“One of the key lessons for me was to resist an urge to be reactive to the circumstances and make emotion-driven decisions, and instead, to listen and be considered in our approach. In other words, to wait, watch, assess and then take a view when some greater clarity emerges. That stopped us [from] making precipitous decisions.

“Another lesson is how goodwill and thoughtful interactions go a long way in keeping things steady in uncertainty: in many ways, much of leadership is an exercise in thoughtfulness,” he said.  

“An ability to have some distance from the inevitable distractions of day-to-day office life (which, ignoring other challenges, working-from-home gave us) crystallised some thinking about culture and the type of people (and behaviour) we want, and are willing to tolerate in our firm. That’s led to many people being brave in calling out poor behaviour and in turn led to some very positive changes in our workplace.”

Taking all this into consideration, Clayton Utz’s priorities over the next year lay in attracting and retaining the right staff, including lawyers and business support staff.

“That means promoting the whole benefits of staying at (or joining) Clayton Utz, outside the simple two-weekly pay cheque: the generous bonuses, our support for people’s health and wellbeing, the learning and development opportunities we offer, our commitment to pro bono and diversity and inclusion, and all the other things that go to make up an organisation where one can feel proud to belong and feel purpose at work in between pay days. In short, how do we sustain a compelling proposition as an employer in a vigorous employment market?” Mr Cooper explained.

“Second, to continue thinking about how we define, and pursue, the culture that we want at Clayton Utz and to keep making clear in words and actions what we stand for, and what we expect for our people – and in turn, what they can expect from us. That should mean, I would hope, that we keep and attract the people we want to be part of our firm.”

But the attraction and retention of staff is something all firms – big or small – should be focusing on post-pandemic, Mr Cooper added.

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“As an industry, the talent recruitment and retention issues, cultural issues and client satisfaction issues are common to all of us. I wouldn’t presume to compare us to other large law firms because every law firm is different, and has a different approach, even if we are all pursuing the same ultimate objectives,” he said.

“From the perspective of our firm, our priorities will continue to be our culture and getting that right, making sure what we offer as an employer is compelling to the right people, and finding new ways to work smarter and deliver value to clients who value us and our relationship with them.”

Success within the profession also means embracing innovation and continuing to evolve and grow, concluded Mr Cooper.

“The last few years have really brought into focus that if you want to evolve the success of the business – and that’s what I’ve committed to do – it means taking the time to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and being courageous in challenging the status quo. Clayton Utz is an exceptional firm and we’re all passionate about its success,” he said.

“I think we’ve really made important progress in terms of defining our culture in particular, and in the way we approach ways of working and client service. We’re not a firm that says ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’ and keeps treading the same path. We encourage and embrace new ideas and new ways of thinking – which is what any business needs to do if it’s to thrive.”