In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, CEO of Mills Oakley John Nerurker said that if he had to sum up the firm’s agenda for 2022, collaboration would be top of the list.

“With our clients, within our partnership, within our firm and within the community,” he said.

“Our priority for 2022 is making sure that we ‘walk the talk’ on collaboration and employee engagement. In line with the well-established philosophy that culture follows structure, we are introducing revamped national team structures which incentivise and reward collaborative behaviour. Our not-for-profit and social enterprise team is the first to adopt the new structure and others will follow later this year.”

Last year, Mills Oakley launched a new charity dedicated to expanding its pro bono work across the country, Everyday Justice, which provides free legal advice for the growing number of low to moderate-income earners in Australia who are ineligible for means-tested Legal Aid services but are unable to afford a private lawyer. 

In addition, the firm merged with boutique firm Clarendon Lawyers, absorbing its partners and staff in October last year. Moves like this one, Mr Nerurker said, are vital to keep the firm’s momentum into 2022.

“We had a strong 2021, capped off by the recruitment of the well-regarded Clarendons team to our national corporate group. The team had a smooth transition into Mills Oakley and actually closed their first deal under the Mills Oakley banner last week, advising Luxury Escapes on a $70 million funding round by Auctus Investment Group,” he said.

“That’s the first milestone and the journey from here is about leveraging our strengths and taking the national practice to the next level. So again, collaboration themes such as sharing information, communication and working together to anticipate client needs will come to the fore.”

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Furthermore, collaboration starts with positive behaviours, such as treating colleagues and staff with respect and courtesy and finding time for team outings and catch-ups, added Mr Nerurker.

“Our data shows a clear correlation between the frequency of such events and a team’s success in retaining their staff and attracting new members. The real challenge is how we manage these goals during the current transitional period. While we have a deep conviction that being in the office builds the strongest culture, we also need to be empathetic and recognise that the slow return to normality has created some understandable jitters. So we need to maintain a dual strategy which fosters team culture both remotely and in the office,” he said.

“We will also be collaborating with the broader community. We launched our pro bono firm one year ago and we have been overwhelmed by the response. We have over 100 active matters and a waitlist of a similar length. Gaining that insight into the level of demand for pro bono advice has inspired us to work even harder to make sure that everyone gains the access to justice that they deserve in 2022.”