LegalTechTalk Uncovered Ep 6 – Harri Davies  

Transcript

Robert Hanna: Welcome to the Legally Speaking Podcast, LegalTechTalk Uncovered mini-series powered by Clio. Please introduce yourself.

Harri Davies: I’m Harri Davies, Associate Director at Aspiring Solicitors.

Robert Hanna: And it’s great to have you on the show. I know we followed each other’s journeys on social for a long time and we’re big fans of what you’re getting up to over at Aspiring Solicitors. How are you finding the conference?

Harri Davies: It’s been brilliant, absolutely huge. Biggest one I’ve been to since the pandemic, no doubt. And just a massive variety, diversity of professionals, employers. It’s really interesting discussions and I was running into you. It was a pleasure.

Robert Hanna: Yeah, absolutely. They all say that. I joke, of course. So can you describe a bit more of your focus and what you’re kind of really doubling down on?

Harri Davies: So we’re a social enterprise and we’re about creating opportunity. We want to help the best diverse talent access the profession, not just private practice, but also in-house opportunities. And this legal profession is changing quickly. We want to equip our members, all from the four main diverse groups, with the skills, experience, ambition, to really be at the forefront of changes in this profession and be at the forefront of the talent that’s helping it transform into modern practices, AI, which is the word you’ve probably heard a million times today, and other areas. And it’s been great to meet so many in-house counsellors and other lawyers that want to support us in that mission.

Robert Hanna: Yeah, and again, you really are doing the doing and walking the talk as well. The fact that you’re at these conferences, you’re networking, you know, like you say, the profession is changing. And unless you’re going to go and acquire the information or get access to people that are those change makers, it’s never going to happen. So I love that you’re here. I love that you’re championing it. I love everything you stand for. But it’s never easy. And there are always challenges whenever you have a bold mission or you’re trying to drive something. So, what are some of the challenges you specifically identified and how are you going about addressing them?

Harri Davies: For us, it’s about empowering people that care about diversity to make a difference. Those are the people that enable these impact schemes to happen and ensure that results are happening. It’s about ensuring that in this crowded space, that we’re measured by the fact that these individuals are going and becoming the top performers in their firm. One individual that we supported was the first in his family not to have gone to prison on the male side, and now he’s the top billing associate at a US firm we work with in London. That is the sort of story that’s happening time and time again. And so for us, it’s about how do we marry up those ambitious people in this profession that want to open the doors, that want to lift people up, that want to make a difference. And I’m pleased to say that a number of those people are in the room here today and a lot of exciting talks are in place to launch more initiatives.

Robert Hanna: Yeah and just listening to that, I can’t help but want to support what you’re doing. I just think it’s fantastic, but obviously there’s more all of us can be doing. Back to the conference, obviously there’s a big buzz in the air. What’s been a standout moment for you thus far?

Harri Davies: I had a really good talk earlier about the power of listening. Of course, you and I are talking, everyone around us is talking, but ultimately the way you can become a really good leader and how you can really develop the strongest relationships is how well you can listen. One exercise you took away was to say, try and have two or three minutes of silence a day. It made me laugh. I live in central London, and I used to live in Bristol, we used to get a lot more silence. I know you’ve just moved to Manchester yourself, so you know what it’s like, but, I think there’s a lot in that. I think that’s something that’s overlooked in this polarising society where we’re not listening to each other as much as we could be. For me today, it’s about listening to what these leaders want to achieve in ED&I and how we at AS can support them in those objectives and in that mission.

Robert Hanna: Yeah, I love that. Two ears, one mouth. And there’s a big difference between listening and active listening. And it’s so important to understand that it’s a skill that we should all be working on. I’ve been in the world of entrepreneurship and sales for over a decade, and I say the best salespeople are the best listeners and genuinely listen to kind of understand what are those needs, what are those wants. It could be the turn, it could be their tone, it could be that change of pace, it could be an emotion, all of those little 1% things that you can pick up from active listening, so so powerful in terms of building rapport and a relationship. I think I listened to your last point. You mentioned about listening skills. What are your future plans then, Aspiring Solicitors? You’ve talked about it.What are you guys getting up to? And where can people find out more about what you’re getting up to? Feel free to shout out on your social media handles, any website links too.

Harri Davies: Thanks, Rob. Ten years AS was founded, and in our 11th year, there’s a difference between getting in and getting on, and it’s like getting on aspect that we are increasingly putting more time towards. We work with BCLP and a number of other firms with giving coaching and support to current trainees and newly qualified lawyers. And already we’re seeing massive impact in terms of how they are performing on the metrics on the career development framework, that’s meant that a number of people across the firms we work with that might not have been retained are now actually in a position where they’re wanted by the business. So for us is expanding that aspect is for ensuring that our alumni continue to feel supported because there’s other things beyond performance that impact your enjoyment and your progression within a firm. So for us is continuing to provide that support, to be that trusted third party is giving them that feeling that there’s someone always backing them. There’s always someone that’s got the best interests at heart. So for us is continue to expand that. Continue to expand on the number of in-house teams we work with, whether that’s the likes of Revolut, Meta. There’s another big tech company we’re very close to, hopefully getting over the line. I’m really looking forward to sharing that with you in the next few weeks. And so for us, that is a huge focus going forward, alongside the very strong partnerships we have with private practice and the ones that make a real difference to diverse talent that’s fulfilling their potential.

Robert Hanna: Fantastic. Yeah, no, we absolutely support that. And it’s the best place for people to find you, LinkedIn or website?

Harri Davies: LinkedIn, yeah, aspiringsolicitors.co.uk and our Instagram, Aspiring Solicitors, also a good place to find out about our latest opportunities.

Robert Hanna: Fantastic. Well, thanks so much, Harri. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you on the Legally Speaking Podcast, doing it in person, doing it live and wishing you all the best and everyone at AS for what you’re getting up to. But now from all of us on the show, over and out.

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Over and out!