Another successful year for Trenches Law and what a time it’s been for the brand. On one hand I can’t quite believe how much we’ve achieved, but then I look around and see our team and speak to our clients and friends of the business, and it just all makes sense.
It was a huge leap of faith to ‘go it alone’ all those years ago. Establishing a company in a highly competitive market isn’t one for the faint-hearted, and that’s what makes this fifth birthday celebration all the more special.
Because throughout, we’ve stuck to our values. We’ve been energetic, brave, visionary and authentic. And for that I’m truly proud of the organisation we continue to develop, the talent we nurture and the steps we take to grow collectively.
New services and bolder ambitions
Over the last 12 months we’ve matured. From the beginning of the year, it was all about our incredible 200% revenue increase as the demands for our wayleave, commercial legal counsel, and Code powers expertise grew at a rapid rate.
But it wasn’t simply about the bottom line. Instead, it’s been making bolder choices – from services to recruitment.
And that’s what’s led to us taking on more complex and exciting projects. We officially launched our electric vehicles (EV) legal offering to help developers and operators negotiate electricity wayleaves and install vital charge points. That wasn’t because we wanted to tick a sustainability box either, we’re determined to play our part in a net zero future. It’s a passion of mine to build a legacy for the next generation of telecoms professionals so they can nurture our planet even further.
Alongside our fresh EV service, we’ve also rolled-out a retainer model for legal clients to give them greater flexibility and ultimately tap into our specialist advice – whenever they need to.
Fresh faces and new thinking
We’ve also welcomed new recruits. Kevin Broome and Terry Stent have both come in as Client Services Managers, and more recently Phill Stockdale-Woodhead and Kelly Hope have taken up their respective learning and development and wayleave officer roles.
And it’s important to shout about the internal successes from our fantastic team too. Katie Fosten moved into a Head of Client Services role and colleagues Steve Sawley and Mike Thompson recently took up Client Services’ Manager and Operations Manager positions. Not to mention Georgina Rudak who has both qualified as a solicitor and subsequently been promoted to Head of Legal. It’s been incredible to watch each of our team members grow.
What really stands out to me is how committed we are to developing talent based on attitudes. I want people to come into the business who are energetic and enthusiastic. They should never be worried about their career background or accreditations, that doesn’t matter to me. What’s important is how passionate they are to learn and make a difference. If they have that fire in their belly, I want them in the team.
Throughout these milestone moments, we’ve also undergone a rebrand – spearheaded by Anna Hagglund, our Head of Brand and Marketing. That project stripped our thinking back to its very core and was such an eye-opener. Together, we really cemented why a fresh visual identity could help us to further underpin that we’re not your average legal firm. And hopefully you like the ‘new look and feel’ too.
Looking ahead to Trenches Law’s future
As we enter into our fifth year (our ‘official’ birthday is 28 June), I do believe we’re becoming a trusted industry source. That was certainly the case when our Co-founder, Terry Daniell, was asked to host a panel of sector heavyweights to discuss ‘The FTTP Opportunity’ at Channel Live earlier this year.
And it’s been incredible to have our work recognised on a national level. Our FSB National and UK Fibre Provider award successes have provided some truly ‘pinch yourself’ moments – I couldn’t be prouder.
Of course, no business venture is ever smooth and there have been some lessons learnt along the way. For me personally, I’ve discovered a lot about my leadership and developed new ways to manage my imposter syndrome. I know it impacts a lot of us and for me, that’s been something I’ve worked on extensively with our organisation’s coach, Hande Karabatak Binns. She’s a qualified psychologist and gets me to think about my performance in a different way. It’s been refreshing to say the least and something I’ll continue.
I’m so excited for the future. So, on that…
Our product roadmap is a thrilling one. We’re developing services that will help the telecoms industry meet the Government’s objective of a gigabit future. With a passion to make things easier for clients, we’ll have another offering soon that’ll allow us to take the pain away for operators so their contractors can install services into Multi-Dwelling Units immediately.
And we’re putting the final touches to a new client training programme which is set to provide guidance on topics including recent legislations on impact, wayleave and Code powers. Watch this space!
Finally, Trenches Law is a team that cares, strives to achieve, and does it all with bravery and energy. We’re an organisation that’s not afraid to be bold and support telecoms operators in a way we believe no-one else can. And for all those reasons – and more – I’m truly thankful to everyone who has helped to build a business that offers something truly special and different.
So, to all connected to our organisation, please can I end on the biggest ever ‘thank you’.
And roll-on July for the next Trenches Fest!
