Opportunities to grow your business rarely freely present themselves and when they do, frequently bring their challenges. Nick Dore, Managing Principal at Fisher Dore Lawyers in Brisbane, knows this better than most.
As a criminal defence lawyer able to produce seemingly impossible results in many high profile and high stakes legal matters, it is no surprise that Nick is a widely recognised and well-respected member of the legal community. Nick’s reputation and natural leadership instincts equipped him to turn what began as a modest-sized criminal law firm, into Australia’s leading criminal law firm. During the last couple of years the firm has met the needs of clients by adding new practice areas in Compensation and Migration and opening offices in five different locations across Queensland.
Background
Whilst growth in any business is viewed as a positive, Nick was wary of the challenges it presented. He was quick to seek the guidance of his long-term business advisor, Jason Bayliss, Partner at Pilot Partners.
“There is never a dull moment with Nick. He will often come to me with an opportunity to grow the business. As his business advisor, it is my role to evaluate these opportunities in light of any risks and challenges they present,” said Jason.
Business Solutions from Pilot
One of those challenges was working out the appropriate business structure. What was once a suitable structure for a smaller practice operation was no longer the ideal structure for a business looking to take on new partners and business owners. Nick was able to lean on Jason’s extensive business advisory and taxation knowledge in the legal profession, to ensure the practice was appropriately structured for future growth. Utilising a raft of available tax concessions ensured we were able to provide Nick with an effective transition to support his business expansion plans.
Fisher Dore Lawyers has grown from a practice of 20 staff to 45 staff in the space of five years. It was during this time that Jason introduced Nick to Adam Trew, a business advisory manager at Pilot Partners. Adam is part of the Pilot Go Advisory Team, an initiative to empower and educate businesses in the use of technology with a view to improving their processes. Jason saw this as a complementary fit in providing solutions to many of the challenges that Fisher Dore had faced during their periods of high growth.
As with many professional services firms experiencing high levels of growth, managing billings, work in progress and cash flow for five different branch offices proved challenging at times. “These are key drivers of the business and something we really needed to focus on. Luckily, Jason and Adam were able to put in place procedures and solutions so we now have more insight into how each branch is performing and I can be more strategic with my decision making,” said Nick.
The solutions were outcomes delivered from a review Pilot conducted of Fisher Dore’s business processes, systems and staff roles.
There are varying degrees of scale when it comes to these types of reviews, however Pilot worked closely with Nick on the specific focus areas that required improvement. Some of the Pilot solutions included:
- Transition of a dated accounting system to an easy-to-use modern software solution, including training with the relevant staff;
- Set up of branch reporting in the accounting software to provide insight into the performance of each branch;
- Introduction to Pilot’s Bookkeeping Division to improve efficiency and processing of transactions;
- Implementation of an expense management and document storage software to assist with processing efficiency, including integration with the accounting system; and
- Set up of tailored monthly management reports to focus on the key performance indicators of the business.
Looking Ahead
Like many businesses, Fisher Dore Lawyers has had challenges adapting to the changing business landscape, however they are determined to ensure their brand evolves and changes with the landscape. In addition, they will continue to focus on culture and constantly reviewing their Practice Management in the context of the evolving times.
About Fisher Dore Lawyers
Fisher Dore are Australia’s leading criminal law firm and have specialised in criminal defence since commencing.
The firm has three Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialists in Criminal Law. In addition, the firm has branched into the areas of Compensation and Migration over recent times. The Compensation team is also headed by a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law.
Fisher Dore believe in standing up for what is right and have helped thousands of people to get their lives back. The team of lawyers at Fisher Dore are well versed in representing not only individuals charged with criminal offences, but people, businesses and companies that are prosecuted by government agencies and regulatory bodies.
They support clients with matters big or small, including abuse and compensation law, appeals, assault charges, cyber and computer crime, drug charges, human rights, migration, professional misconduct, along with many other services.
The vision of the firm has always been to provide accurate, transparent and efficient representation for all those that require representation.
Learn more
To learn more about Fisher Dore Lawyers, visit fisherdore.com.au
To discuss how Pilot can help your business, contact Jason Bayliss or Adam Trew on (07) 3023 1300.