THE team at Franklins Solicitors LLP, one of the region’s leading law firms, judge their success by three key values – relationships, vision and tenacity.
One of the founders, Keith Wyld, who set up the law firm with Michael Franklin in 1982, is still a strong believer in these basic principles.
It is this approach that has enabled Keith, now Chief Executive, to reflect on the firm’s 35 years of success in Northampton and Milton Keynes. The co-founders’ commitment to high-quality legal advice and a first-class client service is shared by a new generation of lawyers and a team headed up by Managing Partner Simon Long.
Michael has now retired but the friendship with Keith has stood the test of time since, when both in their late 20s, they left a large law firm to go it alone.
Keith said: “We are very proud of what has been achieved. Life has been very good. The one word that has given us longevity is ‘fellowship’. We are not just about employing people who can do the job. If you want to work for us then you need to be someone who wants to share our vision. We have always been keen to invest in people and the firm’s future and it is this fellowship that has helped us to keep going even through two hard recessions.”
This approach can be seen across the workforce who are based in offices in Milton Keynes and on Northampton’s busy Castilian Street which (against all expectations) opened just two years after the firm was set up.
“We are very proud of the quality of our people,” said Simon who, like many of the other partners in the firm, has spent all his legal career with Franklins.
“A huge emphasis is placed on client service and making sure that we support our clients proactively and efficiently to see their case through to the outcome. We are an Investor in People and ensure that all our employees are given regular training and are inspired to advance their careers with us.”
The firm was one of the first to be accredited to ISO 9001 in 19XX and also holds the Law Society Lexcel quality accreditation mark. The wide range of services include corporate commercial services and commercial property and dispute resolution to debt recovery, employment law, family law, intellectual property, residential property, wills, trusts and probates.
Keith said: “We believe by focusing time and resources we can create careers for people. We tend to re-invest a lot of the money back in to the business which means we can offer the service we want for clients who appreciate our commitment.”
“That investment has,” said Simon, “allowed the firm to develop outstanding reputations in a variety of disciplines and seen the firm and some of its lawyers recognised with awards.”
Keith added: “I am proud of all these relationships and the vision, energy and commercial reality employed in the delivery of our legal services. I also believe the best is yet to come.”
