Technology is a wonderful thing. I have said this many times before. It is something most people cannot do without these days, from mobile phones, to handheld computers, laptops, sat-navs, streaming videos and internet calls.
As a business it is an invaluable tool.
Woolley & Co was built on the use of emerging communications technology to better stay in contact with clients, improve transparency with pricing on our website and services sold directly from there, and speed the sending of vital letters and documents with email. It is a shame many others in the industry – particularly the courts themselves – are still not on board with this. It would make things a lot easier for everyone!
Woolley & Co has senior lawyers working from home offices and fitting their schedule around the needs of clients. This means we can work out of normal hours and do away with the need for an excessive number of face to face meetings in town centre offices.
The success of this approach has been proven to me constantly. We now have 19 lawyers and a very broad client base across most parts of England and Wales. And Egypt.
Yes, Egypt.
Because of the way we work, as outlined above, we are geared up to work from anywhere as efficiently as if we were round the corner.
Alison Hill joined Woolley & Co nearly three years ago, working from a base in Redditch where she established (and still maintains) a strong client base. She is an expert in
ex-pat divorce, among other aspects of family law. She also has family links to Egypt. When she discussed moving over there more permanently, we saw no reason why it shouldn’t be business as usual. And so it has proved.
Since the move just under a year ago, Alison has continued to offer a seamless service to her clients in Worcestershire and the West Midlands. Clients contacting her, though aware of the change of her location, have seen no change in service. They still call a local number, they still get a prompt response to emails, documents forwarded swiftly and a high quality service at times to suit them. The fact that the view out of her window is more likely to be figs, fezzes and pyramids (please excuse the stereotypes) than, well, Redditch, makes no difference to the work.
In addition, being located in an ex-pat community herself has enabled Ali to offer her service to a new group of clients who might not otherwise have heard about her work.
The virtual model works, helping us give service through technology. When will the legal sector catch up though?