Exeter solicitors one of the Top 100 best companies to work

A leading local law firm has been named as one of the top 100 firms to work for in the UK, according to the influential Sunday Times list.

Stephens Scown LLP, which took part in the Sunday Times Best Companies survey for the first time, has also received its prestigious two star accreditation for outstanding levels of employee engagement, which is an exceptional achievement for a company on its first attempt.

Stephens Scown’s position in the top 100 will be revealed at an awards ceremony in London on 26 February.

The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for is an annual survey and its 2015 survey marks its 15th year. Designed to recognise the well being and motivation of employees, the survey is widely acknowledged as the most searching and comprehensive research into employee engagement in the UK and the results depend entirely on the opinion of employees.

Stephens Scown has undertaken an extensive programme of staff engagement including introducing a new workplace choir and encouraging staff involvement in charity and community events. Staff from across the organisation are also closely involved in the future direction of the firm, with volunteers running client service action groups and HR Focus Groups in each office to feed back suggestions to the Board. Staff are also encouraged to come up with ideas to improve the firm, one recent example is a new Iphone App ‘My Lawyer’, which enables clients to keep track of their cases quickly and easily.

Stephens Scown’s managing partner Robert Camp said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the firm, particularly as this is our first year taking part in the survey. Our people are our greatest asset, and I’ve found that some of the most successful ideas for the firm have come from listening to them and acting on their suggestions. The results of the survey are based entirely on their feedback, and give us a good understanding of what we are doing well, but also crucially how we can continue to improve.”

Lucy Palmer, Director of HR, added: “I am absolutely delighted with the responses of our employees. For our people to feel valued and engaged in this way shows what a great place Stephens Scown is to work. This, in addition to achieving 6 Lex awards in the Lex 100 Student Guide, is testament to what has been an outstanding year for us in terms of employee engagement.”

Stephens Scown has over 40 partners and 260 staff across its offices in Exeter, Truro and St Austell. For more information visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk