It’s when we leave our familiar environment of desks, strong filter coffees, telephones and inboxes and head to various fields on the outskirts of places such as Nairn, Turriff and Muir of Ord.
Why? To network and promote our services at the various rural shows taking place during the summer months.
The importance of attending
On Saturday we took a stand at the Nairn Show.
I was asked by a friend who popped in to see us - not to grab one of our fascinating leaflets, but solely to enjoy some of our delicious tablet and coconut balls - why we went to all the trouble.
Is it worth it? Do you actually get any new business? Is manning a stand all day not tedious and tiring?
This gave me a brief pause for thought.
After all, the dawn rise to load up various banners, leaflets and equipment into a van, and the technical challenges involved in erecting a gazebo against the clock and a Moray Firth wind felt like considerably more work than a few hours in the office revising a lease. Was it all worth it?
It was, most definitely.
I enjoyed conversations with clients, friends and new contacts on a range of topics, some of which related to law (new residential tenancy rules featured heavily), some of which covered the state of the nation (Michael Gove featured heavily), but most of which related to local business, personal and family concerns.
Taking quality time out
Taking time out to speak to contacts and clients away from the humdrum of legal contracts and deadlines was very worthwhile indeed, and I learned more than I would have staring at my inbox in the office.
I was also able to spend some quality time with my colleagues away from the pure business of law. I know Sine Mackay is a first class employment lawyer, but had no idea about her talents for home baking and project management (that gazebo did not go up itself).
Victoria Leslie is our expert litigator, but she is also a mother with two charming boys who livened up our stand. Her friend Gemma kindly spent two hours offering face painting to the other youngsters who popped in to see us.
My PA, Susie Mackenzie, can type very quickly and organise my diary, but I didn’t know about her sales talents until I witnessed our raffle tickets disappearing very quickly indeed.
And Elisa Miller’s eye for detail when drafting property contracts translated very well when it came to telling us about the various equestrian specimens on show.
Last but not least, our corporate lawyer Andrew Stott has a beautiful young golden retriever – he (the dog that is) was a bigger draw to our stand than the rest of us put together.
So, all in all, the day was hugely worthwhile.
So what’s next? This week we’ll be heading to the Black Isle Show and the Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy, we hope to see you there!
Then it will be back to our strong coffee and inboxes.
