A willingness to step out of the box, offer creative solutions and speak in clear terms are not traditionally common traits of lawyers. But commercial and corporate law firm Hamilton Locke is determined to break away from such “norms” in the legal profession.
The firm won Best Banking, Finance & Insurance Firm (<$30m revenue) at the 2023 Client Choice Awards – proving something about its innovative approach is working.
Partner in the Funds and Financial Services team Charmian Holmes says it’s exactly what the firm does differently that has helped it succeed.
“Our strengths are technical advice delivery in a plain English and accessible way. Our ability to connect our clients across our network to do business with each other and our willingness to deliver creative response to regulatory challenges are what sets us apart from other law firms that specialise in financial services,” Holmes said.
“It is also what allows us to work with emerging sectors and startups, even in tough economic conditions. We help them to innovate their offering but also collaborate with the traditional players in the financial services sector.”
Holmes added this mindset of continuous adaptation and innovation is enabled by the firm regularly collecting and acting on client feedback.
“The feedback we receive from clients drives firm-wide initiatives in areas such as environment, sustainability and governance, diversity and inclusion,” Holmes said.
“We use the Client Choice Awards as a key way to collect client feedback because it allows clients to give that feedback freely and anonymously, if they prefer.”
The Client Choice Awards are the only professional services awards in the world that are judged entirely by the anonymous ratings of clients – rather than panels of industry experts as judges. More than 250 firms entered in 2023, and Beaton benchmarked tens of thousands of client service ratings to determine the clients’ choice for winners in each size category and profession.
To be judged a winner, firms must offer the best client experience and their ratings be benchmarked higher than competitors of their size and profession. It is no easy task in the increasingly competitive modern market. However, Holmes said consistently aiming to improve and offer the best possible client experience (or CX) enabled Hamilton Locke to maintain a competitive advantage.
“Client experience is a key pillar for Hamilton Locke, alongside our people experience (PX) priorities,” she said.
“We operate along industry/market segments with the aim of maintaining a strong profile across financial services, new energy, health, real estate, technology and agriculture.
“We hope that our clients feel proud of us, and we certainly feel proud of them and their achievements. It is a joy and privilege to be on their business journey, experiencing the highs and lows and helping them to navigate it all.”
Hamilton Locke won Best Banking, Finance & Insurance Firm (<$30m revenue) at the 2023 Client Choice Awards. This award is presented in partnership with FeeSynergy, and with association partner Australasian Legal Practice management Association (ALPMA).
Enter your firm for the 2024 Awards here.