Nicholas Moore
Nicholas Moore, specialist employment lawyers, has discovered that working remotely means that its lawyers are more accessible to clients, lawyers are happier not commuting every day and they have reduced the firm’s carbon footprint. The firm has now expanded its environmentally friendly initiatives to other areas of their business.
The principal of our niche employment law firm, Nicholas Moore, left Osborne Clarke in Bristol in 2005. His wife's illness meant he had a choice of moving to Bristol or working nearer home, on the Devon/Somerset border. Nicholas chose the latter and decided to recruit other lawyers and support staff on the basis that they can also work without a commute to the office every day.
Encouraging remote working means that we do not have to restrict recruitment to those living locally. It allows us to achieve a proper work/life balance and reduce our carbon footprint, whilst at the same time making us more accessible to clients. Lawyers can easily respond to client queries during the time when they may normally be commuting to work or work with clients in other time zones with minimum disruption to family and private life.
We were keen that we do not restrict our efforts to reduce our environmental impact to remote working. We have therefore looked to reduce our environmental impact in as many areas as possible.
Remote working
Lawyers can work from home up to four days each week. Working from home alone saves well over 50,000 miles of travel each year. Apart from the travelling cost (particularly with increased fuel prices), this significantly reduces our carbon emissions.
Our lawyers are equipped with technology that allows them to work remotely exactly as they would from the office. Use of IP phones and the ability to divert easily to mobiles means that our clients can use the direct dial for each lawyer and reach them regardless of the lawyer’s location.
Our lawyers are all equipped with PDA phones for when we are away from our desks, so we can deal with e-mail wherever we are and clients can always contact us.
Secretarial and administrative support is sourced remotely where possible too
Supplies
We source as many as possible of our services and products locally, as transportation is something which can be easily overlooked when considering environmental impact. Paper contains recycled fibre from a mill accredited with international standard ISO 14001 (environmental management system).
Staff lunch together when in the office. Ingredients are organic and locally sourced.
Office waste
Confidential waste and packaging is shredded, used locally for animal bedding, and then composted. Toner cartridges are recycled, as are batteries.
If the firm can eliminate plastic packaging, it will have achieved zero waste to landfill.
Travel
As well as home working, the firm gives staff two days’ extra holiday per year if they drive to a European holiday destination instead of flying.
• Remote working can slightly increase costs for the firm, as IT support is needed for two sets of IT equipment and the initial outlay for the IT equipment is of course greater.
• Counterbalancing this, the ability of staff to work really effectively with full access to all resources when working remotely makes us very effective and productive.
• Meetings have to be really focused and effective. They can take place only on the days when we are all in the office.
• Clients find that lawyers are more available, for example, less involved in internal office meetings, not commuting either end of the day, and able if necessary to respond just as effectively whatever the hour of the day (or night!).
• A concerted effort has to be made to keep lawyers in regular contact with each other to avoid them feeling isolated. We encourage regular phone, email and instant messenger contact when working remotely. One day each week is designated 'all in'.
• Firms can make a contribution to reducing their environmental impact whatever their size. We are by far the smallest firm in the LSA, but we have still been able to take significant steps to be more environmentally friendly. Smaller firms should therefore not be discouraged!
• Our staff have real flexibility in where they carry out their work.
• We avoid the unnecessary carbon emissions of travelling to work every day, without it having any detrimental impact on the service to our clients. Our office is located in a rural setting so that travelling to work by public transport is not viable. On the plus side there are never traffic jams and no problems with parking!
• We generate minimal landfill waste.
• Staff are positively enthused by our environmental credentials and commitment. It is something that sets us apart and will be a constant theme as we build the business.