First4Lawyers takes golden glory with support from Gordons

Huddersfield-based First4lawyers is celebrating after achieving the prestigious Investors in People gold accreditation at the first attempt.

Sheena Pickersgill, a people and change consultant with Gordons, worked with the First4lawyers team, led by managing director Qamar Anwar, to align their business objectives with people development and engagement to create a positive, high performing workplace culture.

First4lawyers is a leading legal marketing collective specialising generating personal injury, medical negligence and general legal enquiries for solicitors. Established in 2008, the company represents an expanding panel of over 50 law firms including many of the country’s top 100 practices. First4Lawyers receives over 100,000 enquiries every year and helps consumers find the right type of lawyer for their legal needs. From helping someone who has sustained an injury from an accident which was someone else’s fault seek redress for the damage they have sustained, through to helping people with family matters such as child custody or divorce cases.

Formed in 1991, Investors in People was established by the UK Government to help organisations get the best from their people. Accreditation is recognised across the world as a mark of excellence with organisations undergoing a demanding and objective assessment to determine if they meet the criteria for an IIP standard.

The gold standard is the highest level of accreditation from Investors in People and follows an in-depth analysis of employee welfare, engagement, training and development. First4lawyers gained the award within six months of their initial audit taking place.

Commenting on their achievement, Qamar said: “We are extremely proud of this accreditation which recognises our strong efforts to support our highly valued employees in any way that we can. Our staff are at the heart of making our company a success and this accreditation reinforces our positive workplace culture and commitment to the training and development of our people.

“Gordons, and Sheena in particular, has been an integral part of our success in achieving the gold standard so quickly. She has a great understanding of our business which enabled her to develop a tailored plan to ensure we were able to meet each of the indicators required to meet the standard.”

First4lawyers seeks to set itself apart from the competition with its ethical approach to providing legal and marketing services. Rather than purchasing data leads, cold calling potential claimants or canvassing via text messages, the company raises awareness of its services through its TV adverts, fronted by TV presenter and former tennis player Andrew Castle. First4lawyers also diligently follows up on claims to check clients are happy with its procedures and results.

Sheena added: “We worked together to build the foundations of a high performing workplace culture which has clear vision and core values that are shared and lived by employees every day.

“Achieving the Investors in People gold standard is something that any organisation should be truly proud of. It is the sign that a company is truly committed to good people management practice, and First4lawyers has clearly demonstrated that they have strong capabilities in this field.”