David Scott: ‘People expect more for their money, and it’s important we recognise this’

COMPANIES across the sectors, from commercial property and construction to oil services, are increasingly being given a platform to debate issues and trends by their law firms.

Solicitors are widening their role to act as facilitators as well as business advisors, as firms across the country look to add value for their clients to maintain business levels despite the challenging economic climate.

In the current age there is a general trend where people expect more for what they pay, and it is important that we recognise this in the services which we provide as legal representatives, not only to compete in tough times but to ensure we are constantly adding to the level of service.

The industry has identified the need to diversify its offering, adding facilitation, seminars and even training events to their portfolios, focused on current and emerging issues.

Providing clients with a forum in which they can receive advice from experts, and challenge or discuss specific issues with other professionals, has brought a new dimension to client service.

Legal firms and those working in analogous service sectors increasing the value of their service in this fashion not only increase the likelihood of retaining clients, but also add value for complementary providers with which they already, or aim to, do business.

Solicitors work across a number of areas, from litigation to corporate, and strive to provide clients with the most valuable advice which often results in drawing on a colleague from a relevant department.

Utilising guest speakers at seminars is another method of ensuring clients receive the best possible advice and we often find that bringing in experts from external sources to lead the forums is extremely beneficial in terms of the information they provide. It also gives clients an opportunity to hear alternative viewpoints on certain subjects.

We have ramped up our offering by regularly hosting seminars for clients and have seen consistently high turnout, which has clearly indicated to us that adding value is a key consideration for businesses in the current climate.

The profession has always sought to orientate its services to client requirements and diversified offerings reflect this, in our case catering to sectors including oil and gas, construction and development, farming, food, fish, forestry and, increasingly, the renewable sector.

Our most recent seminar featured Karine Suller, planning gain officer from Aberdeenshire Council, addressing an audience of leading business figures on the implications of the developer contributions required by local authorities as part of infrastructure proposals.

The event was attended by more than 50 delegates, including housebuilders and surveyors, as well as bankers and accountants, and provided an overview of planning gain and methods used to secure payments and delivery, along with new provisions in place for the obligations faced by developers.

Giving developers an opportunity to directly put questions to a local authority official in an open forum allowed for wider debate than in traditional one-to-one meetings or formal negotiations.

We also had Eric Shearer, a partner from Knight Frank, who provided an overview of the current situation from a developer’s perspective.

Quality people are an important consideration – people buy people when taking on a contractor or engaging a professional service – making a relevant, authoritative source a vital incentive to the audience to leave their desks and get involved in the debate.

We have received positive feedback on our events to date – the challenge is to ensure relevance on an ongoing basis, to ensure clients see such gatherings as genuinely added value, rather than a drain on their already precious time.

• David Scott is a partner at Scottish law firm Ledingham Chalmers LLP