8 | Q3 2022 Mar22210 Best Specialist IT Law Consultants 2022 Law 365 is a specialist law firm that supports Microsoft Partners at all stages of their business, from the young to the very established. The firm, headed up by CEO and Founder, Kim Simmonds, prides itself on affordable services and jargon-free communication. We speak to Kim to find out more. When Kim Simmonds’ first child was born in 2014, she looked at the legal profession and it was clear that it was failing parents who wanted to balance their careers with family life. She decided something needed to be done. Founding Law 365, Kim’s mission was not only to provide employees with more balance in their lives but also to support clients by making legal advice more accessible and affordable. “I’m a big advocate for change in the workplace for parents, and especially for women,” says Kim. “I’ve created an environment that attracts incredible senior and experienced female lawyers. Law 365 gives them the right balance in their lives and it works for them. I give my team the tools they need to succeed, in and out of the workplace. It’s my privilege to lead and do everything I can to support them.” Law 365’s award is a testament to Kim’s success. With 27 members of staff, the firm scored 100% in the Great Places to Work 2022 employee survey, being recognised for the 2nd successive year. Kim says, “I’ve proved that you can have it all. You can be a woman, a lawyer and a mother. You can put staff wellbeing before profits and create a successful, great place to work. And you can disrupt one of the oldest industries in the process.” Kim chose to focus on the IT sector to improve the industry and provide opportunities for businesses to prosper. She says, “Currently 1 in 100 VAT registered companies in the UK is a Microsoft Partner. Small IT companies can grow rapidly. They create millions of jobs in the UK. But only 10% of them use a lawyer regularly. They say legal advice is too expensive and it slows down the sales process with legalese. We’re currently the only law firm in the world to specialise in providing our services to Microsoft Partners. It’s a huge market and affects every business in the world, so our work is vital for the UK economy.” In the first instance, Law 365’s efforts were concentrated on developing its ‘Legal as a Service’ (LaaS) offering. Instead of unpredictable and often large legal bills, Law 365 offers small businesses an affordable monthly subscription to access the decades of legal experience in the team. This covers all their legal requirements and enables business owners to budget for what they need. Kim explains, “Our fees cover getting a deal done from start to finish. Clarity and transparency of pricing is pretty unique to us, as no other law firm has quite achieved our LaaS model. It’s a game changer for this oldfashioned industry.” More recently Law 365 has automated the process of reviewing non-disclosure agreements (NDA). The automated service, known as LawyerBot365, uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to speed up this often lengthy process. Kim tells us, “To service technology clients, it made sense to heavily invest in AI tools. LawyerBot365 provides fast, cost-efficient, and accessible legal advice. It’s priced for start-ups (costing about 1/10th of a human lawyer) and available 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s been a great success so far. We’ll be developing it further to support larger contracts in the future.” Law 365’s other innovative service for 2022 is a programme developed by Law 365’s Employment team, led by Megan O’Hara, and Executive Performance Coach and Wellbeing Ambassador, Louise Otton. The HAPPY 365 programme is designed to help employees and leaders to step into their roles with confidence and to find purpose in their work. More critically in this job market, by combining the best of performance coaching with cutting-edge people policies, HAPPY 365 enables clients to attract and retain talent. Contact: Kim Simmonds (CEO) Company: Law 365 Limited Email [email protected] Phone 01892 313943 Web Address: www.law365.co “ Founding Law 365, Kim’s mission was not only to provide employees with more balance in their lives but also to support clients by making legal advice more accessible and affordable. ”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQxNTg3MQ==