Law firm explains its strong bond with the city

In the latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine, we meet the team at Smith Partnership, a law firm which has been backing the city ever since it was formed more than 35 years ago.

Over the years, the business, which was launched in Derby in 1987, has been a great supporter of the city.

It has been a tremendous backer of the local community and charities, as well as helping to wave the flag in support of the region as a whole.

Today, it has a team of more than 200 people, with offices in Friar Gate, Derby, and at Burton, Stoke, Leicester, Swadlincote and Ashby.

Speaking about how the business came into being, Kevin McGrath, managing partner at Smith Partnership, said: “It all began with a group of four local lads, all junior solicitors at other firms, who decided they wanted to get together and shake things up a little.

“Derby as a legal marketplace was quite cliquey, with a number of old-fashioned firms doing agricultural law and the like.

“Smith Partnership started life, really, as a legal aid practice, providing legal services to those people who otherwise couldn’t get them. They weren’t particularly popular with the local legal profession at the time.”

While times may have changed, Smith Partnership’s approach to doing business remains faithful to the founders’ original intentions, as Kevin explained to Innovate.

He said: “The firm started by providing publicly funded work and we still do.

“Although these days we are a full-service business with a strong commercial and private client offering, we still believe it is important that we offer legal aid work. I guess it’s a part of our DNA.

“We have clients from international airlines right through to young girls who might be struggling and are facing having their children taken into care.

“But we treat everybody the same in terms of the way we deal with them.”

Smith Partnership also takes the same approach with its staff.

Kevin said: “The office is deliberately open plan. We all sit together because we all work together. Nobody has any airs and graces. Partners sit with their teams.”

Kevin also talks to Innovate about why Smith Partnership backs the city – and gives his take on where Derby is at right now.

He said: “The city centre does have its challenges. We need to improve the experience for people. But I do genuinely think things are getting better.”

To read the feature in full visit https://heyzine.com/flip-book/fbdb70bd48.html#page/62 .