Slater Heelis soars with third shortlist announcement this month

The award-winning company is a finalist in the Law Firm of the Year (more than £6m turnover) category and the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiatives category, with the winner of each set to be announced during LawNet’s annual conference on the 10th November at Celtic Manor Resort, Newport.

This is the third shortlist announcement this month for Slater Heelis, who is celebrating 250 years in business, with the firm also making the shortlist in the Family Law Awards and the Manchester Young Talent Awards.

Commenting on the shortlist announcement, Managing Partner, Chris Bishop said: “This really is turning out to be a year to remember! We’re thrilled to make the shortlist for not one, but two of the LawNet categories, an accolade we would be so proud to hold.  

“This year our workforce has grown to its highest ever level in our 250-year history, there’s been a year-on-year rise in the number of fee-earning solicitors by almost 20%, and we’re projecting a 10%+ turnover rise for this financial year. This is all driven by our core value of providing excellence – for both our clients and our employees. We have a client focus ‘task group’ that works collaboratively and tirelessly to enable us to provide a customer-centric approach in all we do, fuelled by our knowledgeable and passionate 250-strong team and it is testament to each of them that we are in the finals.”

Over the last couple of years Slater Heelis has also put itself on the map as an employer, with its proactive approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) leading in its field via the formation of its own Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering committee.

Chief Marketing Officer, Kristen Drummond added: “Our EDI committee have done an amazing job in working with partners like the LGBT Foundation and the Legal Sustainability Alliance to implement some really important policies. From ensuring that work is a happy and safe experience for everyone to relocating two office locations into more energy efficient buildings to hit our sustainability goals. We’re delighted their hard work has been recognised in the ESG category and hope it’s enough to get the gold on the day.

“Every single one of our 250 employees plays such an important role in our success, so I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work for which we are so grateful. We’re looking forward to the annual conference in November and will keep everything crossed for a win!”

As part of its 250th anniversary year the firm has also embarked on a 250-day volunteer programme for its employees in which its team goes to specially selected charities to offer their time and support. In addition, it also announced a programme of 14 new fundraising partnerships including Friends of Rosie Cancer Charity and Sale Society for Abandoned Animals.

LawNet’s annual conference sees over 200 delegates attend with the focus this year being on the power of culture in the workplace. The awards are a cornerstone of the event as they look to recognise outstanding talent and achievements across the 10 different categories including; Excellence in Client Care and Business Support Team of the Year.