It was 9.30am on a refreshingly chilly Thursday morning in London, and myself and fellow trainee Jamie Bourne had just been made Partner! Well, the two partners of ‘The Whirling Girlings’. This simulated law firm which we were now running included all of the typical challenges a real law firm faces day to day from recruiting staff to managing cash flow yet we still faced stiff competition from other trainees running similar simulated firms as part of The Business Cup 2015.

This course formed part of the Professional Skills Course which all Girlings' Trainees must complete during a training contract. Just think the Monopoly board game with a law firm twist and that is what was weaved in throughout the day. It was designed to make us aware of the different skills involved in running a law firm and the criteria a lawyer must keep in mind, from profitability, client contentment, quality of service to thwarting the competition. As the smallest of the teams, Jamie and I were in it for the long haul and set ourselves long-term objectives such as gradually increasing staff and building our brand. Little did we know in our time running The Whirling Girlings we would face a recession and there would be competitors who would offer bargain basement prices for lesser quality work who would try and lure some of our clients away (albeit temporarily no doubt!).

However, as the years passed, our firm grew and prospered. Careful planning and a brilliantly executed strategy to mitigate risk associated with change allowed us to come out of the recession relatively unscathed. We successfully built up a strong client base who sought expert legal insight, fantastic client service and real value…..much like the ‘real’ Girlings.