We’ve been back in the office since the 10th of June. As an essential service (don’t laugh – lawyers matter!) we decided to open the offices quietly to allow some of our people come in for a day or two each week.  No clients, no COVID parties.  Just a chance to breathe and get away from the stale routine.  The city is quietly opening up and we’ve never enjoyed coffee and lunches (in the socially distanced canteen) so much.  We’re shopping local and supporting the other businesses who are slowly cranking back into life again. Nobody is complacent, everyone is careful but it feels great to see and chat with colleagues in real life. The technology has been great but it’s still a poor substitute for a chat and a casual laugh.

This last four months has been a fast forward experiment for all of us.  How do I dress for meetings?  Do I dress for meetings?  Is it rude to “mute” someone and blame the connection?  Can I do that in real life?  Will our people feel supported? How much communication is too much?  How do we keep our culture alive and thriving in remote, difficult times?  Thanks to brilliant people and some occasional fancy footwork, we can. Like Shaws, in an instant, Leman has gone almost nationwide.  Whilst clearly we’ve a blind spot for Sligo, Mayo and Donegal, we’ve been managing to run this business from some unlikely but fantastic sub-offices.  Who knew we’d need an outlet in Pomeroy, Tyrone?  Well we do and we have one. Need Leman in Waterford – we’re there too!  I expect a lot of businesses have had the same experience. The work is getting done differently, but it’s really happening.  Let’s not go back to the “same ol’ same ol'”. If anyone thinks the future will be the exact same as before, think again and come into town.  It’ll take half the time and you won’t be stuck for parking. We’ve kicked off technology challenges, bake offs, lean projects, art competitions and all sorts of new and exciting initiatives to keep our people connected and moving forward together in a very difficult time.

It has been very rewarding and surprising at times.  Everyone is adapting quickly and learning as they go. Let’s keep supporting each other and our clients in this and we’ll pull through it. Meanwhile, we’re recruiting – applications welcome from the West!