Why make Woodstock your home?

How it all began...

Woodstock was established in 2014 with a view to shake up the delivery of legal services. In the beginning, it was just Carly Jermyn and friend Tamsin Ledger. They both wanted to take control of their careers and build themselves a better work-life balance. Both ambitious solicitors and hard-working new mothers, they both needed to step away from the traditional law firm model to make this happen. 

“We quickly saw that what we had created worked and we encouraged others to take the leap with us.” 

Woodstock soon welcomed new consultant, Peter Fowler (an ex-law firm owner himself). 

“From that point on we watched our consultants flourish. We have continually worked hard to perfect the consultancy model and what we have to offer our consultants. This has led us to welcome many more consultants to the team from various specialisms, all with their own personal motivations for taking control of their careers and stepping away from the traditional law firm model into the new world of consultancy.”  

What does life at Woodstock look like?

We love watching our consultants thrive in their careers, supported by the incredibly strong and vibrant community that we have grown at Woodstock.

Woodstock is a community not just a collection of lawyers; a team that encourages the growth and development of one another, with active referrals, peer support, regular team catch-ups, and support with business development.

We have invested heavily in our regulatory requirements and support infrastructure, leaving you free to focus on delivering great legal services knowing all of this is in hand.

Our friendly lawyer support team understands exactly what is needed when consultants transition from the traditional law firm model into the exciting world of consultancy. They guide you through every step of onboarding, helping you get to grips with our IT systems, billing and file setup processes.

For established consultants moving their existing practice to Woodstock, we provide dedicated, hands-on support to ensure the transition is smooth and seamless. We work closely with you to make the process straightforward and as painless as possible, protecting continuity for your clients and giving you complete confidence from day one.

All client onboarding is done centrally using a sophisticated online system which means you get your clients up and running with little inconvenience to you or them, confident that your matter is fully compliant from the start. Risk assessments will be sent to you for completion and followed up to ensure your matter is fully compliant. Client care letters can also be sent centrally for electronic signature.

How can our lawyer support team help you?

At Woodstock, our lawyer support team are prompt and helpful. Offering a personal approach, they are always available for answering questions and providing guidance on internal processes. File openings are turned around within 24 hours so you can get on with the important part – maintaining productivity and client satisfaction. 

What legal services do our Lawyers cover?

As a full-service law firm, we welcome lawyers from all specialisms. We love that our individual lawyers have a crossover of specialism allowing them to support and complement one another when needed but with their individual sweet spots – the area of work they love to practice and where they really thrive. 

This means consultants, although self-employed, can still take a well-earned holiday with the support of their colleagues, or maternity leave knowing the clients they love are taken care of and they can collaborate for the maximum benefit of clients. 

As a consultant you are free to control the work you do within your area of specialism, allowing you to control your own career development path. 

Full details of services currently provided can be found on our website and specifically on our legal services brochure:

> Residential Landlord and Tenant law 

> Debt recovery 

> Property Disputes 

> Construction and engineering 

> Employment law 

> Private client

> Business acquisitions & disposals 

> Commercial Property 

> Residential conveyancing 

> Residential leasehold disputes 

> Block management 

> Company commercial matters
> Dispute resolution 

> Media & technology

How does it all work?

Our consultants are self-employed and paid on a fee split percentage basis of fees paid by the client. Essentially you reap what you sew. The fantastic thing about this setup is that our objectives are aligned. We want you to succeed and will encourage and support you to develop a successful client base.

Most of our consultants work from home (based all around the south of England), although we have two hub offices in Canford Cliffs and Ashley Cross, Poole where consultants are able to hot-desk should they want a change of environment and some distinction between home and working life. The office allows you to interact with other members of the team and provides a meeting/function room facility. Canford Cliffs is also not a bad spot for a quick coffee or a bite to eat - whether it is with a client or the rest of the team! 

Work is often referred to by our clients but many of our clients self-generate enough work to keep them busy.

Either way, you have the freedom to work for the clients you want to work with. There is no obligation to act for a particular client or pick up a particular matter. You have the freedom to choose. You can choose how much work you take on. 

Once our support team has set your client with all compliance checks done you are free to get on with the legal work. You raise an invoice at the appropriate time for you and your client. Once the invoice is paid you are able to include the fees in your invoice to us at the end of the month. 

We will deduct any overhead costs  and the balance will be paid into your account.

Growing your business

We will support you generate the sort of work and clients you love which is the key to success.  All members of the team actively refer work to one another and will regularly work collaboratively making the best use of their individual skill sets for any particular matter.

You will be invited to contribute to and attend internal and external marketing events that benefit you and the firm as a whole. Equally, if you have any marketing initiatives that you would like to explore, then we will support you in getting them off the ground. 

You will have a profile page on our website and access to our blog to share any new legal updates or anything that may be of interest to clients. You will also be invited to contribute to the website page dedicated to your area of specialism. 

We will actively share your blogs on social media and encourage the whole Woodstock team to share and engage to gain maximum exposure to any content produced. 

We will share knowledge and materials to encourage you to develop your marketing and business development plan in conjunction with the wider firm strategy. 

Of course, some consultants arrived with plenty of work and no desire to take on more - that’s fine too after one of the most attractive elements of consultancy is the true work-life balance that can be achieved whilst delivering a great service to clients and earning an attractive income. 

This year we have invested a great deal in further strengthening the foundations of the firm so that we are building for the future. 

IT support

The focus on high-quality IT is key at Woodstock and we have and will continue to invest heavily in IT to improve our working lives and the service delivered to clients.

IT doesn’t come easily to everyone and sometimes it can be the trickiest part of becoming self-employed. To make the transition life generally better at Woodstock, we use a third-party IT support company that will get you all set up with the assistance of our internal support team. 

Our case management system also has a fantastic support team should you struggle with any element of the system. You can call or email them or hop on a live chat. We find them responsive, friendly and very helpful. They offer training sessions on the system which together with the help of our internal team will have you up to speed with all the fantastic functions it has to offer. 

Getting set up with the hardware can feel like a minefield. We can, however, put you in touch with our IT support who will happily work with you to get you set up with the products we have tried and tested. 

We do not recommend using Apple Macs for your consultancy work, as they can present compatibility issues with LEAP and Microsoft Office. To ensure everything runs smoothly from day one, we strongly advise using a Windows-based laptop or PC.

LEAP also has specific system requirements that your device must meet, so these should be carefully checked before purchasing any new equipment.

LEAP case management

Woodstock currently uses LEAP, which is a fantastic cloud-based case management system. 

LEAP can be accessed from your PC/Laptop and your smartphone, allowing you to work anywhere, anytime. LEAP is fully integrated with Outlook and allows the user to access up-to-date precedents, automated legal documents, time recording, searches, e-signature, and secure document sharing. 

Initial training on LEAP is provided by Woodstock and Leap themselves, however, Leap also provides YouTube tutorials

and guides online and the “LEAP University” course to get you going with the basics. 

Our consultants and internal team love LEAP. They find it intuitive and easy to use. Consultants are always impressed by the speed of invoicing, the ability to communicate quickly and easily across Microsoft Teams and Outlook and the organisation of files.

Full details on LEAP can be found here  which includes a useful brochure giving an overview of the system. 

Microsoft Teams - telephone & collaborative working

Woodstock uses Microsoft Teams to communicate and work collaboratively across the firm. Teams includes a telephone system, document sharing, a chat facility, video conferencing, webinar recording, and more additional features. 

We find it a great tool to bring everyone together. It also works with LEAP, our case management system, allowing our team to provide you with callback requests that link you back to that client’s particular matter. 

More information on the Group Chat Software can be found here.

Consultants tend to use a mobile phone (whether their personal mobile or an additional work phone) with their direct number provided to clients. This can either be your personal work number or we can obtain a direct dial through Microsoft Teams allowing you to keep your personal number private and protect your distinction between home and work.

As a cloud-based system, it can operate as an app on your phone and/or PC/Laptop, so you can take calls anywhere with little disruption. 

To ensure clients are provided with an acceptable level of service, consultants are required to operate a voicemail system confirming that the caller has reached Woodstock Legal Services and allowing callers to leave a voicemail or direct them to email. We will also pick up overflow calls for you in the office and do our best to make sure clients are looked after. 

Compliance

As COLP I work closely with Natasha Boyland, Director of Risk & Operations to oversee compliance at the firm which takes the headache away from you. 

We take a robust but practical approach to compliance, always ensuring that our systems and processes work well for the whole team whilst ensuring adherence to the strict rules to which we must comply. 

All compliance training is delivered through Woodstock and consultants are required to complete the required compliance training or provide evidence of up-to-date training. 

You must ensure you always have the most recent anti-virus software uploaded onto your computer. If you need assistance with this, we will be happy to help. 

As a flexible law firm, it is fundamental that client confidentiality is always maintained.

Files must be stored on Leap and your computer securely locked. We operate a paperless office, but we recognise at times a paper file is required.  These files must be kept somewhere safe and secure with an up-to-date electronic file stored on Leap. 

You can also access LexisNexis to carry out any required legal research. Legal updates will also be shared across the Woodstock community. 

Routine file reviews will be carried out which can be done on Leap. You will also be required to satisfy the SRA requirements for continuing competency and provide Woodstock with an up-to-date record.

Administrative support

Our dedicated lawyer support team work hard to ensure you have everything you need to focus on delivering legal services quickly, efficiently and compliantly.

The team in the office will scan your post for you each day and will handle incoming phone calls.

Consultants should find that Leap leaves little need for dictation and the creation of documents can be done quickly and easily. However, we do provide a level of administrative support to make sure you can focus your efforts on your client and getting the legal work done. 

Accounts Support

At Woodstock, our experienced Accounts team take care of the technical, time-consuming parts of financial management so you can stay focused on your clients.

Here’s how we help you:

Marketing & Business Development Support

Raising your profile, growing your business

Being a consultant doesn’t mean going it alone. Our Marketing team provides the expertise, tools, and visibility to help you attract new clients, build credibility, and strengthen your reputation.

Here’s what we offer:

Fees & How You Get Paid

Fair and straightforward

We want our consultants to know exactly where they stand. 

Our fee structure is simple, designed to reward your growth and give you peace of mind.

Your fee share tiers

The more you bill, the more you keep.

Mentoring & supervision

For consultants who are new to practice or new to consultancy, we run a mentoring and supervision scheme. This gives you a trusted point of contact on your matters, helping you build confidence and grow. If mentoring is in place, we’ll agree a small adjustment to the fee share to reflect your mentor’s time. Consultants who’ve used this support tell us it’s been invaluable in making their start at Woodstock smoother, safer, and less daunting.

Systems, Costs & Grace Period

The tools and support you need

We invest in the right systems to make life easier for you while keeping your costs clear and predictable.

Woodstock systems

IT Equipment

Practising certificates & compensation fund

Other Costs

*Grace period & monthly fee

If Woodstock is your only listed firm on your mySRA profile, this monthly fee is waived.