I studied law for a few reasons. But there were two main ones:
- I was too hopeless at mathematics to study economics beyond A Level.
- I thought that working in law might make a difference.
There is a sneaky third: I thought that a career in law would involve lots of glamorous international travel, fancy dinners and a big house. That’s what I had seen on TV but the reality of big-firm-of-solicitors legal practice was quite different, I must admit.
For the majority of my legal career, other than pro bono work, my day-to-day made little difference to anyone. I shuffled paper around for banks, insurers, large corporate clients and, ultimately, the only real winners were those more senior partners at the law firms. They would get paid regardless of whether a trial was won or lost or regardless of whether a deal went through. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. People do work, people get paid for that work. It just doesn’t always sit well.
It is only recently through work with The Law Collective that my understanding and experience working in both law and business has started to make a difference. We have successfully won a number of recent matters, without the need to resort to legal proceedings. Instead we opted for clear, concise argument which gave the other parties no option but to seriously consider what we had to say. These matters were working for people who would never have been able to afford to instruct a firm of solicitors in Cornwall.
Solicitors have a very important purpose and role to play. However, their rates are often prohibitive to people accessing justice or having a voice raised on their behalf against a large corporate. Clients have asked why we charge such low rates for legal work at The Law Collective. The main reason is that we just don’t have the overheads that a firm of solicitors would have. We work lean and we work flexibly. And it is this that allows us to be able to make a difference.
Contact The Law Collective if you would like to talk about any legal issues affecting you or your business in Cornwall and the south west.