ALT Legal, based in Wetherby, has hired two new recruits.
Heather Robertson and Alex Cooper both took an unusual pathways to become qualified lawyers. Alex studied pharmacology before qualifying as a corporate lawyer, while Heather did a law degree, but spent many years as a project manager in the tech industry.
Alex, who has joined from Clarion, commented:
“I was really attracted to ALT Legal’s ethos and values. It has a refreshing approach to innovate the sector’s traditional models, coupled with a flexibility for working parents.”
Anna Ashford, head of ALT Legal, commended the new hires:
“Heather and Alex’s diverse backgrounds accentuate ALT Legal’s commitment to a very different approach to problem solving. Heather’s role in particular will see her utilising those tech skills to bring new products, such as visual contracts, to life.”
Heather said on her recruitment:
“After my experience in the more creative, disruptive tech sector before working in traditional law firms, it’s exciting to join a firm with such an innovative approach that isn’t fixated on billable hours. The subscription model gives breathing space to build genuine client relationships without them worrying about unexpected bills for every six-minute unit of advice.”
ALT Legal, founded almost 10 years ago by Richard Turner and Rob Ashall, remains committed to creating a 21st century law firm. The founders insist that there is space for a law firm which can provide the same quality of advice, wrapped in a less formal and perhaps even irreverent approach, which better reflects the tone of voice and culture of many modern businesses.
Rob Ashall, founder of ALT Legal, said:
“Just because we don’t take ourselves too seriously doesn’t mean we don’t take what we do seriously. Our lawyers, as proven by the recent hires of Alex and Heather, are first rate – they just feel the same as we do, that law is a tool to help businesses. It doesn’t need to be the business prevention unit.”
Since 2021, when ALT Legal was relaunched as a spin-out from Alpaca, Anna Ashford has led the day-to-day operations. Her prominence on LinkedIn has brought the firm a legion of loyal followers who appreciate this alternative approach to law.
According to Anna, the change is being driven by clients: “What we hear most often from clients is that they want us to go further. They’re crying out for contracts which make sense to somebody who isn’t legally trained. They want to see visual contracts, automation, and efficiency. They love that we communicate with them in plain English using tools like Slack. It’s really not rocket science but it seems to be a gap in the market.”