Latest Business: About face

 Paul Arscott tells latest Homes why – post recession – he and the team at Arscotts are taking the law, and the future, very seriously

How did the recession affect Arscotts?
Massively, sadly we had to make many people redundant in our conveyancing department as the majority of our income was generated from that sector. The first signs the market was in trouble had been in the summer of 2007. We reacted swiftly by closing our Shoreham office at the start of 2008. Towards the latter part of 2008 there was a collapse in the market and it became a matter of survival

It must have been hard as you had built a very strong and happy team. 
Through the good times it had been our policy to encourage ambitious young people with good communication skills to climb the ladder to fee-earner status. We invested heavily in training and qualifying them. We have retained most of this talent as the cuts were largely in the area of support staff, so in respect of personnel we have retained our strength.

So it was a massive rationalisation.
Yes, huge; we had to cut our overheads to survive.

Have those measures been a benefit?
I firmly believe when we look back on this recession this will have been a very beneficial exercise. The good times can create waste, but by making cuts we have streamlined our business so that we can operate more efficiently in all areas.

So what is the core of your business now?
Well, we have diversified. We were so busy with conveyancing that it was difficult to spend time developing other areas. Now we have been forced to look at new revenue streams, and personally I spend a great deal of time dealing with breaches of banking law. It is an exciting expansion for Arscotts and our litigation department. The investment that we have made in this area is now reaping rewards.

Is conveyancing still a major part of what you do?
Absolutely. The amount of transactions steadily grew in 2009 and we were very happy with the year in general. We are very optimistic for 2010, but we are also aware that things will not return to pre-2007 levels for some time.

Some of your ideas were a bit adventurous...
Yes, we marketed aggressively and formed strong links with local estate agents and mortgage brokers.

Did you see other solicitors follow suit?
There does seem to have been a change in attitude from local solicitors in that they do appear to be more marketing aware. I wouldn’t say that this is because of us, but there has definitely been a shift in mentality in this respect.

You advertised extensively.
Yes, but we had a very solid marketing plan; it was a measured campaign with targets, and I’d like to think we created a strong brand that people are aware of.

You are about to restyle your branding, why is that?
It was time for a change and we wanted a new and modern approach to set us aside from the competition. The new look is brighter: an electric blue with new typography. It’s a stronger and more contemporary look for the new decade.

So is Arscotts changing its approach to business?
Recent legislation enabling non lawyers to own law firms within the next few years will undoubtedly change the way that legal services are provided. It is likely that the large corporations will look to become involved in the legal market and the traditional law firm is facing huge challenges ahead. In order to survive these coming years it is really important that we work extremely hard to build on what we have achieved as well as be innovative in our approach for the future.

And what next?
We have lots of new ideas, and I’m genuinely excited about the challenges ahead. We plan to make the office far more ecological and paper free. Law is not quite ready for that, but we hope to find ways of really cutting down. We are lucky to have fantastic staff and we will be working from a very strong base. We are determined to keep working on improving the service we provide to clients

Arscotts Solicitors, 54 Lansdowne Place, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 1FG, 01273 735289, www.arscotts.co.uk