Meet Simon Smith – ILFM Legal Practice Management Course Tutor

What a pleasure it was for me to chat with Simon Smith, the Institute of Legal Finance & Management (ILFM)’s new Legal Practice Management Tutor.  I was able to gather understanding of Simon’s work history, and his journey through legal practice management, together with hearing how he’s looking forward to mentoring and tutoring those that come through the ILFM for the Legal Practice Management training.

It was obvious quickly into our conversation how high Simon’s emotional intelligence (EI) is, and why, when running a law firm, this EI allowed him to go from strength to strength as a leader.  Simon is totally modest and found it hard to accept any of my awe!

Why don’t we start off with how Simon would like to impart his knowledge for any students or delegates in Legal Practice Management training via the ILFM!

Simon knows that from running a busy legal practice, aside from the law and the compliance, it’s really the human problems and dealing with these that are a huge part of being a Legal Practice Manager. Being able to guide and train new Legal Practice Managers through their respective firm’s culture and what makes a great lawyer and law firm is integral to his expertise for the ILFM.

Work Experience of Simon Smith, ILFM Legal Practice Management Course Tutor

Sounds like a CV is coming, but don’t worry, this is a tale of a talented person whose experience has led him to us here at the ILFM.

Simon kick started his career as trainee working in a Family Law Practice. He saw that firm prosper substantially with a progressive and caring team that organically grew. Quite soon into his career, Simon became the Managing Partner, whilst he was still a fee earner.

Splitting his time between these two heavy roles soon became untenable and Simon realised that within their culture he had to concentrate on managing the firm and building a respectful dialogue in that practice.

Never one to shy away from issues of managing a law firm, Simon says he threw himself into legal practice management and away from fee earning as a matter of fluidity. Within the firm, Simon was the person with the experience plus an innate ear that people turned to either for reference, personnel issues or compliance concerns.

After 20 years at that firm, it was time for Simon to head over to another legal firm based in Cambridgeshire with his skillset and joined as an equity partner where he honed his practice management skills even further.

In these 30-plus years now working in law, Simon has witnessed the dawn of a new era of digitalisation, with the need for new technology and software. More aggressive fraudsters, cybercriminals and money laundering criminals are targeting legal firms through online strategies and digital means, especially legal transactional matters, which are a day-to-day concern. Simon and the ILFM are fully aware of the never-ending concerns for legal finance and legal practice managers when it comes to being targets for this sort of crime.

Banks have been going online and moving away from the “high street” for a while now and accounts departments have had to change. Bookkeeping has had to change too Simon, has seen the need for specialist bookkeepers - legal cashiers - having to deal with hard-hitting problems from a compliance angle.

Managing a law firm practice came naturally to Simon. He said his years with big financial settlements and complex family law accounting issues, dovetailed with overall compliance shifts, the digital dawn (and increasing threats from fraudsters targeting client money accounts in law firms) became his passion and he threw himself into this path of creating a place of respect, excellent due diligence, and internal training for all.

Simon’s depth of knowledge, when it comes to managing risk in a law firm, is what drew the ILFM and Simon to each other. He has seen so many professional changes and critical issues requiring swift resolution through the changing years; it makes his Legal Practice Management Course with the ILFM that bit more unique. Yes, the course discusses the technical aspects of law, but it’s Simon’s guidance on how to manage risk and how to earn trust from your partners and colleagues that will inspire you.

Law Firm Culture and Leadership

What makes a great Legal Practice Manager? Simon will guide all delegates on his courses through this question.  Here’s just a few takeaways that will be on the course:

Trust as a Practice Manager in a Law Firm

Trust, to Simon, is the main factor of being a great Legal Practice Manager, he touched on this a few times when we spoke, but trust indeed transcends all the branches of an LPM’s role.  Those coming to study with the ILFM will, no doubt, already have all the technical work mastered, but “trust” is the one quality that can make or break a great Legal Practice Manager.

How to gain trust? Join the course and be guided by Simon.

Risk Management as a Legal Practice Manager of a Law Firm

Risk management in a law practice has always been about mitigating risk, but Simon says it’s now more about a broader, holistic style of managing risk. This is what Simon looks forward to imparting with the ILFM course delegates.

Demonstration of Value as a Legal Practice Manager

Learning a skillset around authority to demonstrate an LPM’s value to a law firm is a must. It follows on from the arm of “trust”. You will know in your own field of law whether it’s in need of someone to overhaul the structure, the organisation, the software efficiency, the resilience of a firm.  Armed with technical skills, a good manager and therefore, leader, needs to earn respect. This shouldn’t be under the arm of an iron fist, but exceptional human deliverable skills especially when it comes to communication and integrity.

Adapt, inspire and always be present – lead upward and show up.

Simon Smith

Taking the initiative to develop these skills and help existing colleagues fill in their own gaps of growth.

Takeaways from Simon as an ILFM Legal Practice Management Tutor

Everybody has a driver when working in law, whether it be:

• Money
• Kudos
• Technical skills
• Helping a client

If you are a Legal Practice Manager, it is your job to use your emotional intelligence (Simon loves a Myers-Brigg exercise) to its highest degree. With that skill comes trust, and if you are a trusted manager and can demonstrate effectively how you can add value to your colleagues and your clients, the technical skills you already have come easily into play.

What makes a good law firm?  When the leaders within a firm can learn how to deal with issues with a forensic and robust ability to flex, resolve and deal with human problems with empathy and understanding.

Simon Smith, the Person

I could have talked for hours with Simon; his warmth and enthusiasm are infectious! Not only have we snaffled Simon to oversee the Legal Practice Management courses at the ILFM, but he’s also a busy man with his non-exec roles. We talked about the housing crisis and local authorities where he helps on a practical level. He says the solicitor and family lawyer in him never goes away!

“I love the intellectual chat”, Simon replied when I asked why he’s so invested in the ILFM and on a variety of Boards or non-exec roles.  He’s a post-grad assessor for international banks working with mid-tier bank employees (helps with behaviour and culture together with psychology in different roles); works with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary (vetting and auditing risk); has non-executive roles within the Government including the Home Office. Phew! We are lucky to have him.

His face really lit up when he talked about classic cars and rescue dogs. Simon loves his old Mercedes, the quality, the engineering – literally “the best or nothing”. 

We ended our chat talking about rescue dogs, and Simon works with some charities from Romania. If you love animals (who doesn’t?!) then you will totally understand Simon’s passion.

So, it’s a big welcome to Simon from everyone at the ILFM.