Director, Clarity Simplicity
www.completeclaritysolicitors.com
What does the company do?
A full-service law firm covering all areas of civil law.
Where is it based?
Glasgow
Turnover
£1.25 million pa
Briefly outline your working day
My day kicks off with a daily muster – an entire team call – which takes place via Zoom. It’s become an integral part of our day.
We endorse a work life balance; so, typically, I’m logging on for 9am and aiming to be off as close to 5 as possible.
Working days generally fall in to two categories – Working from Home (WFH) days and in the office. I am typically in the office two or three days. Then I car share with my partner and dog, Fernie, parking further away from the office to give Fernie a chance to stretch her legs. At lunchtime it’s a walk around Kelvingrove park which is a valuable middle of the day reset and often when I have my best ideas.
On days that I’m WFH, dog walking still takes place pre work and at lunch but we are then down on the beach for the dog to have a run around.
What are the biggest challenges facing your business right now?
Recruitment – we want to bring quality team members on board to join our exceptionally strong team. Conditions since 2020 have made us a very close-knit team and one where we want to protect the dynamic while ensuring our ongoing expansion.
What should be done to overcome these challenges?
Ensure that there are open platforms for recruitment, accessible to all to ensure a good ‘match’ between employer and employee.
Has the Scottish Government called it right on taxes?
No. I can’t see that those who are needed to grow a strong Scottish economy are receiving support from the current government through its taxation strategy.
Has Brexit impacted on your business?
The impact for us has been relatively minimal on a day to day level, though we do find that there are certain discrete areas that have been impacted.
Do you support plans for a workplace parking levy?
This would only be justified if it could be seen, on a practical and clear basis, that tangible improvements could be identified that directly impact our team. Otherwise, in the current climate, it’s difficult to justify an additional spend particularly for small to medium sized business and my preference would be to make investment of additional funds directly to help my team make environmentally sound choices.
Do you use public transport?
Yes, though not as my primary source of transport which tends to be car sharing.
Do you think this is the right time to call an independence referendum?
No. With the current internal difficulties of the SNP it is difficult to see how any referendum could lead to a successfully independent Scotland being established in what are already unsettled times.
What do you drive? Is it petrol or electric? What would make you switch to electric?
I have just received delivery of an electric car. It was first ordered in August 2022 so I’m pleased to finally have it.
What are your short- and long-term goals?
Short term goals – to expand the team and to continue to encourage our diverse practice offering.
Long term goal is to have a practice that is the best place for our team to work- allowing them to be the best they can be – which in turn ensures excellent delivery of services to our clients.
Do you favour a four-day working week?
I favour a non-prescriptive working week focused on achieving goals rather than a strict clock watching approach. I find that no two people work in an identical way and seek to encourage a flexible approach to working that recognises and meets that individual’s preferences.
What is your company doing to support the green agenda? Have you increased or decreased your commitment?
We try to adopt a green focus and continue to do so. One practical example has been our encouragement of flexible/hybrid working. During Covid we moved from being entirely office based to entirely remote working.
As lockdown wound down an easy path would have been to return to entirely office-based practice because that is what we had always known, but one of the reasons for having chosen not to do so – and instead adopt the hybrid model we today operate – was to reduce our environmental impact as a business by reducing the need for travel for our team members.
Are you a purpose-led company? If so, how?
Yes – and our purpose is our motivation to be the best we can be. It’s something my co-director and I absolutely endorse and seek to nurture in each and every member of our team, as well as in every system and process we adopt in a business resulting in, we consider, our service to be simple but extremely valuable to our clients.
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