People have the powerx
When it comes to future success, London OEP Melissa Butler is taking a people-centric approach. The Reporter spoke to Melissa to find out more.
Melissa Butler is clear about what motivates her most in her role as London office executive partner (OEP). “I’m inspired by people,” she says. “What’s great about the job of OEP is that it seems geared towards creating a really positive employee value proposition.
“As someone who’s benefitted from countless opportunities at the Firm, I want to ensure others have an experience that’s as good, if not even better”
“We’re a first-class team and can take a lot of pride from the work we’re winning and the matters and transactions we’re working on.”
Melissa succeeded Oliver Brettle last year and has enjoyed her first year as OEP.
“It’s been interesting, busy, but rewarding and empowering,” she says. “The year has flown by and I’m pleased to have the chance to contribute to the ongoing success story of this office.
“That comes with a lot of responsibility, because London is our second largest office and is so essential to the Firm’s global strategy.”
The London office has excelled in recent years, establishing a reputation as a legal powerhouse.
Melissa says: “We’re a first-class team and can take a lot of pride from the work we’re winning and the matters and transactions we’re working on.
“Highlights have included our work on the Richard Usher case in New York and the Nacala rail and port project in Mozambique and Malawi, both of which illustrate how our work often has a global reach.”
London’s rapid growth has not come at the expense of its culture though.
Melissa says: “I joined in 2006 and it’s fair to say the office is unrecognizable in comparison, but we’ve retained the same entrepreneurial spirit. During my time as OEP, I’d like to see us build on that.”
One way the office is doing that is through social mobility initiatives, intended to encourage young people from different backgrounds and areas of the country to enter a career in law.
Melissa says: “Increasing access to law is something I’m passionate about because our office should represent the diversity of the country and city we operate in.
“Law is often seen as a career only open to the select few, but we want to challenge that assumption because, if we don’t, we could be missing out on some incredibly talented people who are driven and hungry for success.”
Engagement is key
Another area Melissa is championing is office culture, as evidenced by the creation of a new Employee Committee.
She says: “We recently reconstituted the committee to ensure representation from both partners and associates and we also added a London Experience team with the remit of shaping the agenda for our office culture.
“I don’t believe a culture can be manufactured. It’s about engaging and letting people decide what matters to them, so they can drive the changes themselves.”
The London office’s charity partner, Place2Be, is further evidence of our focus on people. Place2Be provides resources aimed at tackling childhood mental health issues and our support aims to raise the charity’s profile as well as contributing via fundraising.
“I don’t believe a culture can be manufactured. It’s about engaging and letting people decide what matters to them, so they can drive the changes themselves.”
Melissa says: “I’m passionate about raising awareness of mental health issues and starting a debate because even the term ‘mental health’ doesn’t really reflect the breadth of the problem.
“In fact, it can be triggered by anxiety at home or work, alcohol abuse or simply a ‘work hard play hard’ culture. From an office perspective, I want to make sure people are comfortable talking about these issues and that we have the support on offer should someone need it.”
Award success
The past 12 months have been highly successful for the London team, culminating in several recent award wins. We won U.S. Law Firm of the Year 2019 at the Legal Business Awards in London and three awards at the International Financial Law Review Europe Awards.
These followed quickly after our successes at the Financial Times Innovation Awards.
Melissa says: “It’s great to get these awards as an endorsement of what we’re doing. The Legal Business award is particularly pleasing because it’s the first time we’ve won an office wide award from the UK legal trade since 2013.
“But winning awards should also inspire us to do even better.
“For instance, the FT Innovation Awards showcased our innovation on client service, where we scored significantly higher than the next best placed entrant. But equally I’m mindful that we didn’t even enter the categories for internal innovation, so we’re working to address that.”
With that in mind, the office has launched the Local Innovation, Future Transformation (LIFT) program to encourage a culture for workplace innovation.
Melissa says: “In the first instance, the program is about creating a buzz around innovation, for instance by trying out a block-chain currency in the office or running coding courses, so we start thinking differently.”
Global impact
In terms of current challenges and opportunities for the office, the uncertainty of Brexit and a focus on revenue growth are among the issues we face.
Melissa says: “Brexit continues to present a challenge, but our strength in Europe and the United States means we are much better protected for all eventualities than many other law firms, including the Magic Circle.
“Growth in London and New York are obviously critical to our global strategy and during the past year we’ve put a lot of focus into strategic recruitment, both laterally and through internal promotions, which will help us lay the foundations for continued future growth.”
