A boutique law firm of exceptional quality and talent where clients' and lawyers' interests are aligned by collaboration and innovation
Karen Bexley takes a different approach to her latest CEO Update, discussing her personal journey and how this impacted both her leadership style, and the formation of Bexley Beaumont.
I am always much more comfortable talking about Bexley Beaumont than myself! But after being invited to speak at a recent Women in Business lunch, I had time to pause, reflect and take stock of my journey so far, examining how that has impacted the story of Bexley Beaumont and equally, how we run the firm.
I guess I need to start at the beginning and like many, my story is heavily impacted by my parents. My Dad started his career as an apprentice and worked his way up to Factory Manager so was very much a self-made man with ambition. Mum was a Legal Secretary and definitely somewhat of a thwarted lawyer, so I had experience with the law from an early age. That drive and work ethic was instilled in me from day one and led me to become the first member of the family to attend university, alongside a whole host of temporary and part-time jobs over the years, which ironically helped me massively when I eventually became an Employment Lawyer.
Working in the traditional model, I went through the ranks at an international law firm acting for clients who are household brands, including McDonald’s, and was particularly proud of the work our team did to win their initial pitch and then deliver a quality service. As I progressed however, I never fully bought into the “traditional” way of working. Whilst successful, I realised that I was always searching for a new challenge and eventually transitioned to become a fee-share consultant.
Becoming a fee-share consultant essentially meant that I trusted in my ability to win my own work and deliver a high-quality service to those clients. I built a portfolio of repeat clients who I undertook meaningful work for but was still not truly happy with where I was. I missed the shared comradery, and the culture afforded by working in a team, so again looked for a different opportunity.
That led to a chance meeting with Anna Beaumont. There was never a lightbulb moment that led to the creation of Bexley Beaumont, just two equally passionate leaders who shared the same vision for a law firm. Her experience in previously building and leading a fee-share firm coupled with my experience of working as a fee-share consultant facilitated the development of Bexley Beaumont which we essentially built in the image of the law firm that I would have wanted to work for. Not many people believe that Anna and I only met in 2019, but when you start a business together, you build a very strong relationship very quickly!
Bexley Beaumont is based upon the two pillars that I have upheld throughout my career, team culture and collaboration. Nurturing a successful team culture had to be a priority when the firm first formed, to ensure effective collaboration between fee-share consultants and to stop any silo mentality. This was always going to be a challenge with lawyers working remotely across the country but came into particular focus when the pandemic hit.
Some of the most resilient businesses were formed in times of economic uncertainty, and Bexley Beaumont has not been an exception to the rule. We are now in our fifth year, with over 60 lawyers in the team, and a national Law Firm of the Year award to show for the Bexley Beaumont success.
In many ways though, I feel like we’ve only just started.
We recently held our annual strategy day; a day I absolutely love each year and I am excited to share with you shortly the projects and initiatives for 2025 and beyond….
