My decision to have a model of billing clients not based on hours but outcomes from the outset, has had a positive flow on effect to every part of the business
Nich Burch
Burch&Co, founded by Nich Burch in 2016, is a law firm dedicated to providing personalised legal services. Driven by the belief that the law should be accessible and enjoyable, Nich and his team strive to create positive experiences for their clients.
Dynamic Business sat down with Nich Burch, Founder of Burch&Co to discuss his entrepreneur jounrey
The beginning
“It was a fork in the road moment I had whilst sitting in a board meeting with the other partners of a Law firm I was working at, at the time. I brought up the idea of a different sort of billing model which would encourage internal collaboration, and better relationship with clients rather than individual competition. I had the choice to try and bring his current employer on the journey to implement this new model. Or back myself and start a new firm from the ground up. I walked out of the meeting knowing I had to choose the latter, and Burch&Co was born shortly afterwards. My firm would not see it as a positive thing to have people at their desks beyond 6:00pm.”
To this day, Nich’s decision to implement a client billing model based on outcomes rather than hours has had a positive ripple effect across every aspect of Burch&Co. “To this day, my decision to have a model of billing clients not based on hours but outcomes from the outset, has had a positive flow on effect to every part of the business. For example, the Company has team-based revenue targets rather than individual revenue targets to generate collaboration rather than competition. Furthermore, the team are offered a 9-day fortnight to support their wellbeing and work life balance, without the concern of not meeting daily billable targets. They also have access to a performance psychologist.”
Prioritizing people
The strength of Burch&Co’s client community, built on a human-to-human approach, has set the firm apart from others in the legal industry. Nich has intentionally fostered an environment where legal problems are treated as human problems, allowing his team to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients. “I know that our clients are not hesitant to engage with the team, due to our fixed fee billing structure and human-to-human approach. Human-to-human law also acknowledges that lawyers are people too, far too often lawyers are not treated the best by those they work for. I am committed to putting our people at the front and centre of everything we do and as a result we have a high employee retention rate. I am very dedicated to ensuring his team has great experience at the firm and are proud to be lawyers!”
Challenges faced
Nich faced several challenges in building Burch&Co. The first was finding lawyers who were not only highly professional but also genuinely aligned with the firm’s core values, socially engaging, and open to forming deep, vulnerable relationships with clients. Secondly, the firm’s alternative fee structure required significant client education, as it diverged from traditional billing methods. “I wish I had had the confidence to hire more people sooner and the last challenge was undervaluing the service we provide, and being too eager to get work and under quote.”
Nich encourages fellow entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo. Through his experience, he has learned that implementing innovative approaches that prioritize employee wellbeing, collaboration, and productivity leads to a better overall client experience. “I’ve learnt that coming up with new approaches to business which encourages employee wellbeing, collaboration and productivity improves the overall client’s experience. I’ve also learnt that as a business owner of a profitable business, I have a responsibility to give back to the wider community and our team as best as I can. This is why I’ve recently joined as a volunteer and non-executive director at GoodCompany.
“Furthermore, being a Community minded firm, we actively make time to give back to the community through Quarterly Charitable Focuses for example- ASRC food drive, lost dogs home, off your back coat drive and Polished Man. We have deployed a volunteer policy that provides employees with one day each month to give back to our community. Our employees say that these initiatives provide a sense of meaning and greater purpose to their work.”
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