EMW – law without limits

Aiden Dunning, a partner at EMW’s Gatwick office, provides some insight into his background and why EMW’s approach to client service was a perfect fit for him.

When I joined EMW Law two years ago it felt like a new frontier for me. I’d worked as an in-house Lawyer in financial services for Legal & General, in publishing, working on titles like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Esquire and many other well-known brands, and also in advertising, working on the largest advertising concession in the UK as part of the portfolio that now sits within Global Media.  

More recently, I had broadened my area of responsibilty and I held Chief Operating Officer roles at two tech companies that then went through a growth and sale cycle. The companies I worked for were PLCs, private equity owned companies and owner-managed businesses, so I had experienced many different types of people and company structures.

During the first part of my career (which spanned 26 years by the way!) I had instructed external law firms as part of a blended approach to manage legal risks within these businesses. Wherever possible, I preferred to build teams that could deal with most of the legal work in-house. I would use law firms where the situation required specific areas of expertise or where we had so much work internally the team couldn’t cope with the volume without harming the quality of the service we provided to the organisation.  

One occasion stands out for me. We were working with external lawyers in the midst of a significant dispute with the largest customer of the business. That customer generated over 50% of the revenue for the International division (and around 80% of the revenue for the UK entity). It was high profile; so high profile that the dispute was a standing agenda point for the US-listed parent company. Bet the farm type stuff! There were two external law firms representing the business (one based in the City and the other based in the US) and the monthly fees were eye-watering. In spite of the huge costs involved, the firms added value to the business throughout the dispute and unlocked significant value when the matter was resolved. Since then, it has always been a mantra of mine that an investment in legal fees must add value to the business and I see this no differently now I am on the other side of that particular equation.

Turning back to my move to EMW, given my preference to build in-house teams, why would I make this move?  It is fair to say that I could possibly have spoken to many firms that I’d work with in the past to do so but it just felt like a different profession to me. It wasn’t a career goal of mine to be a partner in a law firm. It just wasn’t something I thought was for me!

My approach was always to look for opportunities to manage risk in the most pragmatic way. This might mean negotiating certain terms into agreements but it might equally mean looking at some practical steps the business might make. I wanted to continue to work with people and businesses in the same manner; providing commercially sensible and pragmatic advice based on my experience.

But, and this is a big BUT, EMW is different and refreshing. It is a business that is open-minded and, for me, this is where discussions about equity and inclusion must start.  In previous articles, the other partners in the EMW Gatwick office (Caroline Watkins and Daisy Waldren) have spoken about Women in Law and the value of relationships. It is important that we work with people (colleagues and clients) that we know, like and trust.  Within this kind of environment, it is easy to work hard and strive to build a community around the firm. I love the engagement we get from our breakfast sessions, bike rides and drinks on the terrace. It demonstrates that we are doing something right and the time spent with referral partners, collaborators and existing and potential clients at these events is invaluable to me.

All too often we are busy chasing a destination. Something we pre-determine as ‘success’. However, there have been several moments where I have caught myself in the moment and understood that you are more likely to feel that success as an emotion than you are if you are seeing it on a spreadsheet. Of course, if you are doing all the other things well and adding value to your client’s business then the other metrics should look after themselves.  Therefore, they should be seen more as a by-product than a goal.  

Although they are by-products, the awards we won recently at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards are a real indicator of our achievements. To be recognised for the Best Flexible Working Practice was a wonderful endorsement of the firm’s attitude. To also be nominated for Employer of the Year and for The Best Place to Meet meant the world to us.

I’ve just celebrated two years at EMW.  And it is a real celebration for me – I love every aspect of what we do as a team here.  We constantly look to build more relationships with local businesses and offer a great career path for those who chose to work with us. I’m very optimistic about what comes next for us.

https://www.emwllp.com/