London: 50 years and beyondx
OEP Melissa Butler talks about the past, present and future of the London office as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The Firm marked 50 years in London on 1 October 2021 – five decades that have been notable for rapid growth and constant evolution. As the office looks ahead to its next chapter, Office Executive Partner Melissa Butler talks about the story so far and her priorities for the future.
When Jim Hurlock was appointed head of White & Case’s first London office in 1971, he could barely have imagined how successful the Firm’s forward-thinking vision would be.
Over the five decades that have followed, London has become central to the Firm’s international growth story, with numerous achievements and successes along the way.
OEP Melissa Butler explains: “The story of London has been one of continual growth, particularly in respect of our strength in English law, from the very early days when we hired Francis Fitzherbert-Brockholes as our first English-qualified lawyer in 1979, to the full-service office we see today.
“With more than 800 people, the London office can’t be considered a branch of a US law firm – it’s an international force to be reckoned with in its own right.
“Over the years, we’ve managed to combine the best of a US and English law firm in one, but with the unique quality of being truly international.”
The London office has adapted and thrived through several major challenges, from the global financial crisis in 2008 through to Brexit and the current pandemic.
Melissa says: “I joined in 2006, just ahead of the financial crisis and, while it was tough for us and the entire market, we learnt a lot that prepared us for the turbulence of the current pandemic.
“But the development of the office has been as much down to our clients and matters as major events. Our clients, especially in emerging markets, have played a big part in who we are.”
While Brexit created huge uncertainty, it also opened new opportunities.
“Change brings opportunities for lawyers,” says Melissa, “but only if you’re prepared to innovate and do things differently.
“The transition back to the office is more complicated. We still need to prioritize the safety of our people, while recognizing that being apart can have an impact on our mental health.”
“I think we figured that out a long time ago and, while there have been some growing pains as we’ve gotten used to changes on the admin side, Brexit has created plenty of new work in the trade and regulation space.”
Of course, Covid-19 also brought its own unique challenges, but Melissa is proud of the way the office has excelled in difficult times. In fact, London was the biggest contributor to the Firm’s financial success in 2020.
Melissa says: “The volume of work people undertook last year was phenomenal.
“Of course, everyone was concerned about the pandemic, but we adapted quickly and mobilized, delivering at a pace I’ve never seen before.
“One of my main concerns was how we’d maintain our cohesiveness and team spirit, but we spent a lot of time communicating and we shared sides of ourselves that people had never seen before – our families and homes. The bonding was excellent.”
While the future impact of Covid-19 is hard to predict, London is now meeting its next challenge – creating a new working model that allows for flexibility and prioritizes wellbeing, while retaining and building on the office’s close community spirit.
“In many ways,” says Melissa, “the journey back to the office is going to be a lot harder than when we switched to remote working.
“Then, our decisions were based around one thing: looking after the health and wellbeing of our people while still helping our clients.
“The transition back to the office is more complicated. We still need to prioritize the safety of our people, while recognizing that being apart can have an impact on our mental health.
“…in the coming years, we want to pave our own path, stop comparing ourselves to other firms and embrace who we are.”
“Equally, we’ve got to start building on the cohesive culture we have as a team while not rushing to ‘get back to normal’.
“Instead, we need to use the pandemic as an opportunity to reset how we interact with each other as a partnership and as an office – really thinking about how we can live our values and how we can implement them in everything we do.
“For this reason, our new way of working will likely look very different from how we worked before the pandemic.”
The London office recently launched its 2024 Vision, mapping its strategy for the next four years.
Melissa says: “We launched the 2024 Vision to help drive our contribution to the Firm’s 2025 Strategy.
“Part of the vision is to focus on a culture of belonging at every level. We want leaders who are building relationships and mentoring teams, and we want our people to feel proud to work in the London office of White & Case.
“We also want to continue building our identity, because we’re not the same as other US firms or the UK magic circle.
“So, in the coming years, we want to pave our own path, stop comparing ourselves to other firms and embrace who we are.”
“I’m privileged to have been a part of the London growth story and to have seen us transform into an office that’s well regarded worldwide and a true alternative to (if not better than) the Magic Circle in London. What we’ve achieved is down to the excellence, diversity, drive and ambition of our people and our determination to do things the right way consistent with our values: Pioneering, United, Human. Throughout, a key strength has been our appreciation of how the London office fits in with the Firm’s global strategy. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the coming years as we put even more focus on giving our clients the best possible experience of the Firm whenever they need us and making sure we attract and retain the very best people.”
OLIVER BRETTLE, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND LONDON OEP BETWEEN 2008 AND 2018
Embracing the Firm’s 2025 Strategy by putting the client experience at the heart of everything the office does is another priority.
Melissa says: “The client experience is fundamental – it’s who we are, it’s what we do – but we want to take that to the next level.
“There’s a lot we need to do to achieve a great client experience, but it all comes down to the old adage: ‘how would you want to be treated?’ and making sure we meet that expectation every time.”
Melissa also appreciates the need for the office culture to keep evolving as the London office seeks to attract and retain the best talent.
“We have to be attractive to future recruits and we want to retain our existing talent, so we’re constantly looking at improving how we do things.”
She says: “We have to be attractive to future recruits and we want to retain our existing talent, so we’re constantly looking at improving how we do things.
“For instance, one thing we’re hoping to trial in the next few years is a change in our office plan configuration.
“We’re doing this based on the feedback of our London Experience team (comprising partners, associates and Business Services professionals) and consultants.
“Making that kind of change can be hard for those of us who are used to working in a different way, but we need to get out of the mindset that how we did things before is the way we have to keep doing things in the future. We have an opportunity to challenge ourselves and find a new way to work together, while taking stock of everything we have learned over the years, including during the pandemic.”
Following 50 years of success, the London office is well placed to continue to excel in the future.
Melissa says: “Ultimately, we want to ensure the London office is a centre of English law excellence and expertise to our clients and other White & Case offices around the world, providing a great client experience wherever they are. That’s hugely important and will be the foundation of our future success.”
After careful consideration, the office has delayed its main 50th anniversary party until next year due to the uncertainty of Covid-19, but it held smaller events (each themed around a different decade) leading up to the day of the anniversary on 1 October.
The London team also made £50,000 donations to three charities chosen through a London colleague vote: the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (our Windrush scandal compensation pro bono project partner, which is also helping those arriving from Afghanistan); KIDS (which supports disabled children and their families); and Whitechapel Mission (a homeless shelter for men and women serving the local community in East London).
