Firm profile: Napthens Solicitors.

(From The Lawyer)

When the partners at Lancashire firm Napthens Solicitors decided to examine their strategy, they looked outside the legal profession for the person who would do the review. The chosen candidate was former HSBC area director Ian Higginbotham.

Higginbotham has been chair of Napthens since January and is in the process of leading a full-scale strategic review of the firm. He has plans to lead a threefold expansion over the next four years.

Higginbotham says Napthens' expansion plan stems from a difficulty with its current size. With 11 partners and 30 fee-earners, the firm is neither a large player nor a boutique, but something in the middle.

"We want to be the practice of choice for people who are looking for a solicitor in our area," Higginbotham explains.

The first step for Napthens was to introduce a new executive team. The executive is led by Higginbotham, who works part time, and senior partner Andrew Ferguson. David Sewell leads the corporate and commercial team and John Woosnam has responsibility for private client work.

Woosnam and Sewell both work with teams of partners, lawyers and support staff drawn from their sides of the firm to help drive development forward, the idea being that Napthens' employees are encouraged to be proactive about the firm's growth.