the

required external assistance, thus raising

our game and continuing toimprove.

Our growth has largely been a result of

word of mouth and positive reviews.

We take extra care to take our clients’

circumstances into account and we

always treat them compassionately.

We have a personable team, who

understand the stress that meeting with

a lawyer causes many people. When a

recent client had a family bereavement

we sent them flowers to extend our

condolences. This showed them that we

could look beyond our relationship as

a financial transaction and this leads to

clients returning to us in the future and

recommending our services to others.

Transparency and

communication

We always work in the best interest of the

client and we try to make them feel that

their case is the most important matter.

While we always try to achieve this, we

often have to juggle lots of clients with a

moderate to high case load. To ensure this

does not cause distress or difficulty for our

clients we remain completely transparent,

offer clear channels of communication

and manage their expectations. This is

not always an easy task, however vitally

important it is to carry out.

When dealing with cases we ensure that

we are complying with industry regulation

and this can often be confusing for

clients. Delays can be frustrating for our

clients, especially when they conflict

with personal interests, such as moving

into their new home before Christmas.

These situations are complicated, and

we ensure that on each occasion the

clients receive the best service possible.

Looking forward, we have taken great

care over potential challenges such as

GDPR and Brexit and have carried out all

the due diligence possible to secure our

future. A further step we have taken is

working with an external IT company to

ensure that our processes are up to date

and that they protect us in the future.

Similarly, we have invested in external

HR expertise to manage our employees

and to provide the best possible

working environment. We will never be

afraid to invest in improvement as this

ethos will remain at the centre of the

business for years to come.

Based just outside the

centre of Cardiff

We have an

approachable

environment for

both staff and

clients and we

place a strong

emphasis on

creating a

productive

work-life

balance

“

www.mdlaw-cardiff.co.uk

This article was sponsored by M D Law. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng

This year’s Parliamentary Review reflects on a tumultuous and extraordinary year, globally and nationally. As well as being an MP, I am a keen student of history, and I am conscious that 2020 would mark the end of an era. It will be remembered as the year in which we concluded Brexit negotiations and finally left the European Union. Above all, it will be remembered as the year of Covid-19.

In our fight against the pandemic, I am delighted that our vaccination programme is beginning to turn the tide – and I pay tribute to the British businesses, scientists and all those who have helped us to achieve this. But the virus has dealt enormous damage, and we now have a duty to rebuild our economy.

We must ensure that businesses are protected. We have made more than £350 billion available to that end, with grants, business rates relief and our furlough scheme supporting more than 11 million people and jobs in every corner of the country, maintaining livelihoods while easing the pressure on employers. The next step is to work with business to build back better and greener, putting the net zero carbon challenge at the heart of our recovery. This is a complex undertaking, but one which I hope will be recognised as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Through the prime minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, we can level up every region of the UK, supporting 250,000 green jobs while we accelerate our progress towards net zero carbon emissions.

With our commitment to raise R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP and the creation of the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, we are empowering our fantastic researchers to take on groundbreaking research, delivering funding with flexibility and speed. With this approach, innovators will be able to work with our traditional industrial heartlands to explore new technologies, and design and manufacture the products on which the future will be built – ready for export around the globe.

And I believe trade will flourish. We are a leading nation in the fight against climate change. As the host of COP26 this year, we have an incredible opportunity to market our low-carbon products and expertise. Our departure from the EU gives us the chance to be a champion of truly global free trade; we have already signed trade deals with more than 60 countries around the world.

As we turn the page and leave 2020 behind, I am excited about the new chapter which Britain is now writing for itself, and for the opportunities which lie ahead of us.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy