Howard & Over Scoop prestigious Legal Firm of the Year Award
The last few days have been a whirlwind. As we, the partners of Howard & Over reflect on winning our first prestigious award, it wouldn’t feel right to start this article which talks about our journey to becoming Award Winning, without first saying a special thank you to the people who have contributed most. Our fantastic team work tirelessly every day to deliver excellent service, with tremendous care for colleague's and clients alike. Then our amazing clients, who choose to work with us again and again, also recommending us to friends and relatives along the way.
There is something so special about being a small law firm with big ambitions and we thank you all for being our cheerleader every step of the way. We would not have won this award without you.
A Night to Remember
On Thursday the 22nd of June, some of the team donned their smartest attire as we headed to the annual Devon and Somerset Law Society Awards. Delighted enough to be invited to attend, we felt even more honoured to be shortlisted for no less than four awards, an achievement in itself with nominations including Employer of the Year, the Rising Star Award, Team of the Year and Law Firm of the Year. We arrived with no expectations and were delighted to be in the company of such a fantastic array of legal professionals from Devon and Somerset and special guests including Shaun Wallace and Lubna Shuja the president of the Law Society.
But then we went and won!
As the night was coming to a close, and after already celebrating so many fantastic winners it was time for the big one, The Law Firm of the Year (under 3million turnover) and as we waited for the result in suspense, we could not hold back the shock when we saw the name Howard & Over appear on the screen in bright lights. As we rushed to collect the award there was a huge sense of pride. Whilst we have been shortlisted in many years prior, we have never yet won and so to say winning Law Firm of the Year was a brilliant surprise would be an understatement. We are ecstatic!
As well as celebrating this amazing achievement and thanking everyone that made it possible, we thought we’d take this as an opportunity to share some of the key milestones that helped us to become award winning.
From Humble Beginnings to Law Firm of the Year
We’ve come a long way since our foundations 100 years ago as a high street firm in Plymouth. To get where we are today, it’s fair to say we have had to weather some challenging times. From public funding changes to migrations away from town centres, through to outdated business processes and run down premises, we’ve faced it all. As a leadership team we’ve had to coordinate big changes in limited time in order to survive in a competitive environment.
Open and Collaborative
A big part of the change efforts focused on providing a more open plan and collaborative working space for teams to share knowledge and enhance training opportunities. Clients are also treated as friends, with advice which is straight forward and jargon free, to make sure you understand and are comfortable with every detail.
Local at the heart
We are proud and continue to build on our long-standing heritage in Plymouth, Ivybridge and Plympton. You can rest assured that we have a strong local knowledge, with a team that love living and working in the region.
A Refreshing Identity
We have invested heavily in recent years in a brand identity which not only provides a look and feel that is professional and assuring, but also that is underpinned by our brand ethos which Is about being normal people who just happen to be legal experts.
Embracing Change
To evolve, you need to be ready to do things differently. As a firm we have invested heavily in internal technology that has improved both our efficiency and customer service. We also pride ourselves on being a paper light firm and doing everything we can to operate more sustainably.
Client Satisfaction Always Comes First
Throughout our journey of transformation, we have continued to hold client satisfaction as our guiding principle. We are always so grateful for client feedback and could not be more proud to achieve a 99% customer satisfaction rating.
Thank you again to everyone who has played a role in our journey. If you are looking for an award-winning legal firm in Plymouth and the surrounding areas, we’d love to speak to you. Call us on 01752 556606 or email us today to discover for yourself.
