Leanne Makinson - the full Monty

So the timeline went something like this -

14th Sept - enquiry via Yorkshire desk about writing something for our newsletter

5:29pm 19th September -  interview questions sent over

11:36am 20th September - interview received

Leanne Makinson is the Recruitment Manager for Beaumont Legal, the Wakefield based law firm who were acquired late 2015 by US online legal services provider LegalZoom.

She is also one of the most enthusiastic brand advocates we have ever encountered in legal. Every business needs one, or two or three or four...  

Tell us a bit about Beaumont Legal and what sets it apart from other law firms?

We were one of the more traditional law firms in Wakefield then in Feb 2016 we merged with Legal Zoom, one of the biggest firms in America. This has enabled us now to provide a unique experience for our employees and our customers. Earlier this year we gave Beaumont Legal employees the opportunity to go to Legal Zoom in America and experience the way they work and the amazing culture they have created. They have a different ethos to your typical working day, casual dress, relaxed working environment, flexible working hours and a lot of in office perks which we have implemented here at Beaumont Legal. With our customers we offer a completely different approach to how they complete the conveyancing process which is the main area we practice in. We now offer technology enabled lawyers, interactive apps that the customer can download that very easily lets the customer send Beaumont Legal documents at the click of a button on their phone! No appointments need to be made, customers aren’t having to juggle things around to accommodate face to face meetings and the whole process is so much simpler.

We hear there are some great things happening in the business, can you tell us more? 

Yes, they are indeed! We’ve grown as a company over 80 people in the last 4 months, this has brought some great talent into the business so were in an enrichment period now of making sure we’re developing the talent we have by providing the best training for them. 2017 will see Beaumont grow even more as the Conveyancing, Wills and Probate, Commercial Property and Litigation teams expand even further! We also have some new and exciting and completely innovative products due to come out over the next 6 months so we’re all looking forward to that too… 

Can you expand on your role there Leanne?

My role is the Recruitment Manager here at Beaumont Legal, I’ve been here for the last 4 months and we have a really great team here. I work in the People Team which consists of Recruitment, HR and Training, we have a great Director of People moving the team forward and some excellent skills and expertise between us. My role is to recruit for experienced Conveyancing Professionals ranging from Fee Earners, Solicitors and up to Team Leaders. I have a tough job to do but I work very closely with jobsites and agencies to ensure we have that attraction maximised. 

And what does a typical working week look like for you?

Working closely with the people team and key stakeholders in the business 
Lots of resourcing and the full 360 of the recruitment process
Putting together recruitment strategies and working with local universities, we are in a fortunate position where we can offer unlimited training contracts so we run large scale assessment centres a few times a year to ensure were attracting those really important graduates that we can help move the business forward.  
Having an outside the box thinking approach to recruitment, we need to let potential employees know about the great things we have on here at Beaumont Legal so I’ve been working on different ways of getting that message out there 

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

The team I work in, for me that makes a big impact on my day. Whenever I have a client meeting or a catch up with a new agency they always comment on how friendly and relaxed everyone is. We don’t have any hierarchy which enables that relaxed environment to continue. 

Spill the beans, what is your biggest frustration when dealing with recruitment agencies?     

For me the biggest frustration is knowing how hard it is to recruit in the conveyancing sector, I always embrace the opportunity to meet with agencies as we have something totally different here at Beaumont Legal that I think is massively important for agencies to see as we appreciate this culture / environment may not be for your traditional lawyers… There have been a few times where I’ve met with agencies, I’ve spent time with them and then never heard anything back! That to me is the biggest frustration!

Who’s been the biggest influence on your career?

I’ve always looked up to peers at companies that I’ve worked at, I’ve worked with some amazing people throughout my career and honestly I’m still learning now!  

What has been your greatest achievement so far in life?
 
Having being in recruitment for 14 years now, I’ve met some amazing people and learnt so much about recruitment and ultimately myself. I started my recruitment career in an agency environment but really fell in love with recruitment when I started working in-house… 

Tell us a bit about yourself. Growing up, education and family?

I come from a relatively small family and have grown up in Wakefield all my life. I enjoyed my earlier years at Ossett Comprehensive then pursued a career in hairdressing till I was 19 years old…. 

How do you relax? What interests outside of work float your boat?

I have a side project with a good friend of mine, we purchased some land in our home town and have spent the last 12 months turning this into a sensory garden for the community 

Tough one to finish. What might you be doing now if you had not pursued a career in HR and Recruitment?

Hmm – that is a tough one! I’m a massive animal lover so I would have thought something to do with my favourite furry friends!

Thanks Leanne