CEL Solicitors is pleased to announce that it is a finalist in the Growing Business Awards for Family-Owned Business of the Year. The award recognises family-owned UK companies that continuously exhibit exceptional growth.
The Growing Business Awards brings together and honours some of the UK’s most outstanding entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses. The awards show celebrates achievements over the last 12 months in areas including HR, disruption, diversity, customer loyalty, technology, and innovation.
The winner will be announced on 23rd November 2022, where the awards ceremony will take place at the Hilton London Bankside.
The creation of a family firm
When Jessica Hampson first set up CEL Solicitors, as a one-woman enterprise, she did it with a clear vision in mind; to disrupt the traditional legal model and create a modern and dynamic law firm where people wanted to work. Just 6 years on, joined by her husband Paul and a dynamic senior management team including her sister-in law, Laura and brother-in law, Stephen, CEL Solicitors has established itself as the UK’s number one law firm for civil litigation.
Investing in our people
Client care and delivery remains key to the future development of CEL Solicitors. Having previously been dubbed as the ‘Scouse Silicon Valley’ for our disruptive approach, we have truly embraced this title. We currently invest heavily in technology to achieve the most efficient and high-quality outcomes for clients, helping the business to grow, as well as modernising the legal sector, which can often be viewed as ‘traditional and stuffy’.
Determined to think outside the box and modernise, CEL Solicitors has brought in skills and experience from outside the profession to champion leadership across the firm. This includes employing a former warrant officer in the British Army who has served on operations around the world. Our staff performance coach, Tony, works closely with employees to develop managers’ leadership skills, coach staff on effective communications, implement empowerment, and lead a new mental health and wellbeing training programme.
Maintaining our culture
CEL Solicitors combines the high-end service of a large corporate firm with the heart and soul of a family firm. As we expand, one of the biggest challenges has been ensuring that the culture of the firm remains during rates of sudden growth. This is achieved by employing people who have real passion for the law and who embody the firm’s values of ‘People Before Profits’, ‘Celebrating Excellence in Law’ and ‘Gratitude is Our Attitude’.
CEL Solicitors’ main purpose is to provide a place that people can enjoy working – where their work is truly appreciated, and their efforts are rewarded. As our workforce expands, we strive to preserve our unique family-like culture. Each month Jessica will host ‘Culture Club’, where staff members can feedback on what they’d like to see introduced, maintained, or developed within the firm.
As part of our commitment to celebrate excellence and demonstrate gratitude, each week at CEL Solicitors a ‘snap hat’ will be passed round to each member of the firm, where they can write a comment praising their peers work. As staff gather in the ampitheatre on Friday afternoon, these comments will be read out; creating a sense of comradery and praise amongst one another.
Commenting on becoming a finalist, Owner and Director, Jessica Hampson, said:
“We are over the moon to be a finalist for the Family Business of the Year award. Not only do I have the privilege of working alongside my husband, but I am also able to work with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
When CEL Solicitors was in the works, I wanted to extend this bond to each member of the firm so that we could feel like one big family, so I am extremely appreciative for this recognition.
As a proud mother of two young girls, I created CEL Solicitors to leave a legacy for my daughters. It’s also important to me to have a firm that is female owned so that I can set an example for my children and future generations to come.”
