Inksters : 22 years later…

Twenty-two years ago today I formed and opened Inksters.

Inksters in the Beginning

Way back then it was just me and my PA, Fiona, in a small office in Oswald Street, Glasgow.

I decided to set up my own law firm, Inksters, as I was frustrated by the partnership model (although I had never been a partner in a law firm – but was an Associate in one at the time). As I saw it then (and I don’t think much has changed in that model since) law firms partners, on the whole, took a very short term view of their business. Their main priority seemed to be what they could get out of the business financially whilst they were there rather than investing in its future prosperity. Change didn’t happen quickly. Partners meetings and lack of consensus saw to that.

As a young Associate I was building up my own client base (mainly from Shetland, where I come from, which is 392 miles away from Glasgow by road and overnight ferry across the North Sea). It got to the stage that I was bringing in more work than I could cope with. I needed extra hands to help me but the firm weren’t interested in supporting my growth. That would cost money in the short term and might affect some partners soon to be retirement plans.

My options were (a) sticking it out and working all hours that were sent to me with limited ability to grow my business any further; (b) moving to another law firm that probably would just be out of the frying pan and into the fire; or (c) setting up my own law firm. I plucked (c), formed Inksters and haven’t really looked back since.

Inksters Today

Twenty-two years later and my PA, Fiona, is still with me at Inksters. But we are part of an ever growing team with solicitors and/or bases in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Eigg, Forfar, Glasgow, Inverness, Lerwick, Portree, Thurso and Wick. We now have a larger geographical reach than any other law firm in Scotland. The law firm I worked for 22 years ago no longer exists.

Today also marks our complete transition to a law firm where all solicitors benefit financially directly from the fruits of their own labours. Inksters no longer have any salaried solicitors but instead only consultant solicitors remunerated on a fee sharing basis. Each one fully supported by an administrative team to help them grow their businesses within Inksters in a way I could only dream of twenty-two years ago. We are unique in Scotland in operating a law firm in this way at scale. A model that the Law Society Gazette has reported is transforming the legal market.

Master Number 22

22 is an auspicious number for Inksters:-

Master Number 22 represents the universal, the realization, the concrete achievement. As a master builder, he has come to carry out large-scale projects with significant social impact.

I’d like to think that is what we have created over twenty-two years of forward thinking and constant improvement at Inksters resulting in our Plug and Play Law model.

Plug & Play Law

A model that gives you nine benefits of joining Inksters as a self-employed consultant rather than setting up on your own or with others or, indeed, being employed by or in partnership with other solicitors. You:-

• Can just do law
• Have complete flexibility on your own terms
• Are rewarded for what you do
• Reduce your costs
• Get all the benefits that a larger organisation can offer
• Become part of an award winning law firm
• Have access to a diverse range of clients
• Have the best technology to assist you
• Get me!

For more details do download the Plug & Play Law Brochure.

If it interests you do contact me for a chat.

Here’s to the next twenty-two years!