Protecting great culture at a global law firm 

Challenge 

HR and the Office of the General Counsel of a global elite law firm asked us to help partners, leaders, and associates across Europe and the Middle East embed the firm’s values in their teams. The challenges were:  

  • Credibility | Demonstrate the expertise and relevance necessary for busy professionals to turn up and generate the positive reputation needed to drive attendance. 

  • Engagement | Make a ‘mandatory’ compliance-based session so engaging that even the most time-pressed people could make changes. 

Approach 

The firm’s goal was to promote a positive workplace culture where issues didn’t fester and were addressed deftly. 

  • Homemade | The programme had to reflect the day-to-day reality of life at the firm, while also including some outlier scenarios. With the client’s help, we made the content true to life. It worked: the pilot session hit the mark. 

  • Openness | The strategy was simple: ensure everyone was heard. Our approach surfaced differences and questions safely, deepening mutual understanding and increasing buy-in.

  • Contagion | The success of the initial sessions increased demand. The training was run successfully across Europe and the Middle East. 

Results

  • Demand | As a major programme, HR leadership attended every session. We were all thankful that it gained a positive reputation quickly, and we were asked to return to offices such as Paris. Feedback indicated that the sessions were enjoyable as well as useful, and not a painful "trip to the dentist." 

  • Impact | Participant feedback was excellent and focused on the connection in the room, the open discussion and the practical impact. For example, the partner in charge of one office said, "This is the best training we have ever received, and probably the best training in my life," while a senior associate noted, "I’ve done training like this numerous times before at other firms. This was the best by far." 

  • Collaboration | We now work with the firm across a range of topics, as well as providing individual support.