Built Over Time: Stories of Enduring Growth

Lewis Silkin

Making its own rules: how Lewis Silkin defies conventions

What mental image comes to mind when we think of a typical law firm? Maybe it starts with an imposing door and polished brass plate, giving way to impressive high-ceilinged offices, each with their own lawyer working within? In Dublin, Lewis Silkin is challenging some of those long-established legal sector clichés.

The firm expanded from its network of UK offices to set up in Dublin in April 2018 and took a more flexible approach to its physical office, with an open-plan space where everyone sits together, reflecting the firm’s flat organisational hierarchy. It carried over this unconventional thinking to how it works with clients as if they were colleagues, often consulting via video calls or replying quickly by email to say, “we’ve got this”.

It’s found a receptive market in Ireland. “We hit the ground running from day one of opening in terms of being busy,” recalls Linda Hynes, Employment Partner with the firm and one of the first to join the team in Ireland. “We started with an employment team of four on day one, and we’re now over  30 and one of the biggest employment teams in Ireland.”

Dublin destination driven by demand

The decision to set up a Dublin base was driven by demand from the firm’s existing multinational clients. The UK-based firm operates as a full-service practice, but much of its work is dedicated to employment law: an area that other international firms often treat as a complementary service.

The firm has enjoyed consistently strong revenue growth since opening in Dublin, building a portfolio that includes major technology and healthcare multinationals, creative agencies, gaming companies, retail and consumer brands and professional and financial services firms. Its clients today are a mix of international companies gained through its existing work, and more recently domestic businesses that heard about the firm’s growing reputation in Ireland.

Here’s how Linda describes Lewis Silkin’s team in Ireland: “We have the flexibility of a startup but the backing of a really strong brand and support from the UK. We operate very much as one firm: we’re not seen as a separate satellite office. We collaborate across the offices, and we’re very joined-up in how we do things,” she explains.

An original approach to the classic law office

Maybe the most striking departure from traditional legal norms is Lewis Silkin’s innovative approach to its physical presence. As the team naturally outgrew its initial base in 2023, the firm evaluated various options, including the classic own-door office. At the time, the business was growing rapidly, while simultaneously navigating the uncertain landscape of post-pandemic hybrid working.

Ultimately, Linda says the firm took the view that committing to a rigid 10- or 15-year lease would pigeonhole it during a dynamic stage of its development. Instead, decided on a serviced office model. Positive word of mouth from clients led it to Glandore, whose personal touch immediately resonated with the team at Lewis Silkin. “I had worked with some clients that had worked at Glandore and had good feedback. We found them really helpful, and we liked the fact that it’s a domestic family business,” Linda says. “The types of things Glandore could offer to our team, if we were to do them ourselves, would have been a lot of admin time that we didn’t have resources to devote to.”

The firm has also made use of other buildings in Glandore’s network to host breakfast briefings for clients, benefiting from a location in the heart of Dublin city centre while Glandore takes care of catering and room setup.

Managed growth, enabled by Glandore

It might be a slightly unconventional choice for a law firm, but it’s provided Lewis Silkin with the room to expand at its own pace. As headcount grew at the firm, Glandore simply allotted additional space and remodelled the physical layout to remove a wall and swap meeting rooms to accommodate more workstations.

Crucially, although Lewis Silkin occupies a shared Glandore building space at Leeson Close, it didn’t have to compromise on the client confidentiality that every law firm relies on. Glandore facilitated the installation of the firm’s own private IT networks, ensuring strict security. “One of the benefits of Glandore is how it’s different to working in some shared spaces where there’s no separation with other companies. We have our own separate spaces and our own meeting rooms,” Linda explains. “A lot of our clients are international, so we do a lot of meetings virtually,” she adds.

Swapping legal language for conversational communication

Another unconventional way Lewis Silkin works with clients is the style of language they use. Instead of imparting advice in dense legalese, its lawyers intentionally strip away jargon, providing clear advice that clients can apply in their business operations. “Easy to understand and easy to implement,” is how Linda puts it. The firm’s professionals also aren’t afraid to give their definitive opinion, frequently telling clients exactly what they would do if they were in their shoes.

“We treat a lot of our client engagements as if this is a colleague or a friend that we work with and they need our help. So, it’s about trying to get fast but practical and easy-to-understand advice to people… if we’re dealing with a client, what are their pressure points? Are they about to present to a board or are they going on a call with a major stakeholder in their business? Ideally, what we want is that clients can take our advice and present it within their business, almost as if it’s their own work,” Linda explains.

The team makes a point of breaking down the formal client-lawyer relationship into a kinder, more empathetic interaction: “not being too stuffy, not being afraid to ask your clients lots of questions about how their business works, about them personally, and then of course being kind in terms of how you think about what their pressures are,” Linda elaborates.

A human way of working

That human touch and simple communication is evident in little details like how the team responds to client emails. “If the client is coming to you with a question, it’s likely someone has asked them that question, so they’re going to be under pressure to get a response back. So, to try and help alleviate some of that stress, you say: ‘Look, I’ve got this. I’ll be back to you by 5:00 today or lunchtime tomorrow.’ You just really try and help manage those expectations for your client contact so that they can in turn manage their own stakeholders internally.”

This way of working is one Lewis Silkin takes pride in; it’s prominently displayed on its website, described in terms of reimagining the traditional culture of a law firm. Linda says the Dublin office has carried over this culture. “I explain this as a ‘sound’ law firm: that’s our ethos, to be a ‘sound’ colleague.”

And Lewis Silkin appreciates when one of its team takes the initiative or achieves promotion. “If someone has a new idea for an area of business, or has spotted a specialism with potential for growth, we encourage them to go for that and not to be afraid to fail. People have a lot of autonomy here,” says Linda.

That carefully nurtured culture ensures that the firm is well set for solid, continued growth into the future. “All of the team are so busy at the moment,” Linda confirms. “When times are good, employers need employment law advice and support; and they especially need it when things are bad! It’s quite a sustainable business by its very nature. We continue to have ambitious growth plans for Ireland and for Dublin. We’re quite an ambitious firm, so it’s onwards and upwards.”

Built Over time - Lewis Silkin