Recruitment has become a major issue in the postpandemic world and there are few sectors which haven't been hit by this in one way or another.
One North East law firm is not only bucking the trend but is also managing to recruit top legal practitioners – thanks to its commitment to sustaining a healthy work/life balance.
Burnetts is based in the heart of Newcastle at Milburn House, Dean Street as well as operating a smaller office at Hexham and two offices in the North West at Carlisle and Cockermouth.
The firm has built up a reputation for providing the highest levels of advice across a range of sectors- from banking, corporate, commercial property, employment, family through to medical negligence and serious injury cases.
Burnetts is also proud of its roster of national clients, with a good proportion of the people and businesses it works with based in London and other major cities across the UK.
Equally as important as providing a quality service, the firm is very much about looking after its own and developing talent.
It’s the reason why some of the newest members of the team have come from some of the biggest legal firms in the North East and beyond.
“It’s the family feeling that we have at Burnetts which genuinely makes it a great place to work,” said Nicola Nutley.
“It’s a fantastic team of people who are all experts in their field but all just want to get the best job done for their clients in an efficient and pragmatic way and support other at the same time.”
2023 will see even more names added to the Burnetts roster at their Newcastle office, including two new corporate partners and a new commercial property partner.
The firm has developed a national reputation in two key sectors namely Banking and Medical Negligence & Serious Injury cases. In particular, the Banking team has experienced rapid growth since its conception in 2017 which has led to the creation of a Banking Solicitor Recruitment and Training Programme.
This scheme provides a brilliant opportunity for a legal graduate to get real insight and training to work in this sector, giving them all the skills they need to work in the complex world of banking.
The first recruit was 23-year-old Northumbria University graduate, Alex Goldthorpe, who already had Burnetts in his sights and so was delighted for what he sees as a real career boost.
The plan is to employ more young people on to the programme in the future, ensuring that Burnetts play a really meaningful role in helping graduates along the career ladder.
It’s all part of the company’s commitment to creating a “magnetic workplace” – the name now given to places where employees love to work and customers love to do business. This ethos has been reaffirmed with the firm’s commitment to employee engagement which has won them a second consecutive year of accreditation as a ‘Great Place to Work’
This recognition focuses on measuring the trust and wellbeing of employees; it ensures that everyone has a voice and are involved in shaping the future of the firm and its success. This places the firm in the top medium sized professional services organisations in the country overall, and it was with great pride that they also received a national award in 2022 for being a ‘Great Place to Work for Women’ too.
This kind of thinking certainly puts Burnetts in good company- following in the footsteps of organisations such as Apple and Google which are known for this approach to both staff and clients.
Richard Miller, Head of Property and Burnetts’ Partner responsible for the Newcastle office, believes the firm’s philosophy is helping to drive its positive reputation.
“We are lucky enough to have attracted a lot of talented and enthusiastic people who have come to join us from other firms in the region,” he said.
“The quality of our people and the way we look after them,combined with our down to earth and plain speaking approach has been a key part of retaining key clients and introducing new opportunities to the firm. “We deliver our services in a way that’s very accessible, solutions focussed and in a way that shows how much we care about our clients and staff.”