inspirational leaders
june/july 2017 business edge
Rapid growth underpinned by a sense of caution These are boom times for Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter as it takes advantage of the South East’s strong economic performance to grow at a rapid pace. Overseeing the process is Dean Orgill, who is a Partner within the Litigation Department and has been Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter and a Premier member of Sussex Chamber for the past six years. Specialising in dispute resolution, he has been with Mayo Wynne Baxter since 1987, acting for local, national and international businesses as well as protecting their intellectual property rights and brands. He initially became Managing Partner of Wynne Baxter Godfree in 1999 and, when a merger formed Mayo Wynne Baxter, he went on to become its Chairman in 2011. Dean has overseen a period in which the firm continues to take on new people to cope with a growing demand for its legal services. Underlying the desire for growth, however, is also a sense of caution and a respect for the history of the firm which can trace its beginnings back well over a century. Dean said: “We are growing as a business through a mixture of acquisition and organic growth but it is important to us that we do it in a profitable and sustainable way. “Parts of the business are more than one hundred years old with some dating back to the 1800s and we are very conscious of the responsibility that we have. “That means that we make sure that we grow in a way that allows the firm to remain secure. We take a very long-term approach to growth. “The result is that we have grown relentlessly but not spectacularly and, when it comes to acquisitions, it matters to us that the firms we acquire can add something to what we do and that we can add value to their operations. ”It also helps that we are based in the South East because the local economy has been performing well and the area has not really seen any significant impact from Brexit - yet.” The combination of a strong local economy area and a well thought-out strategy means that the firm now has more than 220 Partners and staff, working across a range of sectors from offices in Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne, East Grinstead, Forest
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Row, Gatwick, Pulborough, Seaford and Storrington. Another important factor in its success is a strong commitment to the customer, something it is keen to retain however large the firm becomes. Indeed, the firm secured the Investors in People Award, which recognises its commitment to staff development and professional training. Dean said: “We are experiencing growth across all sectors but as we grow bigger we need to retain a good quality of service as well. “We work hard on customer care and place great store on the building of relationships because people buy from people. “If you look after people, they will keep coming back to you, and we do have a lot of retained business. “Similarly, if you do not take care of people, they will not come back to you and they will tell their friends why, so you will lose work. “We seek out feedback, including doing mystery shopping on ourselves, and we act on what we find out because we are always seeking to improve.” There is also a strong community ethos in the firm. In the wider business community, for example, Dean Chairs the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership and sits on the Greater Brighton Economic Board, the European Structural Investment Fund committee of the Coast to Capital LEP and has just taken over as Chair of the Institute of Directors for Sussex. For more than three years he was a Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative Limited, where he chaired the Inspire group focusing on training and skills, and he was also President of Sussex Law Society for 2011/12. He said: “It is important that we are part of the business community. A lot of my job as Chairman of the firm is to be outwardfacing and to represent us in the wider business world.” Dean is optimistic for the future of the firm. He said: “We have learned that you have to continually adapt to changing circumstances. No one, for example, saw the financial crash of 2008 coming, so you have to be ready to respond to what is happening but we have a strategic growth plan. “You will never find a solicitor being too optimistic – we are by nature a cautious breed - but I would say that I am cautiously optimistic for the future of Mayo Wynne Baxter.”
www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk
“We are experiencing growth across all sectors but as we grow bigger we need to retain a good quality of service as well. We work hard on customer care and place great store on the building of relationships because people buy from people. ” Dean Orgill | Mayo Wynne Baxter
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