Leading Yorkshire law firm, Chadwick Lawrence, which has a practice in Huddersfield, has been named one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work 2024 thanks to its focus on career progression and employee wellbeing.
The firm has also secured the national Law Society’s legal practice quality mark, Lexcel, for the 21st year in a row alongside a gold award from Investor in Customers (IIC) in recognition of its customer service excellence.
The Sunday Times’ prestigious Best Places to Work programme surveys firms across the UK, scoring them on six key areas: reward and recognition, instilling pride, information sharing, empowerment, wellbeing and job satisfaction.
Chadwick Lawrence, which has eight regional offices in Huddersfield, Bradford, Guiseley, Halifax, Horbury, Leeds, Morley and Wakefield, is one of just 27 Yorkshire firms out of 500 organisations to achieve the accolade, with judges crediting the law firm’s staff and client advocacy, knack for nurturing home-grown talent, and dedication at partner level to support the progression of all 202 employees, as key reasons for its win.
The firm offers employees a support package which includes progression schemes, funded training, access to an online training platform and training academy.
Employee wellbeing is also paramount, with a health and wellness commitment for all team members comprising of an in-house health portal, wellness events calendar, mental health support, and weekly funded wellness sessions.
Neil Wilson, managing partner at Chadwick Lawrence, said: “The recognition is not just for the Chadwick Lawrence brand but is a reflection of every single member of our team. Everyone here contributes to making our culture one of collaboration, support and opportunity.
“Our values underpin everything, supported by training promoting inclusivity, diversity and kindness.
“We strive to break the mould of a typical law firm with a modern and innovative approach, encouraging all to be curious and adventurous, without fear of failure.
“We’re only as good as our colleagues. We focus on wellbeing, fulfilment and fun throughout all eight of our locations, with communication at the heart of everything that we do. To be named a Best Place to Work is an incredibly proud moment for myself and our firm.”
Underlining its commitment to client care and best practice, Chadwick Lawrence has also achieved Lexcel 6.1, the Law Society’s internationally recognised legal practice quality mark, which gives reassurance that the firm is efficiently run and has high standards of care and compliance.
The firm underwent a rigorous assessment from an independent Lexcel assessor in May, which included staff interviews and comprehensive reviews of legal case management and information handling.
Speaking about the achievement, Nicholas Worsnop, partner and compliance officer at Chadwick Lawrence, said: “Earning the Lexcel accreditation demonstrates our dedication to continuous improvement and serves as a beacon of quality to providing our clients with the highest level of service and care.”
Only 16% of UK law firms are currently Lexcel accredited so achieving and maintaining our accreditation for 21 consecutive years is a significant accomplishment and one we are very proud of.”
Rounding off the firm’s recent accolades is a gold award from Investor in Customers (IIC), which represents the highest standard of customer experience excellence.
The industry-wide accreditation is measured through customer and staff surveys as well as an independent review by an IIC assessor.
Chadwick Lawrence’s IIC assessment involved comprehensive feedback from a sample of the firm’s clients across all areas of its business, focusing on expertise, communication, response times, meeting client needs, exceeding expectations, and offering additional services.
Sam Pawson, partner and head of employment law at Chadwick Lawrence, who led on the accreditation, said: “This is the third Investors in Customers evaluation Chadwick Lawrence has undertaken in the last five years, and we are proud to have progressed from Bronze in our first assessment, to Silver, and now to Gold.
“The award reflects the dedication of our entire team to providing outstanding service to our clients and the positive customer feedback we receive in turn underscores this.
“We are committed to maintaining and exceeding these standards as we move forward.”
Chadwick Lawrence has been providing professional and supportive legal advice to private and commercial clients for over 180 years.
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