In professional services, there are few achievements more worthy of team celebrations than winning a Client Choice Award. Being named the best in class by tens of thousands of clients is a great excuse to pop a bottle – or bake a cake at least.
At Cudmore Legal, however, the team of Brisbane-based family lawyers and staff greeted their recent win differently. The firm was named Best Family & Relationships Firm(<$30m revenue) in the 2023 Client Choice Awards. And they chose to celebrate with clients first.
“Cudmore Legal celebrated our success with our clients first. We sent thank you notes with heartfelt gratitude to our clients. We took time to acknowledge the pivotal role our clients played in our success and conveyed appreciation for the trust and support received,” said Legal Practice Director Luke Cudmore.
“Rather than boasting about our achievement, we see the award as an inspiration to continue improving and serving our clients to the best of our abilities. We recognise that there is always room for growth and refinement, and this recognition motivates us to strive for even greater excellence in the future.”
The Client Choice Awards are the only professional services awards in the world that judge winners based on the feedback of clients. Hundreds of firms across Australia and New Zealand enter each year, with feedback from tens of thousands of clients benchmarked by Beaton to determine the firms that offer the best client service in each category.
In 2023, more than 270 firms entered and 17,000 individual pieces of client feedback were submitted to the judging process.
Cudmore said being recognised for winning clients’ approval in this way held “profound significance” for his firm.
“It serves as a reminder of our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our clients. It also reinforces our belief in the importance of building strong relationships and understanding the unique needs of every individual we serve,” he said.
“We take great pride in our client-centric approach and strive to provide exceptional service in several key areas that set us apart from our competitors.”
The key areas Cudmore Legal prides itself on include providing personalised attention to clients, with clear communication, a collaborative team approach, empathy and compassion – alongside expertise, experience and timely and responsive services. Cudmore emphasised this unique combination of human compassion alongside technical prowess was what helped his firm stand out among competitors. He also noted that gathering and acting on regular client feedback – one of the key benefits of entering the Client Choice Awards – played a big role in the firm’s success.
Fortunately, Cudmore team members didn’t entirely skip the celebrations. The firm shared its success on social media and staff enjoyed their monthly team dinner together to commemorate the win. They look forward to harnessing the feedback from the Client Choice Awards and platforming off it, to achieve more wins for their clients in 2024.
“We were sincerely thankful to our clients who had chosen us. It was their trust and support that had propelled us to this level of recognition,” Cudmore said.
Cudmore Legal was named Best Family & Relationships Firm (<$30m revenue) in the 2023 Client Choice Awards. This award is presented in partnership with FeeSynergy and with association partner Australasian Legal Practice Management Association.
Enter your firm for the 2024 awards here.
