Emma Post and Nicki Beale are co-founders of NE Family Law. In this interview, they share their experiences of setting up and running a successful business in Richmond.
How would you describe your business in one sentence?
We are a boutique law firm providing specialist advice and guidance in family law and wills, probate and later life planning.
When did you launch and who is behind it?
Nicki and I are co-founders and launched the firm in November 2021. We are both long standing specialist family lawyers.
When did your lightbulb moment happen?
Sitting in my home, post pandemic and during my second maternity leave. We were trying to decide what was next for us both, professionally. We felt constrained professionally at the firm we were working with and wanted to offer a service it could not support. My husband said, “you should both set up a firm of your own”. So, we did!
What did you do before starting your business?
Nicki and I have always practiced family law. We live and breathe it. We have both held senior positions/partnerships in family teams in multi service law firms.
What were the three most challenging aspects of setting up the business?
- Exiting our previous firm
- Getting all our ducks in a row (compliance, IT, website, clients) to be able to launch and hit the ground running
- Learning to be businesswomen, not just lawyers.
The smartest career decision you made…
Setting up NE Family Law. We love being in control of our financial futures and building our business around our clients and their families.
The most difficult lesson you learnt…
You cannot do everything - you need to go with your gut on the big decisions and surround yourself with the right people who share your vision and values.
The best career advice you received...
Find your niche. Become an expert. Never stop learning.
What type of support have you received since starting your business?
In starting our business, we surrounded ourselves with experts in the areas where we are not: accountancy, regulatory, IT, Website and brand building. We have cultivated those relationships over time.
Our husbands and families in being behind us all the way. Fellow local business owners/founders across professional services, who support and champion each other in cross referring clients.
Our clients themselves. We are forever grateful for those that moved with us when we set up and offered unwavering support and loyalty, and those we have taken on as new clients during our journey. We pride ourselves on our client care and the positive feedback we received from those who have been kind enough to share their experience of working with us.
What type of support, if any, have you received from us?
Most recently we have started working Helen Roberts and Zenith Enterprise Programme for business mentoring and coaching to help us move to taking our business to the next level.
We are finding it extremely helpful having a deep dive into our business, our values and how we want to market and grow.
How can residents support their local businesses?
So many businesses want to build their community presence and offer a first-class service to those within the community (as well as further afield).
Supporting local businesses and professional services, sharing experiences, and providing recommendations plays a huge part in that and for which many, ourselves included, are extremely grateful.
If you had the opportunity to do it all again, what would you do differently?
There are always things we would do differently. Certainly, we have not looked back on our decision to launch our own practice. We try to look forward and learn from the benefit of hindsight, where we need to!
Your top three tips for aspiring entrepreneurs...
- Take the plunge and do it!
- Get a good accountant!
- Back yourself
Finish this sentence: We like being based in Richmond because…
It is a microcosm of London. It has history, theatres, exciting restaurants, great pubs and bars, fantastic transports links, brilliant schools and, of course, it is beautiful!
How can people find you?
- Website: NE Family Law
- Address: NE Family Law, Parkshot House, 5 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 2PR
- LinkedIn: NE Family Law
- Instagram: @nefamilylawyers
- Facebook: NE Family Lawyers