Neil Smith

What do you do for your clients ?

T: 07795027670

E: neil.smith@arbor.law

Find me on LinkedIn

I am a legal operations expert who works with GCs, corporates and in-house legal teams to transform their legal teams and functions to maximise and enhance productivity, reduce costs and streamline processes, with the aim of doing more with less to create value. I work across legal and commercial teams, regulatory, business development and sales, knowledge management/learning & development and tech teams to develop strategies to improve efficiency and operations.

What are your legal specialities?

I work with my legal team clients to help them assess the current 'As Is' state of their legal function, identifying gaps and areas for development, before workshopping, finalising and implementing the plan to deliver. Common headline themes under which specific initiatives are developed include: • Improved governance • Better service delivery • People initiatives • Technology solutions and continuous improvement

What do clients say?

That I deliver and in turn enable them to deliver measurable returns to their business partners and stakeholders. They also say that I am a good partner to work with 'both in terms of personality and work culture' - I pride myself on 'getting stuck in' and am highly collaborative in nature.

Behind the lawyer

Like other Arbor Law colleagues, my family (wife, two daughters and a dog) keep me v busy. In my spare time I used to love running but my knees have dictated that the phrase now becomes 'I love long hikes'!

Before Arbor

Before Arbor Law I also specialised in optimising in-house legal teams.  I have found my broad background a positive in this – qualifying as a litigator at Linklaters before heading up different business functions.

Education 

  • Durham University (BA Law)
  • College of Law, York (Legal Practice Course)