After nearly four decades in the legal sector, Andrew Vidler looks to stand down from his full-time role in the Wills and Probate team at Wake Smith and become a consultant for the firm.
Andrew, who lead the department for four years and advised on specialisms including estate planning and management, will drafting, the creation and administration of trusts and ecclesiastical law, looks at his time at Wake Smith and considers how Wake Smith has adapted and changed to meet the demands of a modern law firm.
He said: “I first came to Wake Smith in 2006. I was an equity partner and managing partner at Benson Clegg when the firm merged with Wake Smith, as it then was. I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to join the merged firm as an equity partner.
“I was one of about 30 people who came across and I am still here along with other long standing members of staff who include Holly Dobson, Ben Spencer, Hazel Calvert, Kath Mitchell and Richard Hayes.
“The merger was good for Benson Clegg and I believe has been very beneficial for Wake Smith, adding strength and depth across the firm.
“At the time, Michael Tunbridge was in charge of the Private Client team and he continued to run the department until he became a consultant in October 2014, when I was given the almost impossible task of trying to emulate his success and develop the team even further.”
What has been the main change over the years client and legal-wise?
“The main development in my field of private client work, one that will no doubt continue to be a factor, is the ever increasing use of the internet by non-lawyers, meaning that more people are willing to have a go at what we do.
“This has brought some challenges for the work we do and the fees we charge, particularly in the area of probate administration, but also a number of opportunities. It has made us look more carefully at the services we offer and the way we set our fees.
“We now look at how we can help clients with discrete aspects of dealing with an estate, perhaps assisting with obtaining a grant of representation or even just giving advice on filling out forms. It has made us more aware of the need to tailor our work more carefully, no bad thing in my book.
“We also now charge fixed fees on certain matters, drafting wills for example, which has made it more helpful for clients and, in all honesty, the will draftsman, as certainty of fees means that clients don’t get a nasty surprise at the end of the work and the draftsman can get on with drafting. That makes everyone feel much more comfortable.
“In my time there has been a huge increase in regulation of our profession, good in many ways, but it occasionally feels like a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Sometimes I hanker for the more laissez faire ways of old, when life felt a lot simpler - in reality it wasn’t and we have to live with the times.”
What has been the best part about working at Wake Smith?
“I have been extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with some very able and talented people at Wake Smith; to have been the head of a team of people all of whom have contributed massively to the ongoing success of the Private Client department; and to have passed on the baton to an excellent new head in the form of Suzanne Porter, full of great ideas for the future. I hope to play a role in developing the team and its services during my consultancy.
“Looking back, the sheer variety of work I have covered in my career and the numbers of contacts, professionals and families I have been involved with is staggering. I have been lucky to have some very loyal clients and contacts.
“Since the merger in 2006, I have also seen the company evolve into a more business-like entity. The management of the firm is the main difference. It has moved away from the old style partnership model, where all partners were involved in all decisions, and through creating a management board has brought a more efficient way of running the firm.
“Accreditation, Lexcel and Investors in People, for example, has made a big difference in terms of efficiency and risk management. The structures in place for managing risk in 2006 were limited and very few could see the advantage of putting formal arrangements in place. There has been a huge change in thinking.”
What has been the biggest challenge?
“What has been most difficult to tackle, I think, is the change in attitude of the public towards professionals generally and, in my case, lawyers in particular. When I qualified and began in practice it was still then very much a profession. It is difficult to maintain the concept of being a professional when, more and more, lawyers are regarded as sellers of services, with customers rather than clients.
“On the other hand, it’s good that those seeking our advice feel able to question that advice on occasion. It means that there is a greater sense of working together to achieve what the clients want or need.”
And the future?
“We have had to adapt to survive and thrive. I see the Private Client department adopting much more of an accountant's model of working in future.
“Historically, a lawyer like me would see a job through from start to finish. We would take the initial instructions, draft the letters and forms, liaise with clients and others, and put together the estate accounts.
“The accountancy model is to take the job and delegate aspects of the work to the team. As I see it, this has to be the way of the future in order to do the work at a cost the clients would see as reasonable but which provides a profit for the firm.
“The one thing I have not enjoyed during my career is negotiating fees with clients. The fixed fees we have introduced for certain types of work does make life simpler and, frankly, more enjoyable.”
From a standard full working week, Andrew will be dropping to a four day week for a year and then a three day week for another year.
He added: “The company is in the best shape it’s been in since 2006. It is certainly much better managed; there is a stream of really good people coming through; the directors are leading the company in a positive direction; everyone is bringing ideas to the table and there is a real liveliness about the firm.
“The people bringing in the fees are second to none, in my view, but we could not have made the progress I have seen since 2006 without the excellent support provided by our colleagues in admin, HR, IT, the cashiers’ team, reception and, of course, our secretaries.
“It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have played a small part in the development of the company over the last few years and I expect Wake Smith to go from strength to strength.”
